Works for Keep Photos Secret whether or not it has its own passcode. No download needed.
Touch and hold Keep Photos Secret's icon, tap Require Face ID, then confirm. On iOS 18 and later that puts Keep Photos Secret behind Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode; choose Hide and Require Face ID instead to move it into App Library's Hidden folder as well.
Lock Keep Photos Secret with Face ID
- Find Keep Photos Secret on your Home Screen or in App Library.
- Touch and hold the icon until the quick-actions menu opens.
- Tap Require Face ID (or Require Touch ID / Require Passcode, depending on your iPhone).
- Tap Require Face ID again to confirm. Keep Photos Secret now asks for authentication every time it opens.
To test it, close Keep Photos Secret from the App Switcher and open it again. You should see the Face ID prompt before any content appears.
Hide Keep Photos Secret in App Library
- Touch and hold Keep Photos Secret's icon and tap Require Face ID.
- Choose Hide and Require Face ID instead of Require Face ID.
- Confirm. The icon leaves your Home Screen and moves to the Hidden folder at the bottom of App Library.
- To open it later, swipe to App Library, tap Hidden and authenticate.
Hiding also locks the app. To undo either, touch and hold the icon again and choose Don't Require Face ID.
Why lock Keep Photos Secret?
Keep Photos Secret is a photo vault, the kind of app that tends to hold personal information you would not want on screen if someone borrows your unlocked phone. A photo vault holds the pictures you least want seen, so the questions that matter are where the files live, whether they are encrypted, and what happens if you forget the PIN or change phones.
Photo and video apps usually request access to your photo library. iOS lets you share only selected photos, which keeps the rest of the library — and its location metadata — away from the app.
A lock answers one question — who can open the app on this iPhone. It does not change what Keep Photos Secret sends to its developer; for that, see Keep Photos Secret's full privacy report.
What the lock does and does not do
It does
- Ask for Face ID, Touch ID or passcode every time Keep Photos Secret opens
- Hide message previews in notifications
- Keep Keep Photos Secret's content out of Spotlight and Siri suggestions
- With Hide, remove the icon from the Home Screen
It does not
- Stop someone who knows your passcode
- Encrypt or change how Keep Photos Secret stores data
- Sync to your iPad or other devices
- Remove Keep Photos Secret from purchase history or Screen Time reports
Don't see Require Face ID?
- Update to iOS 18 or later in Settings › General › Software Update.
- Make sure a passcode is set in Settings › Face ID & Passcode; the lock needs one.
- Some Apple apps (Settings, Calculator, Camera, Maps, Find My, Clock) cannot be locked or hidden.
- If your iPhone is managed by work or school, the option may be restricted.
Other settings worth checking for Keep Photos Secret
Photos
Settings › Privacy & Security › Photos. Limited Access lets you pick exactly which pictures the app can see; Add Photos Only lets it save without reading your library.
Notifications
Settings › Notifications › Keep Photos Secret › Show Previews: When Unlocked keeps message and account details off the Lock Screen.
Keep Photos Secret's full privacy label
The developer states that no data is collected from this app.
Lock these apps too
After you lock Keep Photos Secret
Done. You have applied every control the label points to.
FAQ
Does Keep Photos Secret have its own passcode?
What happens to Keep Photos Secret's notifications when it is locked?
Can someone who knows my passcode open a locked app?
Is a locked Keep Photos Secret encrypted?
Why can't I see the Require Face ID option?
Does hiding Keep Photos Secret remove it from my purchase history?
Is Keep Photos Secret safe? Full privacy report →Does Keep Photos Secret track you? →Lock an app: A–Z →All photo & video apps →