---
title: "How to Unhide a Person in iPhone Photos: People Album (2026)"
description: "Unhide people in iPhone Photos, hide someone from the People album, name and merge faces, and keep a person out of Memories. Steps for iOS 27 and earlier."
url: https://www.vaultforyou.app/blog/people-album-iphone
lang: en
published: 2026-10-29
updated: 2026-10-29
author: "VaultForYou Editorial Team"
publisher: VaultForYou
---

# People album on iPhone: how to hide, unhide and name people in Photos

> Hiding a person only takes their face out of People & Pets and featured content; every photo of them stays in your library.

Published 2026-10-29 - Updated 2026-10-29 - By VaultForYou Editorial Team

## Quick answer

To unhide a person in iPhone Photos, open Photos > Collections, tap your account in the top-right corner, and tap Reset People & Pets Suggestions. If you only chose Don't Feature, touch and hold their thumbnail and tap Reset [Name] Feature Settings. Naming them again from a photo also adds them back to People & Pets.

- **Where is it?:** Photos > Collections > People & Pets (or People if no pets are recognized).
- **Hide someone:** Touch and hold their face, then tap Hide [name] or Don't Feature [name].
- **Unhide:** Collections > your account > Reset People & Pets Suggestions.
- **What hiding doesn't do:** Their photos stay in your library, in search and on every synced device.

It depends on how you hid them. If you only chose **Don't Feature**, touch and hold the person's thumbnail and tap **Reset [Name] Feature Settings**. If they've vanished from People & Pets, name them again from one of their photos, which adds them back, or use the broad fix: **Photos > Collections >** your account (top-right corner) **> Reset People & Pets Suggestions**, which returns people and pets to their original settings. Keep the limit in mind: hiding someone in People never hid their photos. It only takes their face out of the collection and out of Memories.

We checked these steps against Apple's iOS 27 documentation in October 2026. Older versions put some options in different places, and we note where.

## Where is the People album on iPhone?

Open **Photos**, tap **Collections**, and scroll to **People & Pets**. If Photos hasn't recognized any dogs or cats, it's called **People**. Each thumbnail is one person or pet; tap it to see every photo they're in.

On iOS 17 and earlier, the album sat under the **Albums** tab as People & Pets (or People). Pets have been recognized since iOS 17.

Named people are also searchable: tap **Search** and type their name.

## Hide, Don't Feature, Feature Less: what's the difference?

Photos gives you three ways to see less of someone, and they behave differently:

| Option | Where | What it changes | Photos deleted? |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Hide [name]** | Touch and hold their face in People & Pets | Removes the person from the People & Pets collection | No |
| **Never Feature This Person** | Don't Feature [name], or a photo's More menu | Keeps them out of Memories, featured photos and the Photos widget | No |
| **Feature This Person Less** | Same place | Shows them less often in Memories and featured content | No |

Apple notes that if you choose to feature someone less, you have to reset their feature settings before you see them again in People & Pets. That's why people often "lose" someone they only meant to see less of.

## How to hide a person in iPhone Photos

1. Open **Photos** and tap **Collections**.
2. Tap **People & Pets**.
3. Touch and hold the person's key photo.
4. Tap **Hide [name]**, or **Don't Feature [name]** to keep them in the collection but out of featured content.

To feature someone less from a single photo: open the photo, tap **More**, tap **Don't Feature a Person**, choose the person if there's more than one, pick **Feature This Person Less** or **Never Feature This Person**, and tap **Confirm**.

## How to unhide a person in iPhone Photos

Apple's documentation doesn't describe a list of hidden people with an Unhide button on iPhone. These are the routes that work, from most targeted to broadest:

1. **Reset one person's feature settings.** If the person still appears in People & Pets, touch and hold their thumbnail and tap **Reset [Name] Feature Settings**, then confirm.
2. **Name them again from a photo.** Open a photo of the person, swipe up, tap their face in the bottom-left corner, tap **Edit Name and Photos**, then **Name This Person**. Apple says naming someone adds them to People & Pets automatically. If they were already recognized, tap **Merge Photos** when offered.
3. **Reset People & Pets Suggestions.** In **Photos**, tap **Collections**, tap your account in the top-right corner, and tap **Reset People & Pets Suggestions**. On some versions, it's in **Settings > Apps > Photos** under **Featured Content**. Apple says this returns people and pets to their original settings, so it affects everyone you've changed, not just one person.

## How to name people and merge duplicates

Naming makes people searchable and keeps People & Pets tidy.

**Name someone:** In **Collections > People & Pets**, tap the person, tap **Name This Person**, and type the name or pick a suggestion from your contacts. From a photo, swipe up, tap the face with a question mark, then **Edit Name and Photos**.

**Merge the same person shown twice:** In People & Pets, tap **Edit**, select both thumbnails, tap **More**, then **Merge**, and confirm with **Merge Photos**.

**Fix a wrong match:** Tap the person, select the photos that aren't them, tap **More**, and choose **This is Not [name]**.

**Can't find someone?** Tap **Add People** at the bottom of People & Pets to see more faces.

You can also mark favorites (touch and hold, then **Favorite**) and use **Sort** to order people by name or by hand.

## How to keep someone out of Memories and featured photos

People & Pets feeds Memories, featured photos and the Photos widget. To stop a person showing up there, choose **Never Feature This Person** as above.

To switch featured content off entirely, open **Photos > Collections**, tap your account in the top-right corner, and turn off **Show Featured Content**. Turn off **Show Holiday Events** to stop holiday-themed memories. On iOS 18, both switches are in **Settings > Apps > Photos**. More options are in our guide to [iPhone photo Memories](/blog/iphone-photo-memories).

## Who can see your People album?

The People album is a way of browsing your library, so anyone who can browse your library can browse it.

| Who | Can they see People & Pets? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Anyone who can unlock your iPhone | **Yes** | Only the Hidden and Recently Deleted albums are locked separately |
| Your iPad or Mac on the same Apple Account | **Yes**, with iCloud Photos on | People & Pets is kept up to date on all your devices |
| Those devices, for names you add | **Yes** | Names appear with faces across iCloud-enabled devices |
| Someone you hid a person from | **Their photos are still visible** | Hiding removes the face from People & Pets, not the photos |
| Apple | **Face recognition runs on your device** | Apple says Photos recognizes faces using on-device analysis |

Apple's Photos privacy statement says Photos uses on-device analysis to recognize faces and group them, and that Apple doesn't access your photos or videos. The trade-off is sync: a name you add on one device appears on all of them.

## Hiding a person doesn't hide their photos

This is the part that catches people out. After **Hide [name]**, every photo of that person is still in your library, your albums, search results and on every device that syncs your library. If you hid a person from People & Pets so that someone else wouldn't see them, it won't work.

To take specific photos out of view, use the Hidden album (see [how to hide photos on iPhone](/blog/hide-photos-on-iphone)). It removes them from the library view, albums and the Photos widget, and it's locked with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode. To delete them, delete the photos and then empty [Recently Deleted](/blog/recently-deleted-iphone).

## If you don't want someone's photos in Photos at all

Sometimes the goal isn't a tidier People album but keeping photos of one person, an ex or a private relationship, away from anyone who opens Photos on your phone or your iPad. The Hidden album opens with your passcode, so it isn't enough when someone knows it.

We make VaultForYou, an iPhone vault that keeps the photos and videos you choose outside the Photos library, so they don't show up in Photos, search or widgets. Files are encrypted on your iPhone, and a vault opens only with a pattern you draw. After moving photos in, delete the originals from Photos and empty Recently Deleted. Our guide to [private photos on iPhone](/blog/private-photos-iphone) compares the options.

> **Keep someone's photos out of Photos.** A pattern-locked vault on your iPhone, outside the Photos library. [Download on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/vaultforyou/id0000000000)

## Frequently asked questions

### How do I unhide people in Photos on iPhone?

Open Photos, tap Collections, tap your account in the top-right corner, and tap Reset People & Pets Suggestions. That's Apple's documented way to bring back people you chose not to feature. On some iOS versions the same option is in Settings > Apps > Photos. It resets your choices for everyone, not just one person.

### How do I unhide one person in iPhone Photos without resetting everyone?

If you chose Don't Feature, touch and hold the person's thumbnail and tap Reset [Name] Feature Settings, if it appears. If you hid them, open any photo of them, swipe up, tap their face and name them; Apple says naming a person adds them to People & Pets. If neither works, use Reset People & Pets Suggestions.

### Does hiding a person delete their photos?

No. Hiding a person removes their face from the People & Pets collection and affects featured content, but every photo and video of them stays in your library, in your albums and in iCloud Photos. To remove the photos themselves, you have to delete them, then empty Recently Deleted.

### How do I remove someone from the People album on iPhone?

Open Photos > Collections > People & Pets, touch and hold the person's key photo, and tap Hide [name]. To keep them in the collection but out of Memories and featured photos, tap Don't Feature [name] instead and choose Feature This Person Less or Never Feature This Person.

### How do I stop someone appearing in Memories on iPhone?

Open a photo of the person, tap the More button, and tap Don't Feature a Person. Pick the person if there's more than one, choose Never Feature This Person, and tap Confirm. To stop all memories and featured photos, go to Collections, tap your account, and turn off Show Featured Content.

### Why isn't someone showing up in People on my iPhone?

Photos shows people who appear often in your library, so someone in only a few photos may not have a thumbnail yet. Tap Add People at the bottom of People & Pets to see more faces, or name them from a photo. They may also be hidden or set to Never Feature; resetting People & Pets Suggestions brings those back.

### Does the People album sync to my other devices?

Yes, with iCloud Photos on. Apple says People & Pets is kept up to date on all your devices, and a name you add appears with that face in Photos on all your iCloud-enabled devices. Hiding or naming someone on your iPhone therefore shows up on your iPad and Mac too.

## Bottom line

To unhide a person in iPhone Photos, reset that person's feature settings if you can see them, name them again from a photo, or use **Reset People & Pets Suggestions** under Collections and your account. Use **Hide** to tidy People & Pets and **Never Feature** to keep someone out of Memories, but remember that neither hides a single photo.

Keep reading:

- [How to hide photos on iPhone](/blog/hide-photos-on-iphone)
- [Memories in iPhone Photos](/blog/iphone-photo-memories)
- [How to keep private photos private on iPhone](/blog/private-photos-iphone)

## Sources

- [Apple Support: Find and name people and pets in Photos on iPhone](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/find-and-name-people-and-pets-iph9c7ee918c/ios)
- [Apple Support: Hide people, memories, and holidays in Photos on iPhone](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/hide-people-memories-and-holidays-iph10a9dd2a1/ios)
- [Apple Support: Find People and Pets in Photos on your iPhone or iPad](https://support.apple.com/en-us/108795)
- [Apple Support: Feature a person, a place, or a memory less often in Photos](https://support.apple.com/guide/personal-safety/feature-a-person-a-place-or-memory-less-often-ipsa4c9edc62/web)
- [Apple Legal: Photos & Privacy](https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/data/en/photos/)

## Keep reading

- [iPhone Memories: What Shows Up and How to Turn Them Off](https://www.vaultforyou.app/blog/iphone-photo-memories): iPhone Memories explained: what shows up, what featured photos mean, how to keep a photo or person out of Memories, and how to turn Memories off in Photos.
- [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.
- [What's the Most Secure Way to Store Nudes on iPhone? (2026)](https://www.vaultforyou.app/blog/private-photos-iphone): The most secure way to store nudes on iPhone: keep them out of Photos and iCloud Photos, check who can see what, share with care, and know where to get help.
- [Where Is Utilities on iPhone? The Photos Utilities Folder](https://www.vaultforyou.app/blog/photos-utilities-iphone): Utilities is in the Photos app: Collections > Utilities on iOS 26 and later. See what's inside, which parts are locked, and why Hidden or Duplicates can vanish.

---

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