How to make a secret folder on your phone
Which private, locked folder to use on iPhone or Android, depending on who might look and whether the lock needs to differ from your screen lock.
Neither iPhone nor Android has a single thing called a secret folder. Both have several places that do the job. Which one suits you depends on two questions: who might look, and whether they know your screen lock.
Someone might glance or scroll
A friend looking at your photos, or a child playing a game. You need things out of view, and maybe a light lock.
- iPhone: the Hidden album in Photos. It locks with Face ID on recent iOS versions.
- Android: Locked Folder in Google Photos, or your gallery app's own hide option.
Someone knows your passcode
The options above fall back to your screen lock, so they will not help here. You need a lock of its own.
- iPhone: a locked note with a separate Notes password. Good for a few photos or a scanned document.
- Samsung: Secure Folder with a different PIN or password, and its icon hidden.
- Other Android phones: Private space, where available, with its own lock. Search Settings for "Private space".
- Either phone: a vault app with its own unlock. Check it against our safety checklist first.
Changing your passcode, if that is safe for you, may solve more than any folder does.
You need documents, not photos
PDFs and scans are trickier. On iPhone, scan into a note and lock it. On Android, Secure Folder and Private space can hold a files app. Either way, delete the original from Downloads or Files afterward.
Whatever you choose
- Delete originals, then empty Recently Deleted or the trash.
- Check whether a cloud backup still holds a copy.
- Plan how it moves to a new phone. Most of these do not move on their own.
- Remember that a hidden icon is not a lock.
If you want something that does not look like a folder at all, VaultWell (coming soon) opens each vault with its own traced path, and its icon can be disguised as an ordinary utility.
If you are hiding things for your safety from someone you live with, a new folder or app can itself be noticed. A local support service can help you plan.