Disclosure: we make Photo Vault, the option ranked first here. Everything about Apple's built-in features comes from Apple's own support pages, linked below, checked on 7 October 2026.
Hiding a photo and keeping it off iCloud are two different things, and the iPhone does not make that obvious. Here is the catch, then four ways to do both, ranked.
The catch: hidden is not the same as off iCloud
The Photos app's Hidden album is locked with Face ID or Touch ID, but it is still part of your photo library. Apple's page on the Hidden album says that if you use iCloud Photos, the photos you hide on one device are hidden on your other devices too: they sync through iCloud like any other photo.
Turning iCloud Photos off is not the end of it. Apple's list of what iCloud Backup includes covers the photos and videos in your library when iCloud Photos is off, and app data for the apps on your phone. So if iCloud Backup is on, hidden photos can end up in iCloud anyway, through the backup.
The ranking
- Photo Vault: best overall, kept out of both iCloud Photos and iCloud Backup.
- The Hidden album, with iCloud Photos off: free and built in, if you can live with the backup question.
- A locked note in the On My iPhone account: free, for a few photos.
- Arca: another no-cloud vault, with a decoy PIN.
Why Photo Vault is #1
- Hidden photos sit in a vault outside your photo library, so iCloud Photos never sees them.
- The vault is excluded from iCloud backups, so the photos do not end up in a backup either.
- No account, no server, no cloud sync. Its App Store privacy label reads Data Not Collected.
- Files use iOS Data Protection and cannot be read while the iPhone is locked.
- An encrypted backup you keep: one AES-256 file, locked with your password, that you store where you choose.
- Photos and videos alike, a password per album, a disguised icon and a built-in camera that skips the camera roll.
1. Photo Vault
Photo Vault moves photos and videos into a vault that is not part of your photo library, so iCloud Photos has nothing to sync, and the vault is excluded from iCloud backups. There is no account and no server. On top of Face ID, Touch ID or a passcode, each album can have its own password; the icon can pass as Calculator, Notes or Weather; and the built-in camera saves new photos straight into the vault. Remember to delete the originals from Photos after importing, and from Recently Deleted, or the copy in your library will still sync.
The honest trade-off: with no cloud, there is no automatic backup. Export one from Settings, Backup now and then: the whole vault goes into one file encrypted with AES-256 and your password, which you can keep on a computer, in Files or in your own iCloud Drive. It is free to download and try; a subscription with a free trial unlocks unlimited items. It has no decoy PIN.
2. The Hidden album, with iCloud Photos off
Free and already on your phone: select the photos, tap Hide, and turn off Show Hidden Album in Settings, Apps, Photos so the album does not even appear. Since iOS 16 it is locked and opens with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode. To keep it off iCloud, iCloud Photos has to be off, which means none of your other photos sync either, and because of iCloud Backup the photos can still reach iCloud unless you also stop backing up your photo library there. It also keeps a single lock for everything, and the Photos app stays in plain sight.
3. A locked note on My iPhone
The Notes app can lock notes with your device passcode, Face ID or a separate password, and a note saved in the On My iPhone account is not synced to iCloud. Paste a few photos into a note there and lock it. Apple lists the limits: you cannot lock notes with video attachments, and a locked note's title stays visible in the list. It is also app data, so iCloud Backup can include it. Fine for a passport scan; awkward for an album.
4. Arca
Arca takes the same no-server, no-account approach as Photo Vault, and its page says each file is encrypted individually with AES-256, with keys in the Secure Enclave. It adds a decoy vault and a break-in report, and offers an encrypted backup file you can save to Files or iCloud Drive. If a decoy PIN matters to you, it beats us on that.
Whichever you choose
- Delete the originals. Copying a photo into a vault does not remove it from your library; delete it there and empty Recently Deleted.
- Keep a backup you control. Off iCloud also means off Apple's safety net. An encrypted file on a computer is enough.
- Check both switches. iCloud Photos and iCloud Backup are separate settings, and either one can carry your photos to iCloud.
For a feature-by-feature comparison of vault apps, including the ones with a cloud backup, see the best photo vault apps for iPhone.