Comparison

Hidden is not the same as sealed.

Apple’s Hidden album and locked notes are fine for keeping things tidy. But anyone can see they exist, and both open with your phone passcode. That is the passcode the people around you may already know.

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Is the iPhone Hidden album actually secure?

Partly. Since iOS 16, the Hidden album locks behind Face ID or the device passcode. But everyone can see it exists, anyone who knows your passcode can open it, and one setting unhides it. An encrypted vault like Sealby adds separate PINs, AES-256 encryption for every file, and vaults with no stored list or count.

SealbyApple built-ins

Separate secret from the phone passcode—

Existence of the private area is hidden—

Deniable — no stored vault list or count—

Per-file AES-256-GCM encryptionDevice encryption

Photos, videos, documents, any filePhotos / notes only

Rich-text notes in the same vaultSeparate app

Duress PIN (removes other vaults from the device)—

Recovery independent of Apple ID—

Built into iOS, zero setup—

Where Apple built-ins shines

Already on every iPhone — zero setup, zero cost
Locks behind Face ID / passcode by default since iOS 16
Fine for keeping casual photos out of the main grid

Where it falls short

The lock is your device credential — anyone who knows your passcode is in
The Hidden album and locked notes visibly exist, so there is something to demand
Unhiding is a Settings toggle; no separate encryption, no deniability, no duress option
Photos and notes live in different apps with no shared vault, search, or independent recovery

The honest verdict

Use the Hidden album for photos that are merely untidy. Use Sealby for anything you would mind a partner, colleague or border agent seeing. It separates the secret from your phone passcode, encrypts each file, and keeps no stored list or count of your vaults. The built-ins hide. Sealby seals.

Common questions

Doesn’t the Hidden album lock with Face ID now?

Yes, since iOS 16. But the lock is your phone passcode. Anyone who knows it gets in: family, partners, anyone you unlock for. The album is visible in Photos, and one Settings toggle unhides it. Sealby uses separate PINs and keeps no stored list or count of vaults.

What about locked notes in Apple Notes?

Locked notes encrypt the note text, but the notes list, the titles, and the fact that you lock notes stay visible. The default unlock is the phone passcode. Sealby seals whole vaults of notes and files behind their own PINs, each with its own recovery phrase.

Do hidden photos stay on iCloud?

With iCloud Photos, hidden photos sync like any others, and Apple can read them unless you turn on Advanced Data Protection. Sealby encrypts before anything is stored. With or without backup, iCloud only ever holds encrypted data it can’t read.

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Download Sealby and protect what matters. Setup takes under a minute, and there’s no account to create.

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iPhone & iPad · iOS 17+ · Free