We have reached a point in technology where our entire lives are on our smartphones. Do we need a photo hiding app for Android?
Technology is a marvelous thing as we can achieve so much from anywhere in the world, whether that’s remote work, paying your bills, or keeping in touch with family and friends.
With every advance we make, there are downfalls. We are quickly learning about the potential dangers our smartphones can lead to, in particular when it comes to our photos and videos. Once a photo or video has been posted online it is out there forever, so we have learned to be careful about what we post.
We do very little about the privacy of the photos and videos on our phones that we don’t want others to see.
The video of you dancing at the bar is hilarious, but not appropriate for your colleagues. Parents have hundreds of images of their children, but do we ever think of the consequences of losing our phones?
Hiding photos on Android is easy and this article will teach you how to do it the right way.
Table of Contents
- How do Picture Hiding Apps Work?
- Hide pictures using a photo hiding app – Android
- Best Picture Hiding Apps for Android
- Wrap Up
How do Picture Hiding Apps Work?
In 2016, we were introduced to the “Secret calculator app that hides pics”. The icon appeared on your smartphone as a simple calculator. In fact, when you enter the app, it is still a calculator. Not just a calculator but a picture-hiding calculator app.
But, when you add a numeric code and a % sign, it opens a vault that has files, photos and videos stored. These images cannot be seen in your usual Android phone gallery.
Since then, the concept of hiding photos and videos via apps has become far more sophisticated. We are going to take a look at solutions for those who have an Android smartphone. We have included some of the best picture-hiding apps available today.
Hide pictures using a photo hiding app – Android
The Android Operating System in its pure form doesn’t feature any media hiding capabilities or gallery lock software. You’ll have to install third-party apps for hiding pictures on Android.
Although there are some exceptions. Huawei phones featuring Android-based EMUI systems have a built-in method to hide media. It’s called Private Space app for Android.
Samsung also offers a similar method to hide sensible data. It’s the Samsung secure folder app.
Create a new Private Space – Huawei
- Go to settings;
- Click on Security & Privacy;
- Find the Private Space option, click enable and set a password.
The benefit of creating a new space is that you can store anything there including photos and videos. You will have a separate password from your main space or you can choose to use your fingerprint to access it.
Hide folders from your gallery
- Open your gallery;
- Select the folder you want to hide;
- Use the three dots to open your settings;
- Choose Hide Albums and select the ones you want hidden.
This is a much simpler way but it is easy enough to see the hidden folders by reselecting them again.
Samsung Secure Folder review
Samsung Secure Folder is an encrypted space on your phone for securely storing images, videos, audio, and general files, only accessible to you.
On some smartphones you may have to enable the service first by going to “Settings” > “Lock screen and security” > “Secure Folder”.
It may be the case this app doesn’t come pre-installed on your phone. If not, you should get it from the Google Play Store. Samsung Secure Folder download is quick and easy, but remember, it will only work on Samsung smartphones.
How to use the Samsung Secure Folder app:
- Open the Samsung Secure Folder;
- Tap the “Add files” option on top;
- Choose the type of files you want to add: photos, audio, videos, or general documents;
- Select the files you want to add to Samsung Secure Folder and select “Done”;
- Choose whether you want to copy or move the files.
Use a general photo hiding app for Android
Below, are 5 apps compatible with every phone, each rated as the best app to hide pictures on an Android.
Best Picture Hiding Apps for Android
Vaulty is widely considered the best picture vault app Android can have. But it is not only an image-hiding app, it comes with far more features than just hiding your photos and videos.
You can edit and filter images, rename files, select multiple photos and videos, and easily organize them for easy viewing. You can create more than one vault and have individual passwords.
Vaulty will automatically backup your photos and videos online and restore them onto a new device, whether that’s a smartphone or tablet. We particularly like the Mugshot feature. It will take a photo of anyone who tries to access your vault.
There are two ways to hide photos and videos. You can open Vaulty, tap the lock icon, open your album, and select the photos/videos you want to hide. Alternatively, you can click the share option on a file and share it with Vaulty. This free app will allow you to hide unlimited pictures and videos.
LockMyPix has the advantage of being able to be used offline. It also features AES encryption, and fingerprint scanning, and it supports SD cards. There is an option to set up a fake fault in case you are ever forced to open your fault.
Another great capability is to make the app invisible by masking it as a different app. There are folders and subfolders for photos and videos. The app is free and you can even use the premium version for free if you have Google Play Pass.
This picture-hiding app is designed for photos, videos, and other media files. GIFs are very popular today and you will be able to hide these too. All hidden files are encrypted and can be stored onto an SD card to save your storage space. We liked the integrated private web browser.
You can unlock the app with a pattern, fingerprint, or password with alerts if someone tries to break in. Additional security includes a fake passcode that opens a vault with fake content in it. If you want to quickly close your vault, you just need to shake your phone.
This free app has a great range of features including a fake vault, replacing the icon, and an intruder selfie. The image viewer lets you create slide shows and you can watch all of your videos with the media player you already have installed.
A safe browser means you can safely search, download, and hide images from the internet. If you prefer, you can hide images onto an SD card or share with the Photo Lock App. To close the vault in a hurry, turn your smartphone face down.
Photo Vault Privary has a higher level of encryption (AES CTR) than many other vaults. This makes it harder for hackers to access your unlimited number of photos, videos, and files.
It comes with full SD card support. It allows you to create a fake fault and open either of the vaults with passwords, pins, or fingerprints. This app won’t be visible in your recently used apps.
Wrap Up
The best picture hiding app for Android may be down to personal preference, but with so many good options there is no need to ever worry about secret videos or embarrassing photos being seen by anyone else.
Hiding your videos and photos by using high-level encryption ensures that images stay hidden. From FaceID to fingerprints and passwords, only you will be able to access your hidden files.
While most of these picture-hiding apps have a paid premium version, the free versions of photo-hiding apps for Android offer all the protection you need to keep your smartphone safe.
Also, some brands already feature their own methods of hiding data, such as Private Space Huawei includes in their smartphones or Samsung Secure Folder.
