Underlock vs the iPhone Hidden album
The Hidden album is free, built in and good at keeping photos out of sight. But it opens with your iPhone passcode. Underlock has its own pattern.
We make Underlock, so read this knowing that.
Which is right for you?
The Hidden album may be all you need if:
- nobody who picks up your phone knows your passcode
- you need photos out of sight, not behind a lock of their own
- you’d rather not have anything new to remember
- you use Advanced Data Protection, or you’re fine with how Apple protects iCloud Photos
Underlock is worth a try if:
- someone who picks up your phone knows your passcode
- you want a lock of your own, separate from your passcode
- you keep IDs, documents or notes too
You can use both. Underlock takes something out of Photos only when you tap Remove.
Side by side
Where the Hidden album does as well, or better, the table says so.
| Feature | Underlock | iPhone Hidden album |
|---|---|---|
| A lock of its own, not your iPhone passcode | Yes | No |
| Opens with Face ID | No | Yes |
| Encrypted on your iPhone | Yes | Yes |
| No account or email to sign up for | Yes | Yes |
| Nothing extra to remember | No | Yes |
| Holds files and notes, not just photos | Yes | No |
| Undo a delete for 30 days | Yes | Yes |
| Free, with no limit on files | Yes | Yes |
What the Hidden album does well
It’s a good start, and it’s already on your iPhone.
-
Built in and free
Nothing to install, and no account beyond the Apple Account you already use.
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Locked by default
Since iOS 16, the Hidden album asks for Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode before it opens.
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Out of sight everywhere else
Hidden photos leave your library, your other albums and the Photos widget.
The Hidden album opens with your passcode
Apple says the Hidden album unlocks with Face ID, Touch ID or your iPhone passcode. There’s no separate album password, so anyone who knows your passcode can open it. Underlock has a lock of its own: a pattern or passphrase you set, which your passcode doesn’t open.
In Settings, tap Apps, Photos, then Albums if you see it. Keep Use Face ID on (Use Touch ID or Use Passcode on some iPhones). Turn that switch off, and the Hidden album opens for anyone holding your unlocked iPhone.
Who holds the keys to your iCloud Photos?
With iCloud Photos on, your hidden photos are in iCloud too, and Apple holds the keys to them. Advanced Data Protection changes that, but it’s off by default, and in the UK you can’t turn it on.
On an iPad or Mac signed in to the same Apple Account, your Hidden album is there too, behind that device’s own lock. On a Mac, that’s Touch ID or your login password.
Moving photos from the Hidden album
- In Underlock, tap Add, then Import from Photos. Choose the photos. Keep the app open until the import finishes.
- When Underlock asks, tap Remove, and confirm when iOS asks. The originals leave Photos and wait in its Recently Deleted for 30 days, so delete them there too.
Questions about the Hidden album
It’s a good start, and it’s built in. But it opens with Face ID, Touch ID or your iPhone passcode, so anyone who knows your passcode can open it. And unless you turn on Advanced Data Protection, Apple holds the keys to your iCloud Photos.
On your iPhone, yes, like everything in Photos. In iCloud your photos are encrypted too, but under Apple’s standard protection Apple holds the keys. With Advanced Data Protection on, Apple no longer holds the keys.
Yes, if you use iCloud Photos. A photo you hide on your iPhone is hidden on your iPad and Mac too, where it opens with that device’s lock.
Anyone who can unlock the album can, and that includes anyone who knows your iPhone passcode. If Use Face ID is off in Settings, the album opens without asking at all.
Give what’s private a lock of its own
Free for one vault, with no file limit. No account, no email.
For iPhone with iOS 17 or later.