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VaultWell vs the iPhone Hidden album
How the Hidden album in Apple Photos compares with VaultWell, and when the built-in option is all you need.
Written as of October 2026 from Apple's published Photos documentation and iOS behaviour. Built-in features change with system updates, so check their current docs before deciding. If something here is out of date, we want to fix it.
At a glance
| Question | VaultWell | iPhone Hidden album |
|---|---|---|
| Needs a separate app | Yes | No, it's built into Photos |
| What unlocks it | A path on the comb, separate from your phone passcode | Face ID, Touch ID or the phone passcode |
| Someone who knows your passcode can open it | No, they also need the path | Yes |
| Several separate hidden spaces | Yes, each with its own path | One Hidden album |
| Can hide that it exists | Nothing on screen shows how many vaults exist | The album can be hidden from the Photos sidebar in Settings |
| Notes and files | Photos, videos, files and notes | Photos and videos |
| Sync across devices | No, not today | Yes, with iCloud Photos |
| Works on Android | Yes | No |
| Duress option | Yes, erases other vaults | No |
What the Hidden album does well
On recent versions of iOS, moving a photo to the Hidden album removes it from your library, Memories and widgets, and the album is locked with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode. You can also turn off the album's entry in Photos from Settings. If you use iCloud Photos, hidden items sync across your Apple devices. It's free, built in and well integrated, and for many people that's enough.
Where VaultWell is different
- A separate secret. The Hidden album opens with the same passcode or face that opens the phone. Anyone you've shared your passcode with, or who watches you type it, can open it. A VaultWell vault needs its own path.
- More than one space. VaultWell can hold several vaults, each with its own path, and the screen never shows how many there are.
- A duress option. If someone forces you to unlock, a duress vault opens and erases the others.
- Cross-platform. Backups restore on iPhone or Android.
Where the Hidden album is better
- It syncs through iCloud Photos. VaultWell has no sync today; you make encrypted backup files yourself.
- Nothing to install, and it works across iPhone, iPad and Mac.
- Your hidden photos stay in the Photos app you already know.
Which to choose
If your main worry is photos appearing in your library while you scroll, and nobody else knows your passcode, the Hidden album is a fine choice. If someone close to you knows your passcode, or you need separate spaces or a duress option, VaultWell is built for that.