We make Photo Vault, which appears in this guide. Most steps use only what is built into iOS.

Lending your iPhone for a few minutes

The safest way to lend a phone is to lend one app. iOS calls this Guided Access: Settings, Accessibility, Guided Access, turn it on and set a Guided Access passcode in Passcode Settings. Then open the app you want to lend (Safari, Camera, a game), triple-click the side button and tap Start. The other person cannot leave that app; you end the session with another triple-click and your passcode or Face ID. Apple notes it is useful “when you let a child use your device”.

For apps you never want opened, iOS 18 and later let you lock or hide an app: touch and hold its icon, tap Require Face ID (or Touch ID or Passcode). Apple says information inside a locked app does not appear in notification previews, search, Siri suggestions or your call history. Hide and Require Face ID also moves it to a locked Hidden folder; built-in apps can be locked but not hidden.

Photos is where most accidents happen: someone swipes one photo too far. The Hidden album is locked by default since iOS 16, and in Settings, Apps, Photos you can turn off Show Hidden Album so it does not appear at all. With iCloud Photos on, a photo you hide is hidden on your other devices too, but it is still part of your library.

Taking it to repair

Apple's checklist, Prepare your iPhone or iPad for a service appointment (published 15 September 2026), changed with iOS 27. You no longer turn off Find My. Instead, in the Find My app, select your iPhone, tap More, tap Repair or Trade In, then Enable: this is Ready for Repair or Trade-In. On iOS 26 or earlier you still turn off Find My in Settings, your name, Find My. iOS has no separate “maintenance mode” that hides your data from a technician, so the backup and what you leave on the phone matter.

Two lines on that page are worth reading twice: “Never give your Apple Account password, device passcode, or account security details to anyone else. Neither Apple nor Apple Authorized Service Providers will ask for this information.” If a software test needs your passcode, Apple says to type it yourself and stay present while the technician has the device. And when you get it back, it “might have been erased”.

Step by step

  1. Back up the iPhone. iCloud or a computer. Apple also asks you to check that iCloud has finished syncing: Settings, your name, iCloud, and the Saved to iCloud status should be green (Apple).
  2. Back up anything that is not in that backup. Some apps keep data out of iCloud backups on purpose. Photo Vault, for one, excludes its vault from regular iCloud backups: before a repair that may erase the phone, export its encrypted backup (Settings, Backup) to Files or a computer, or turn on its optional iCloud copy.
  3. Lock or hide the apps you never lend. Touch and hold the icon, Require Face ID. Banking, messages, notes, photos and your vault are the usual ones.
  4. To lend it, start Guided Access. Settings, Accessibility, Guided Access on, set its passcode. Open the app you are lending, triple-click the side button, tap Start. Triple-click again to end it.
  5. Before a repair, remove Wallet cards and Apple Cash. Wallet, choose a card, More, Card Details, Remove Card. Turn off Apple Cash in Settings, Wallet & Apple Pay.
  6. Turn on Ready for Repair or Trade-In. On iOS 27: Find My app, your iPhone, More, Repair or Trade In, Enable. On iOS 26 or earlier: Settings, your name, Find My, turn off Find My iPhone.
  7. Do not hand over your passcode. Type it yourself if a test needs it and stay with the phone. Apple and its authorised providers will not ask for it.
  8. When it comes back, restore and switch things back on. Restore from your backup if it was erased, turn Find My back on if you turned it off, and restore your vault from its exported file or iCloud copy.

Where a photo vault fits

Guided Access protects you for five minutes. A locked app protects one app. A vault keeps private photos out of the Photos library altogether, so they do not appear in Recents, Memories, search or a slideshow someone starts by accident. What Photo Vault's App Store listing says (version 1.2.9, read 23 October 2026): Face ID, Touch ID or a passcode to open it; a separate password per album; a disguised icon (Calculator, Notes or Weather); a face-down exit to Safari, Calendar or Messages; a private camera; an encrypted, password-locked backup file; an optional iCloud copy, encrypted so only you can open it; no account and no server. It is free to try; Premium, with 7 days free and then yearly, unlocks unlimited photos and videos.

What it does not do: it does not protect anything outside the vault, and because the vault is excluded from regular iCloud backups, a phone erased during a repair loses it unless you exported a backup or turned on the iCloud copy. If you only need to hide a few photos, the free Hidden album may be enough.

Alternatives

US App Store, 23 October 2026. Compared in detail in the best photo vault apps for iPhone.

Sources

Questions people ask

How do I lend my iPhone without someone seeing my photos?

Use Guided Access: Settings, Accessibility, Guided Access. Open the one app you want to lend, triple-click the side button and tap Start. The other person cannot leave that app until you triple-click and enter your passcode.

Do I have to turn off Find My before a repair?

Not on iOS 27. Apple now asks you to turn on Ready for Repair or Trade-In in the Find My app (your device, More, Repair or Trade In, Enable). On iOS 26 or earlier you turn off Find My.

Does iPhone have a maintenance mode for repairs?

Not as of iOS 27. Apple's service checklist does not include one. Back up, remove Wallet cards, turn on Ready for Repair or Trade-In and do not share your passcode.

Should I give the repair shop my passcode?

No. Apple says neither Apple nor its authorised service providers will ask for it. If a test needs it, type it yourself and stay with the phone.

Will my hidden photos survive a repair?

Photos in the Hidden album are part of your library, so they are in your iCloud or computer backup. A vault app may not be: Photo Vault is excluded from regular iCloud backups, so export its backup or turn on its iCloud copy first.

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