Kipzy

How to Hide Videos on iPhone (and Lock Them with Face ID)

The quickest way to hide a video on iPhone is the Photos app: touch and hold the video, tap Hide, and it moves to the Hidden album, which is locked with Face ID. That covers most people. Below you'll find exactly where the Hidden album is, how to make sure it stays locked, how to lock or hide whole apps, and what hiding does and doesn't protect against.

How to hide a video in the Photos app

  1. Open Photos.
  2. Touch and hold the video you want to hide.
  3. Tap Hide, then confirm.

To hide several at once, tap Select, pick the videos, tap the More button (three dots), then tap Hide. Hidden videos disappear from your Library, other albums, and the Photos widget on your Home Screen. They aren't deleted: they just live in the Hidden album until you unhide them.

Where is the Hidden album on iPhone?

  1. Open Photos and tap Collections (or scroll down on the main screen).
  2. Scroll to Utilities and tap Hidden.
  3. Tap View Album, then unlock it with Face ID or Touch ID.

To unhide a video, touch and hold it inside the Hidden album and tap Unhide. It goes back to its original place in your Library.

If you don't see Hidden under Utilities, the album itself has been turned off. Go to Settings → Apps → Photos and turn on Show Hidden Album.

How to lock the Hidden album with Face ID

Since iOS 16, the Hidden and Recently Deleted albums are locked by default. If yours opens without asking, the lock was turned off. To turn it back on:

  1. Open Settings → Apps → Photos.
  2. Turn on Use Face ID (or Use Touch ID or Use Passcode, depending on your iPhone).

For one more layer, turn off Show Hidden Album in the same screen. The album then disappears from Photos entirely, so nobody scrolling through your phone even sees that it exists. Turn it back on when you need it.

How to lock or hide an app on iPhone (iOS 18 and later)

Starting with iOS 18, you can put Face ID in front of any app, which is handy for apps that hold private videos:

  1. On your Home Screen, touch and hold the app's icon.
  2. Tap Require Face ID (or Touch ID or Passcode).
  3. Choose Require Face ID to lock it, or Hide and Require Face ID to lock it and move it out of sight, then authenticate.

A locked app asks for Face ID every time it opens, and its content stays out of notification previews, search and Siri suggestions. A hidden app also leaves your Home Screen and moves to a Hidden folder at the bottom of App Library, which needs Face ID to open. To undo it, open that folder, touch and hold the app, and tap Don't Require Face ID. Locks only apply to that iPhone, not your other devices.

Apple's guide has the full details: Lock or hide an app on iPhone.

Hiding videos you saved from the web

If the videos you want to keep private came from websites, there's a cleaner option than mixing them into your camera roll: keep them out of Photos altogether. Kipzy is a private browser that saves videos inside the app, not in your Photos library, so they never appear in Photos, the Photos widget or Memories. Only save videos you have the right to keep.

  • Private Face ID folder (Pro): in Downloads, long-press a video and choose Move to Private. The Private folder stays locked until you unlock it with Face ID.
  • Lock the whole app: turn on Lock app with Face ID in Kipzy's Settings so nobody can open your downloads, history or tabs without your face. This is free.
  • Private tabs: browse in a private tab and nothing is kept after you close it. See private browsing on iPhone for how that works.

History, bookmarks and downloads stay on your iPhone. If you want to know how saving works in the first place, read how to save videos on iPhone to watch offline or see the private browsing feature.

What hiding does and doesn't protect

Someone borrowing your phone

The Hidden album and locked apps fall back to your passcode when Face ID fails. That's by design, but it means anyone who knows your iPhone passcode can open them. If a partner, kid or friend knows your passcode, change it in Settings → Face ID & Passcode. Hiding the Hidden album and hiding the apps that hold your videos also helps, since people can't open what they don't notice.

Do hidden videos sync to iCloud?

Yes. If you use iCloud Photos, hidden videos still upload, and a video you hide on your iPhone is hidden on your iPad and Mac too. On a Mac, the Hidden album is off by default and is locked with Touch ID or your login password when shown. Anyone signed in to your Apple Account on another device could still reach it, so keep your Apple Account password to yourself. Videos saved inside an app like Kipzy are not part of iCloud Photos.

Can you recover hidden videos?

Hiding doesn't delete anything. If hidden videos seem to be gone, check these in order:

  1. Make sure Show Hidden Album is on in Settings → Apps → Photos. Updates and settings changes sometimes leave it off.
  2. Open the Recently Deleted album under Utilities. Deleted videos stay there for 30 days and can be recovered.
  3. If you use iCloud Photos, check that it's still turned on and signed in to the same Apple Account.

Quick answers

Does hiding a video delete it?

No. It only moves the video to the Hidden album. You can unhide it anytime.

Can I hide the Hidden album itself?

Yes. Turn off Show Hidden Album in Settings → Apps → Photos.

Can I put a password on a single video?

Not in Photos. The closest built-in option is the Face ID lock on the Hidden album. For a separate locked space, use an app with its own Face ID folder, like Kipzy's Private folder for videos you saved from the web.

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