How to hide photo albums on android

Q: Do Androids have hidden photo albums?

Stock Android OS doesnt come with a photo hiding feature but some device manufacturers provide it for better privacy. Samsung and LG are some of the manufacturers that provide such features. If your device is from one of these manufacturers you can follow these steps to activate the photo hiding feature.

Q: Can I make a gallery album private?

Tap the album youd like to change the privacy settings for. You can tap More Albums to find it. Tap and select Edit. Tap Audience to choose who can see your album.

Summary: Want to hide confidential and personal photos or videos on Android? This post shares the best methods to hide your photos and videos in an Android Gallery.

Table of Contents Show

How to hide photos and videos on Android
1. Hide photos & videos using File Manager on Android
2. Hide Android Gallery via Google Photos
3. Hide Gallery photos, videos with app
4. Secure Folder in Samsung Galaxy
Best Selling Products
Do Androids have hidden photo albums?
How do I hide photos in my gallery?
Can I make a gallery album private?

Your android phone is a repository of personal and official photos and videos. It may also have some confidential, sensitive, or private media files, which you don’t want to expose to random people.

The best solution to keep your photos and videos private is to hide them on the Android device.

How to hide photos and videos on Android

Hiding photos and videos on android mean making them disappear from your smartphone gallery but not deleting them. This locks the photos and videos and prevents anyone else from viewing your personal or classified data.

Certain methods can hide videos and photos on android, such as the built-in photo hide feature, Google Photos, and third-party apps.

Here are the best methods to hide photos and videos on Android Gallery:

File Manager on Android
Archive in Google Photos
Hide photos with an app
Secure Folder feature in Samsung Galaxy

1. Hide photos & videos using File Manager on Android

Latest Android phones have built-in File Manager. If you don’t have one on your device, install it from Google Play Store.

File Manager on Android helps to manage files on your smartphone. You can choose to save the desired photos, videos, and other files in the phone’s internal storage or its SD card, if any.

The app also has the option to hide photos and videos in Android Gallery. You can create a new folder in File Manager, add photos and videos from the Gallery, and hide it. Any video or photo you moved to the File Manager folder, won’t show up in the Gallery app.

Steps to hide photos, videos in File Manager:

Note: The exact steps may vary depending on your Android device.

Open File Manager.
Click on Menu > Settings.
Toggle on Show hidden files.

Figure: Show hidden files in Android Settings

Open File Manager menu again and select either internal storage or SD card.
Click on New folder or Create folder in some Android models.

Figure: Create folder option File Manager

Name the folder. Make sure to add a period (.) before and after the name like .personal. Close File Manager.

Figure: Enter folder name

Open Gallery to add photos or videos to the folder.
Select the photos and videos and click on Add to album.
Select Hidden album. Your photos and videos will get added in the Hidden folder and removed from Android Gallery.

Figure: Hidden albumin Gallery

Next, open File Manager > Settings.
Toggle off Show hidden files. The folder you created won’t be visible in File Manager. You can toggle on Show hidden files whenever you wish to see the hidden photos and videos.

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2. Hide Android Gallery via Google Photos

Archive photos and videos in Google Photos on Android phone. This will hide them from your Android Gallery. You can access photos and videos in Archive folder under the Library option in Google Photos.

Steps to hide photos, videos in Google Photos:

Note: The exact steps may vary depending on your Android model.

Open the Google Photos app and select the images and videos you want to hide.
Click on the three-dot icon at the top-right corner.
Click Move to Archive.

3. Hide Gallery photos, videos with app

There are free apps available on Google Play Store to hide pictures and videos in Gallery. Android photo hide apps are a good alternative if you find the File Manager complicated.

These apps are easy-to-use and have the option to password protect your media files on Android.

Unlike File Manager, they offer several features like password/ pin/ fingerprint protection, cloud backup, private gallery, and more.

Some of the best apps to hide pictures and videos on Android are Vaulty, LockMyPix, Gallery Lock, Hide Something, etc.

Figure: Vaulty app Settings screen

Vaulty: Vaulty offers a private photo gallery where you can view locked photos and videos. You can create multiple vaults that allow you to organize a specific set of photos.

Key features:

Pin or text password protection
Create multiple vaults for a specific set of photos and videos
Mugshot feature that snaps a picture of anyone who enters wrong password.
Free online backup, which helps to save hidden media files in case the phone is lost or broken

LockMyPix: LockMyPix provides safe photo and video protection on Android using military-grade AES encryption that uses pin, fingerprint, password, or pattern. You can encrypt hidden photos and videos from the Gallery and even click images to add them to LockMyPix vault.

Key features:

AES encryption
Hides and encrypts unlimited photos and videos
Option to make LockMyPix app invisible on Android phone
A Fake-Login feature that opens a fake LockMyPix account where you can place other pictures / videos. Nobody knows that you have another LockMyPix vault.
Encrypted backups

4. Secure Folder in Samsung Galaxy

Samsung Galaxy phone users can use Secure Folder feature to hide photo and videos on Android.

It allows you to keep private pictures, videos, and apps in a secured folder. You can lock the folder as well as hide it on your Samsung phone.

The Secure Folder feature is included in Galaxy S7 and S7, Galaxy A3, and Galaxy A5.

Steps to set up Secure Folder on Samsung Galaxy:

Choose Apps > Settings > Lock screen and security > Secure Folder
Sign in to your Samsung account. Choose SIGN IN.
Choose the lock method you want for your Secure Folder.
A shortcut to the Secure Folder will be added to your Home and Apps screen.
Open Secure Folder and add photos and videos from the Gallery.

Steps to hide the Secure Folder

Choose Apps > Settings > Lock screen and security > Secure Folder
Select Hide Secure Folder.
Choose OK to confirm.

Conclusion

This post shares how File Manager, Google Photos, and third-party apps can hide photos and videos on Android.

If you want to hide photos without using a third-party app, go for File Manager. Samsung Galaxy users can utilize the Secure Folder feature.

Apps like Vaulty, LockMyPix, and Gallery Lock can hide files in Gallery for free. They have premium versions that offer advanced protection for your photos and videos on Android.

About The Author

Nishat

Nishat Paiker is an expert technical writer and editor with over 8 years of experience. She has deep knowledge about data recovery and loves to explore new technology and DIY tools. Nishat has keen interest in photography. You will often find her giving photography tips and hacks.

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Do Androids have hidden photo albums?

Stock Android OS doesn't come with a photo hiding feature but some device manufacturers provide it for better privacy. Samsung and LG are some of the manufacturers that provide such features. If your device is from one of these manufacturers you can follow these steps to activate the photo hiding feature.

How do I hide photos in my gallery?

Open the Google Photos app and select the images and videos you want to hide..

Click on the three-dot icon at the top-right corner..

Click Move to Archive..

Can I make a gallery album private?

Tap the album you'd like to change the privacy settings for. You can tap More Albums to find it. Tap and select Edit. Tap Audience to choose who can see your album.