Honestly, the first time I opened the new Photos app after updating to iOS 18, I thought I’d lost half my life. The bottom tabs? Gone. The familiar "Albums" button? Buried. If you're looking for your hidden photos iOS 18 style, you probably feel like you're playing a high-stakes game of hide-and-seek with your own memories.
Apple went and moved everything. It’s not just a facelift; it’s a total structural gut job. The "Hidden" folder isn't where it used to be, and for a second, it’s genuinely panicking. But don't worry. Your "private" stuff—whether it's screenshots of gifts you’re buying or, well, whatever else you keep tucked away—is still there. It’s just deeper in the "Utilities" basement now.
Where did the Hidden folder go?
Basically, the new Photos app is one giant, scrolling wall. Instead of tapping a tab at the bottom to switch views, you now swipe down past your main grid. Keep going. Past "Recent Days," past "People & Pets," and past those "Pinned Collections" that Apple thinks you want to see.
Eventually, you’ll hit a section called Utilities.
This is where the magic happens. Or the frustration, depending on how fast you're trying to find something. In iOS 18, the Hidden album is tucked inside this Utilities menu. Usually, it’s a square tile. You tap it, Face ID does its little "scanning your soul" animation, and boom—you’re in.
But here’s the kicker: if you don’t see Utilities at all, your phone isn't broken. Apple just decided to let you "customize" it, which often means things get hidden by accident.
- Scroll to the very bottom of the entire app.
- Tap Customize & Reorder.
- Make sure "Utilities" is actually checked.
- You can even drag it higher up so you don't have to scroll for three miles every time.
The "Invisible" Problem: Why your Hidden Album might be missing
Sometimes you get to Utilities and the "Hidden" folder is just... not there. It’s a ghost.
This usually happens because of a toggle in your main Settings app. It’s a classic Apple move—security through obscurity. If you want to see the folder in the Photos app, you have to tell the iPhone it’s allowed to show the door to the room.
Go to Settings > Apps > Photos. Scroll down and look for Show Hidden Album. If that’s off, the folder won't appear in your Utilities section no matter how hard you look. Switch it on, and it’ll pop back up.
Interestingly, some people do this on purpose. They hide the photos, then they hide the folder itself. It’s like putting a safe behind a painting and then covering the painting with a curtain. Overkill? Maybe. Useful? Definitely.
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How to actually hide a photo now
The process of actually putting a photo into the vault has changed slightly too, mostly because the menus have been shuffled.
- Open any photo or select a bunch of them.
- Look for the three dots (...) in the top right corner.
- Tap Hide.
- Confirm it.
The photo vanishes from your main library instantly. In iOS 18, this is more important than ever because the new "Recent Days" and "Library" views are much more aggressive about showing you everything you've taken recently. If you don't hide it, it's going to show up in those big, beautiful preview tiles on the main screen.
Locking the whole app (The new "Pro" move)
If you're really paranoid (or just value your privacy), iOS 18 added a feature that makes the Hidden folder feel like child's play. You can now lock the entire Photos app behind Face ID.
Just long-press the Photos icon on your home screen. Tap Require Face ID. Now, even if you hand your phone to a friend to show them a meme, they can't even get into the app without your face. This is huge. It adds a layer of security that we’ve been asking for since, like, the iPhone 4.
Dealing with the "Recents" confusion
One thing people keep getting wrong about hidden photos iOS 18 is how they interact with other apps.
Have you ever tried to upload a photo to Instagram or WhatsApp and noticed that "hidden" stuff sometimes feels like it's peeking out? In previous versions, the "Hidden" album was almost entirely walled off from the system photo picker.
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In iOS 18, Apple has made the "Limited Library" access much smarter. When an app asks for your photos, you can choose exactly which ones it sees. If you have sensitive photos, I highly recommend using the "Select Photos..." option rather than "Allow Full Access." It’s the only way to be 100% sure an app won't accidentally surface something you wanted stayed buried.
The "Recovered" folder surprise
While you're hunting for your hidden photos, you might see a new utility called Recovered.
Don’t ignore this.
Apple introduced this to catch photos that were lost or damaged due to database corruption or issues with third-party apps saving to your library. It’s not technically a "hidden" folder, but it contains "lost" photos that the system found while indexing your storage after the update. If you’re missing something that wasn’t in your Hidden album, check there.
Customizing your way out of the mess
If you hate the new layout—and let's be real, a lot of people do—you can make the Hidden album easier to reach.
Go back to that Customize & Reorder button at the bottom. You can actually uncheck almost everything else. If you only want to see your "Library" and your "Utilities" (for the Hidden and Deleted folders), you can turn off "Trips," "Memories," and "Featured Photos."
It makes the app feel a lot more like the old version. Sorta.
Actionable Next Steps
To get your privacy settings dialed in on iOS 18, do this right now:
- Audit your Utilities: Scroll to the bottom of Photos, hit Customize, and move Utilities to the very top of the list. No more scrolling.
- Check your Settings: Jump into Settings > Apps > Photos and decide if you want the "Hidden" album to be visible in the app or completely invisible.
- Lock the App: Long-press the Photos icon on your home screen and enable "Require Face ID" for an extra layer of protection beyond just the hidden folder.
- Review the "Recovered" Folder: Take ten seconds to see if iOS 18 found any old "lost" photos that you actually wanted to keep.
The new layout is a lot to handle, but once you realize it's just one long list you can rearrange, it gets way less annoying. Your hidden photos are safe; they're just living in a different neighborhood now.