Velcrypt vs the iPhone Hidden album

Last checked: October 2026. Product details change; check each app's App Store listing for the current version.

Every iPhone already has a way to hide photos: the Hidden album in the Photos app. For many people it’s enough. Velcrypt exists for situations where it isn’t, mostly when the person you want privacy from might know your passcode, or when you don’t want a copy in the cloud. Here is an honest look at both.

What the Hidden album actually does

The Hidden album is a built-in Photos album that removes selected photos and videos from your main library, Memories and widgets. Since iOS 16, it is locked by default with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode; you can change that in Settings › Apps › Photos on iOS 18 and later, or Settings › Photos on older versions. On iOS 18 and later, Hidden and Recently Deleted appear under Utilities in the Photos app, and you can choose to hide the Hidden album itself from view.

If iCloud Photos is on, hidden items sync like everything else. They’re encrypted in iCloud, but end-to-end only if you enable Advanced Data Protection. There is more detail in is the iPhone Hidden album private? and are hidden photos saved to iCloud?.

Feature comparison

	Velcrypt	iPhone Hidden album
On-device encryption details published	Yes: AES-256-GCM, keys derived from your pattern	iOS Data Protection, documented by Apple
Account required	No	Part of Photos; Apple Account needed for iCloud sync
Cloud backup	No (v1); encrypted backup planned	Yes, with iCloud Photos or iCloud Backup
Unlock method	Pattern on a 5×5 grid, separate from passcode	Face ID, Touch ID or device passcode
Biometrics	Not offered, by design	Yes
Decoy / multiple vaults	Every pattern is its own vault	One Hidden album
Duress pattern	Coming soon (Premium)	No
Recovery if you forget the code	None	Device passcode and Apple Account recovery
Cost	Free version plus optional Premium	Included with iOS
Platforms	iPhone (iOS 17+)	iPhone, iPad and Mac
Documents	Yes, from the Files app	Photos and videos only

The passcode question

The biggest practical difference is who can get in. The Hidden album trusts your device passcode. That is reasonable against strangers, but many people share their passcode with a partner, a child or a family member, or have typed it in front of them. Anyone with the passcode can open the Hidden album, even with Face ID set up, because the passcode is always accepted as a fallback.

Velcrypt’s pattern is a separate secret. Knowing your passcode, or having your face in front of the phone, doesn’t open a vault. That is also why Velcrypt deliberately has no Face ID: a face or finger can be used without your consent. See pattern lock.

Copies and the cloud

Hiding a photo doesn’t move it anywhere; it’s still in your library, still in iCloud Photos if that’s on, and still visible on other devices on the same Apple Account. That’s convenient if you want your hidden photos everywhere, and a risk if someone else uses one of those devices.

Velcrypt works the other way. An imported photo is copied into an encrypted vault on the iPhone, and vault data is excluded from iCloud and computer backups in version 1. After importing, you delete the original from Photos and empty Recently Deleted, otherwise it stays there for about 30 days. Read delete original photos after import.

Deniability

There is exactly one Hidden album, and its existence is obvious to anyone who opens Photos (unless you turn off showing it). Velcrypt has no vault list. Each pattern opens its own vault, and a pattern the app has never seen opens an empty vault without an error. That lets you keep a decoy vault and makes it impossible to prove others exist. See hidden vaults.

When the Hidden album may suit you better

• You want it free and built in. No extra app, nothing to install.
• You want sync and backup. Hidden photos follow you across devices with iCloud Photos, and survive a lost phone.
• You trust everyone who knows your passcode. Then the passcode lock is a reasonable barrier.
• You use iPad or Mac. Velcrypt is iPhone-only.

When Velcrypt may suit you better

• Someone else knows your passcode. A separate pattern keeps them out.
• You don’t want a cloud copy. Vaults stay on the phone.
• You want decoys or several private spaces. Every pattern is its own vault.
• You also need to keep documents private. Import PDFs and files from the Files app.

The honest trade-off: with Velcrypt v1, a lost phone or a forgotten pattern means the vault can’t be recovered. Decide which risk worries you more.