--- title: "Google Photos Locked Folder vs Apple Hidden Album: Compared" description: "Compare Google Photos Locked Folder and Apple's Hidden album on lock, backup, syncing, search and device support, and see which one suits an iPhone or Android phone." url: https://www.vaultforyou.app/blog/google-photos-locked-folder-vs-apple-hidden-album lang: en published: 2026-10-30 updated: 2026-10-30 author: "VaultForYou Editorial Team" publisher: VaultForYou --- # Google Photos Locked Folder vs Apple Hidden album: which fits your phone? > Both hide photos from your grid. Neither adds a password of its own. The real differences are backup, where each one syncs and which phones can use them. Published 2026-10-30 - Updated 2026-10-30 - By VaultForYou Editorial Team ## Quick answer Apple's Hidden album fits iPhone users who live in the Photos app, and Google Photos Locked Folder fits people who use Google Photos on Android or iPhone. Both open with your device lock and neither has its own password. Their biggest difference is how backup and syncing work. - **Apple Hidden album:** Opens with Face ID, Touch ID or passcode. Syncs with iCloud Photos. - **Locked Folder:** Opens with your screen lock or Google Account password on the web. - **Backup:** Locked Folder backup is separate and off by default unless you turn it on. - **Own password?:** Neither feature offers one. We make VaultForYou, a vault app for iPhone, so weigh our view accordingly. This comparison uses Apple's and Google's own documentation. We did not run lab tests, and both companies can change these features, so check the current help pages before relying on a detail. ## Feature matrix | | Apple Hidden album | Google Photos Locked Folder | |---|---|---| | Works in | Apple's Photos app on Apple devices | Google Photos on Android, iPhone, iPad and the web | | Opens with | Face ID, Touch ID or device passcode | Screen lock or biometrics on the device; Google Account password on the web | | Own separate password | No | No | | Removed from main grid | Yes | Yes | | Removed from search and other albums | Hidden from library and other albums | Yes, excluded from search, albums and memories | | Available to other apps with photo access | Not documented as blocked; review app access | Google says no | | Backup and sync | Syncs with iCloud Photos if it is on | Separate **Back up Locked Folder** switch | | Visible on other devices | Yes, on the same Apple Account with iCloud Photos on | Yes, if backup is on; otherwise only on that phone | | Can be shared from the folder | Not covered by Apple's help page; check on your device | No, move it out first | | If the phone is lost | Recoverable if iCloud Photos was on | Lost unless Locked Folder backup was on | ## Backup is the biggest difference The Hidden album has no switch of its own. If iCloud Photos is on, hidden photos upload and are hidden and viewable on every device on your Apple Account, and iCloud.com has a Hidden album. If it is off, they stay on the phone and may be in an iCloud Backup. Locked Folder works differently. Google says that with Locked Folder backup off, moving a photo in deletes its existing Google Photos backup, and that items not backed up are lost if you uninstall the app, reset the phone or lose it. Turn on **Back up Locked Folder** if you want a copy. Our guide to [hiding photos in Google Photos](/blog/hide-photos-google-photos) has the steps. ## Who can still open them? | Who | Hidden album | Locked Folder | |---|---|---| | Someone who scrolls your photos | No | No | | Someone who knows your phone passcode | **Yes** | **Yes** | | Another device signed in to your account | **Yes**, with iCloud Photos on | **Yes**, if backup is on | | A website sign-in with your account password | **Yes**, at iCloud.com with iCloud Photos on | **Yes**, at photos.google.com if backup is on | Neither feature is built for a person who knows your passcode or has your account password. ## Which fits your device? - **iPhone, using Apple Photos only:** Hidden album. It is already there and follows your iCloud Photos choice. - **iPhone, using Google Photos as your main library:** Locked Folder, but check Apple's Photos app too, because the original may still be in the iPhone library. Google's help doesn't say what happens to that copy. - **Android:** Locked Folder. Apple's Hidden album isn't available. - **Both services:** treat them as two libraries and hide a photo in each. ## When neither is enough Both options use your device's lock and an account that can sync the photos elsewhere. If someone else knows your passcode, uses your account, or you don't want the photos in a cloud at all, you need a lock that is separate from both. That is where a vault app comes in; see [what a vault app is](/blog/what-is-a-vault-app) and [hidden album vs photo vault](/blog/hidden-album-vs-photo-vault) for how to decide. VaultForYou, for example, stores chosen files outside the Photos library behind a pattern you draw, with no account. > **A lock that isn't your passcode or your account.** An encrypted vault on your iPhone, opened by a pattern you draw. [Download on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/vaultforyou/id0000000000) ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Google Photos Locked Folder more secure than the Apple Hidden album? Not clearly. Both open with your device lock, and neither adds its own password. Locked Folder excludes items from search, albums and other apps, and has a separate backup switch. Apple's album syncs through iCloud Photos. Which is safer depends on your account and who knows your passcode. ### Can I use Locked Folder on an iPhone? Yes. Google lists iOS 15 or later for Locked Folder on iPhone and iPad. It opens with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode, and backed-up items also open at photos.google.com with your Google Account password. ### Do I need both on an iPhone? Only if you use both Apple Photos and Google Photos. A photo can exist in both libraries, so hiding it in one doesn't hide it in the other. Check each app after you move something. ### Which one backs up my hidden photos? The Hidden album follows your iCloud Photos setting. Locked Folder has its own backup switch; Google says moving an item there with backup off deletes its existing Google Photos backup, so decide before you move photos. ## Bottom line If you're on an iPhone and use Apple Photos, use the Hidden album. If you live in Google Photos, or you're on Android, use Locked Folder and decide on backup before you move anything. The two are closer than they look: each hides photos from browsing and each is only as private as your device lock and account. ## Sources - [Google Photos Help: Move photos to Locked Folder (iPhone & iPad)](https://support.google.com/photos/answer/10694388?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DiOS) - [Google Photos Help: Move photos to Locked Folder (Android)](https://support.google.com/photos/answer/10694388?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid) - [Apple Support: Hide photos and videos on iPhone](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/delete-or-hide-photos-and-videos-iphb4defbde9/ios) ## Keep reading - [How Do You Hide Photos in Google Photos? Locked Folder Explained](https://www.vaultforyou.app/blog/hide-photos-google-photos): Hide photos in Google Photos with Locked Folder on iPhone or Android: the steps, why Archive isn't hiding, who can still open it, and how to make it private. - [How to Hide Photos on iPhone: Hidden Album Guide (2026)](https://www.vaultforyou.app/blog/hide-photos-on-iphone): Hide photos on iPhone in seconds, find your hidden photos in the Hidden album, and see who can still open them, what syncs to iCloud and when a vault is better. - [iPhone Hidden Album vs Photo Vault App: Which Do You Need?](https://www.vaultforyou.app/blog/hidden-album-vs-photo-vault): Compare the iPhone Hidden album with a photo vault app on lock, encryption, iCloud syncing and recovery, and decide if the built-in option is enough. - [What Is a Vault App? How Photo Vaults Work and Who Can Open Them](https://www.vaultforyou.app/blog/what-is-a-vault-app): What is a vault app? A private space with its own lock for photos, videos and files. How photo vault apps work, which ones only hide files, and how to judge one. --- Our guides are written and fact-checked by the VaultForYou team against Apple's own documentation. We make VaultForYou, a private vault app for iPhone. Download on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/vaultforyou/id0000000000