Everyone has something on their phone that is not for every hand that picks it up — family photos, document scans, a banking app. The safe way to hide them is already built into your phone. The risky way is a random "vault" app from an ad. Here are the built-in methods, phone by phone.
Hide photos and videos: Google Photos Locked Folder
- Open Google Photos → Library → Utilities → Locked Folder and set it up with your screen lock.
- Select photos/videos → menu → Move to Locked Folder.
- Locked items disappear from the gallery grid, search, albums and other apps — they open only with your fingerprint/PIN inside Locked Folder.
Know the catch: Locked Folder items are stored on this device only and are not backed up by default (newer versions offer a backup toggle — check it deliberately). If the phone is lost or reset without that backup, locked photos are gone. Keep that trade-off in mind for irreplaceable photos.
Samsung: Secure Folder — the strongest built-in option
Samsung phones include Secure Folder (Settings → Security and privacy → Secure Folder): a separate, encrypted space protected by its own PIN/fingerprint. You can keep a second copy of Gallery, WhatsApp, banking apps and files inside it — with separate accounts — and even hide the Secure Folder icon itself from the app drawer. For Samsung owners, this is the correct answer to almost every "hide" question.
Xiaomi / Redmi, Oppo, Vivo, Infinix: built-in hide features
- Xiaomi/Redmi (MIUI/HyperOS): Gallery → Albums → pull down and release to open Hidden album with your Mi account/screen lock; apps can be hidden via Security app → App lock / Hide apps.
- Oppo/Realme (ColorOS): Photos → Albums → long-press to set private via Private Safe (Settings → Privacy → Private Safe); apps hide with an access code dialled in the phone app.
- Vivo/iQOO: Files / Gallery privacy space and app hiding under Settings → Security & privacy.
- Infinix/Tecno: XHide / Phone Master privacy features vary by model — check Settings and search "hide".
Exact menu names differ by model and update, so use the Settings search bar and type hide, private or app lock — your phone will show its own built-in option if it has one.
Lock apps you cannot hide: App Lock
Sometimes locking beats hiding — WhatsApp, Gallery and banking apps should ask for your fingerprint even on an unlocked phone. Most brands include App Lock in Settings/Security; on phones without it, WhatsApp has its own fingerprint lock (Settings → Privacy → Fingerprint lock) and banking apps have their own PINs. A locked app in plain sight is often safer than a hidden app in a shady vault.
Frequently asked questions
If I hide a photo, is it removed from Google Photos backup?
For Locked Folder: items moved there leave your normal library view, and by default they were not backed up — newer Google Photos versions offer a Locked Folder backup setting. Check that setting consciously: backup ON means recoverable if the phone is lost; OFF means maximum privacy but no recovery.
Can someone find hidden apps by searching?
Properly hidden apps (Secure Folder, brand hide features) do not appear in the normal app list or search. A determined person with your unlocked phone and time may still find traces in Settings → Apps on some models — for real protection, your screen lock and app locks matter more than hiding alone.
I forgot my Private Safe / hidden album password. What now?
Brand features usually recover through your linked account (Mi account, HeyTap/realme account, Google) or screen-lock verification, as the on-screen flow guides. Unknown third-party vault apps often have no recovery at all — another reason to use the built-in options.
