--- title: "How to Lock Photos on iPhone: 3 Ways (iOS 27)" description: "Lock Photos on iPhone with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode in 10 seconds, then see what the lock hides and how to remove it again." url: https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/lock-apps/photos lang: en-gb published: 2026-10-31 updated: 2026-10-31 author: "VaultForYou Editorial Team" publisher: VaultForYou --- # How to lock Photos on iPhone > Face ID can guard Photos in 10 seconds. Photos' own lock goes further. Published 2026-10-31 - Updated 2026-10-31 - By VaultForYou Editorial Team - Checked against iOS 27 - 31 Oct 2026 ## Quick answer Touch and hold the Photos icon, tap Require Face ID, then tap it again to confirm. Photos then asks for Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode every time it opens. It works on iOS 18 or later and takes about 10 seconds. Photos also has its own lock: Use Face ID for the Hidden and Recently Deleted collections (Settings -> Apps -> Photos -> Use Face ID (or Use Touch ID / Use Passcode)). - **Fastest way:** Touch and hold -> Require Face ID -> confirm. - **Own lock:** Use Face ID for the Hidden and Recently Deleted collections. - **Opens with:** Face ID, Touch ID or your iPhone passcode. - **Other devices:** The iOS lock doesn't sync. Set it on each device. - **iOS version:** iOS 18 or later - **Time needed:** About 10 seconds - **Difficulty:** Easy - **Needs an app?:** No - **Reversible?:** Yes - **Separate code?:** No iOS can lock Photos with Face ID in about 10 seconds, and Photos adds Use Face ID for the Hidden and Recently Deleted collections. Below: 3 ways to lock it, and what each one does and doesn't protect. We checked the iOS steps against Apple's iOS 27 documentation and Photos' settings against Apple's official help pages in October 2026. ## Method 1: Lock Photos with Face ID (iOS 18 and later) 1. **Find Photos on your Home Screen** Touch and hold the Photos icon until the quick actions menu opens. 2. **Tap Require Face ID** On iPhones with Touch ID it says Require Touch ID. Require Passcode is also offered. 3. **Confirm** Tap Require Face ID again and authenticate. Photos now asks for Face ID every time it opens. Photos relocks each time you leave it. Apple says information inside a locked app won't appear in notification previews, search or Siri suggestions. **What this does not do:** your iPhone passcode opens every locked app. So does anyone whose face or fingerprint is enrolled on your phone. ## Method 2: Photos' own lock ### Use Face ID for the Hidden and Recently Deleted collections Go to **Settings -> Apps -> Photos -> Use Face ID (or Use Touch ID / Use Passcode)**. The Recently Deleted and Hidden collections are locked by default and unlock with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode. Turning this setting off leaves them unlocked. This lock uses the same Face ID or passcode as your iPhone, so it adds a second prompt, not a second secret. ## iOS lock vs Photos' own lock | | iOS Require Face ID | Use Face ID for the Hidden and Recently Deleted collections | |---|---|---| | Opens with | Face ID, Touch ID or iPhone passcode | Face ID, Touch ID or iPhone passcode | | Separate from iPhone passcode | No | No | | Hides notification content | Yes | Depends on the app | | Set where | Home Screen, touch and hold the icon | Settings -> Apps -> Photos -> Use Face ID (or Use Touch ID / Use Passcode) | ## Locking Photos doesn't lock its photos Photos you saved from Photos are in your camera roll, outside the lock. Move them into a vault and delete the originals from Photos. > **Lock this in VaultForYou.** Keep Photos photos in an encrypted vault that opens only with a pattern you draw. [Download on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/vaultforyou/id0000000000) ## How to unlock Photos again Touch and hold Photos, tap **Don't Require Face ID**, then authenticate. To stop Photos using Face ID for its own sign-in, go to **Settings -> Face ID & Passcode -> Other Apps** and turn it off. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can I lock Photos on my iPhone? Yes. On iOS 18 or later, touch and hold Photos, tap Require Face ID, then confirm. It then needs Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode every time it opens. Photos also has its own lock, Use Face ID for the Hidden and Recently Deleted collections. ### How do I lock Photos without Face ID? Use the same menu. On iPhones with Touch ID it reads Require Touch ID, and you can choose your passcode instead. Screen Time with a Screen Time passcode is another option that uses a different code. ### Can someone open Photos if they know my passcode? Yes, if you only use Require Face ID: it accepts your iPhone passcode. To stop someone who knows your passcode, you need a lock with its own separate code, such as a Screen Time passcode. ### Does locking Photos hide its notifications? It hides what's inside them. Apple says information from a locked app won't appear in notification previews, search or Siri suggestions. The icon stays on your Home Screen. To hide the icon too, use Hide and Require Face ID, which works only for App Store apps. ### Does a lock on Photos carry over to my iPad? No. Apple says locked and hidden apps don't sync with iCloud. The lock only applies to the iPhone where you set it. Lock Photos separately on your iPad with the same menu (iPadOS 18 or later). ## Bottom line Require Face ID locks Photos in about 10 seconds. Photos' Use Face ID for the Hidden and Recently Deleted collections adds a second prompt inside the app. ## Sources - [Apple Support: Lock or hide an app on iPhone](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/lock-or-hide-an-app-iph00f208d05/ios) - [Apple Personal Safety User Guide: Lock or hide apps on your iPhone](https://support.apple.com/guide/personal-safety/ipsd0be4c185/web) - [Apple Support: Delete or hide photos and videos on iPhone](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/delete-or-hide-photos-and-videos-iphb4defbde9/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: Hide photos and videos on Apple devices (Personal Safety User Guide)](https://support.apple.com/guide/personal-safety/hide-photos-and-videos-ipsb4de8251c/web) ## More Photos privacy guides - [How to hide Photos on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/hide-apps/photos) - [How to hide photos in the Photos app](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/hide-photos/photos) - [Photos privacy on iPhone: every setting](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/apps/photos) ## Lock apps for other apps - [How to lock Safari on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/lock-apps/safari) - [How to lock Notes on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/lock-apps/notes) - [How to lock Camera on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/lock-apps/camera) - [How to lock WhatsApp on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/lock-apps/whatsapp) - [How to lock Cash App on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/lock-apps/cash-app) - [How to lock Facebook Messenger on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/lock-apps/messenger) - [All lock-app guides](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/lock-apps) --- 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