Do Hidden Photos Transfer to a New iPhone?
Yes. Hidden photos are ordinary photos in your library, so they move with the rest of it. With iCloud Photos, Apple says photos you hide on one device are hidden on your other devices too.
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What do I need to know?
- iCloud Photos carries them over. Sign in on the new iPhone and they sync, still hidden.
- Without iCloud Photos, a backup carries them. Apple says iCloud Backup may include your photos when iCloud Photos is off.
- The old phone still has them. Erase it before you sell or give it away.
How do hidden photos reach the new iPhone?
It depends on how you move your data.
- iCloud Photos on: your library syncs to the new iPhone. Apple says photos hidden on one device are hidden on your other devices too.
- iCloud Photos off, iCloud Backup on: Apple says the backup "may include photos and videos in your Photos or Camera Roll". Restoring brings them back.
- Quick Start: Apple describes it as transferring "directly from your previous device". Its page does not list photos separately.
Sources: Apple, Missing photos and the Hidden album, Apple, What does iCloud back up? and Apple, Use Quick Start.
Will they still be hidden on the new phone?
With iCloud Photos, yes. Apple says so directly. For a restore from backup or Quick Start, Apple's pages do not say either way. Check before you erase the old phone.
How do I check after the move?
On iOS 27:
- Open Photos → Collections.
- Tap Hidden under Utilities, then View Album, and unlock.
- Compare the count with the old phone.
- Open Settings → Apps → Photos and make sure Use Face ID is on.
If Show Hidden Album is off, turn it on to find the collection. See Apple, Delete or hide photos and videos.
What about the old iPhone?
The hidden photos are still on it until you erase it. Apple's path is Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Erase All Content and Settings. Our selling or trading in your iPhone page has the full order.
What about photos in a vault app?
A vault app's photos are not in the Photos library, so iCloud Photos does not move them. Each app has its own way. A Cryptile vault moves through its encrypted iCloud backup. On the new phone you restore it with the vault's 9-word recovery phrase, then draw a new pattern.
Read more in what happens when you restore from backup.
What this doesn't protect against
Hidden is not encryption, so hidden photos are as readable in iCloud and backups as any other photo. Under standard data protection, Apple holds the keys to iCloud Photos and iCloud Backup. A Cryptile vault without its recovery phrase cannot be restored on a new phone by anyone, including us.
Do it with Cryptile
Cryptile encrypts files with AES-256-GCM under a key made on your device. Its iCloud backup holds ciphertext, and there is no account and no server.
Cryptile is free for up to 2 vaults, 100 photos and 10 videos in total. Plus removes the limits for $19.99 a year (7-day free trial) or $39.99 once. Sync between devices is coming and is not available yet.