Arca vs the iPhone Hidden album
Every iPhone already has a Hidden album. On current iOS it's locked with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode by default, and you can remove it from the Photos sidebar entirely. For keeping a photo out of your main library while you scroll or share your screen, it's a solid, free first step.
Based on how the Hidden album works on iOS 18. Apple changes Photos features between releases — check Settings > Apps > Photos on your iPhone.
What the Hidden album does well
Hiding a photo removes it from Library, other albums, and the Photos widget, and the Hidden album itself asks for Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode before it opens. You can also turn off Show Hidden Album in Settings > Apps > Photos so it doesn't appear in the sidebar at all. All of that is free, built in, and needs no extra app.
For the most common situation — handing someone your phone to look at one photo — that's often enough.
Where it stops
The lock falls back to your device passcode. Anyone who knows that passcode, or watched you type it, can open the Hidden album; there's no separate secret just for those photos. Hidden photos also stay part of your Photos library: if iCloud Photos is on, they sync to your other devices and to iCloud like any other photo, and Apple holds the keys to that copy unless you've turned on Advanced Data Protection.
There's also no decoy and no record of failed attempts. If someone makes you unlock, the Hidden album is simply there.
When a separate vault makes sense
If the people you're worried about might know your passcode — a partner, a family member, someone who can compel you to unlock — a vault with its own PIN changes the picture. Arca derives its key from a PIN you choose separately, encrypts each file with it, keeps the vault out of iCloud Photos, and can open a decoy vault with a second PIN.
Many people use both: the Hidden album for low-stakes clutter, and Arca for the photos that would really hurt if someone else saw them.
Where Arca stands
Arca adds what the Hidden album isn't designed for: a separate PIN that's different from your device passcode, per-file encryption keyed to that PIN, no iCloud copy unless you export one, and a decoy vault for when you're pressured to unlock.
Questions
Is the iPhone Hidden album private? +
It's private from casual browsing: hidden photos leave your main library and the album is locked with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode. It isn't private from someone who knows your passcode, and hidden photos sync with iCloud Photos like the rest of your library.
Can someone see my Hidden album with my passcode? +
Yes. If Face ID or Touch ID doesn't match, the Hidden album accepts your device passcode, so anyone who knows it can open the album.
Are hidden photos uploaded to iCloud? +
If iCloud Photos is on, yes — hidden photos sync like any other photo. They're end-to-end encrypted in iCloud only if you've turned on Advanced Data Protection.
How is Arca different from the Hidden album? +
Arca uses its own PIN instead of your device passcode, encrypts each file with a key derived from that PIN, doesn't add your vault to iCloud Photos, and offers a decoy vault and a failed-unlock report.
Your photos. Truly private.
Keep your photos in an encrypted vault on your iPhone or Android phone, with no Arca account or automatic vault upload.
Free to download · iPhone with iOS 18+ · Android 9+