How to Hide Shared with You Photos on iPhone
You do not need an app for this. Turn off Shared with You for Photos in Settings, or turn it off for one conversation in Messages. The photos stay in the Messages thread; they just stop appearing in the Photos app.
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What do I need to know?
- Hiding is not deleting. Apple says hidden content still appears in the Messages thread.
- You can switch it off three ways. For every app, for Photos only, or for one person or group.
- It only covers people in your contacts. Apple says content appears in Shared with You only if the sender is in your contacts.
What is Shared with You?
When someone sends you photos in Messages, iPhone can show them in a Shared with You section in Photos. Apple's article Use Shared with You describes it. Music, Apple TV, News, Podcasts and Safari do the same for their content.
That is handy until someone else is scrolling your Photos app. A private photo from a chat can sit one tap away from your holiday pictures.
How do I turn it off for Photos?
These steps are from Apple's iPhone User Guide for iOS 27.
- Open Settings.
- Tap Apps, then tap Messages.
- Tap Shared with You.
- Turn off Photos. To turn it off everywhere, turn off Automatic Sharing instead.
How do I hide photos from one person?
Use this when one chat is the problem and you want to keep the rest.
- Open Messages and tap the conversation.
- Tap the contact or group icon at the top.
- Tap Info, then turn off Show in Shared with You.
Apple's personal safety guide gives the same steps. The photos stay in the conversation, but they leave the Shared with You section.
How do I remove one photo?
- Go to the Shared with You section in Photos.
- Touch and hold the photo's thumbnail.
- Tap Remove.
Apple notes the options can differ by app, so the wording may vary.
What if I saved the photo to my library?
Then it is an ordinary photo in your library, and these settings do not touch it. Hide it, delete it, or move it somewhere safer.
The Hidden album keeps it out of the main grid, but it is still part of your library. Our page on whether the Hidden album is encrypted explains the difference. Deleted photos sit in Recently Deleted for 30 days, so clear that too.
Where does a vault fit?
Shared with You settings control where a photo appears. They do not lock it. Anyone who can open Messages can still scroll the conversation.
If you want to keep a photo someone sent you, save it into an encrypted vault and delete it from the chat. Cryptile accepts photos from the share sheet. Each one is encrypted with AES-256-GCM under a key made on your device from your pattern.
What this doesn't protect against
Turning off Shared with You does not delete anything from Messages. Anyone who knows your passcode can still open the conversation. A vault cannot help if someone watches you draw your pattern, and the sender still has their copy.
Do it with Cryptile
Share a photo from Messages into Cryptile, then delete it from the chat. There is no account and no server.
Cryptile is free for up to 2 vaults, 100 photos and 10 videos. Plus removes the limits and adds the panic pattern and search inside the vault, for $19.99 a year (7-day free trial) or $39.99 once.