Learn how to remove the security lock from your Hidden and Recently Deleted folders in the Photos app on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
When you hide a photo or video on your iPhone, it’s removed from the Recents album and moved to the Hidden section. Similarly, when you delete a picture or video, it’s moved to the Recently Deleted folder, where it stays for 30 days before being permanently purged.
Hidden and Recently Deleted sections are locked by default so that someone with access to your unlocked iPhone cannot see what’s in the Hidden and Recently Deleted sections.
However, if you find it cumbersome to authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or password every time you go inside these sections, you can turn off the lock to permanently unlock Hidden and Recently Deleted sections of the Photos app.
On iPhone and iPad
- Open the Settings app.
- Scroll down and tap Apps.
- Now, select Photos from the list.
- Turn off the switch for Use Face ID or Use Touch ID.
Doing so will instantly and permanently unlock your Hidden and Recently Deleted albums inside the Photos app.
On Mac
- Open the Photos app on your computer.
- Click Photos from the top menu bar and select Settings.
- Make sure you’re in the General tab and uncheck the box for Use Touch ID or password.
You will see that Hidden and Recently Deleted under the Utilities section of the Photos app are no longer locked.
I take several dozen screenshots while working on iDB tutorials. To keep my Photos app clean, I delete them immediately after use (from inside a third-party photo editing app). But at times, I have to rework on those screenshots and thus recover them from the Recently Deleted album. Lifting my iPhone from the desk to authenticate via Face ID to get back the deleted photos was an extra time-consuming step. So I have chosen to turn off the lock inside my Photos app.
Please note that I have this liberty because I work from home, and my iPhone is always on my work desk, which no one else touches. But if you often hand over your unlocked phone to others around you, it’s better to keep the Hidden and Recently Deleted albums locked.
If you want to go back to putting these sections behind Face ID, follow the above steps and re-enable Use Face ID.
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