How to hide photos and videos in Google Photos

Google Photos app icon on a smartphone screen

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

In one case yous know how to hide photos and videos in Google Photos, you'll be able to keep images you don't want people to see subconscious away from prying eyes.

Owners of Pixel smartphones accept long been able to lock sensitive photos and videos abroad in the Google Photos app, significant that they are neither backed up, sharable or visible in your Photos grid.

The company has promised that this feature will curlicue out to all Android and iOS devices by the end of 2022, and it appears that this is now happening. My ain handset — a slightly ageing Samsung Galaxy S10e — has the update, which arrived without any fanfare. However, it doesn't appear to exist on iOS yet and Google's own support page for the feature states that "This feature is merely available on Android 6 and later."

If the option has already been rolled out to your phone, hither'southward how to hide photos and videos in Google Photos on Android.

1. Open the Google Photos app and find a photo or video you want to lock away, and then tap it. That video of Hamilton the cat looks like a prime candidate.

How to lock photos and videos on Android — (Paradigm credit: Alan Martin)

two. Tap the three vertical dots in the top right-paw corner of the epitome/video.

3. Swipe left along the list of options below the paradigm/video until you lot run into "Motility to Locked Folder." Tap it.

iv. If you lot haven't already fix this feature upwards, the app will invite you to do and so at present by authenticating with a fingerprint. You'll have to imagine what this looks like as, ironically, Android wouldn't let me screenshot for privacy reasons.

5. In one case done, you lot'll be presented with a screen reminding y'all that copies and edits aren't automatically locked away, and that locked items will be deleted if you uninstall Photos. Tap "Continue."

6. Another confirmation screen follows. Tap "Move."

7. Ane more stride: you have to let Photos modify the image or video, so tap "Allow."

8. Wait for the load screen to complete, and your image is safe and secure.

How to observe locked photos and videos in Google Photos

Now that your photos and videos are safely secured, how on Globe do you lot admission them? Google Photos hides that away a little…

1. From the main card of Google Photos, tap "Utilities."

2. "Locked Folder" is the 6th option down on the subsequent carte.

Looking for more Google Photos tutorials? Here'due south How to delete Google Photos permanently, How to upload to Google Photos, and How to dorsum up to Google Photos from a phone, tablet, or reckoner.

Freelance contributor Alan has been writing about tech for over a decade, covering phones, drones and everything in betwixt. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are found all over the web and in the occasional magazine too. When not weighing up the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you'll probably detect him tackling his ever-growing games backlog. Or, more than likely, playing Spelunky for the millionth time.