How to Protect/Hide Images, Videos on Android?

Hide Images, Videos on Android – On your device, many times we have some personal or confidential videos and images that we do not wish anyone to see. Unfortunately, by default, images and videos on an Android device are open to all.

On Android devices, some tools allow you to encrypt files so that no one but you can access them. One such application is Gallery Lock Free. As the name suggests, it is a free application. This app locks files at the storage level so the gallery is open to all while the selected files are not. And the best part is that even while using a file manager, other users would not be able to access files that are hidden.

How to Protect/Hide Images, Videos on Android

1. To begin the installation of the application on your device, access the Google Android marketplace application from within your device’s application menu or from the home screen.
2. In the tool’s Gallery, You can search the Gallery Lock Free app or you can also search using the search widget on Google Play. To further process then install the application on your device.
3. On your Android device, now access the Gallery application and select the images and videos you want to hide from other users.

Some steps:

1. From the application menu, now access the Galley Lock application on your Android device.
2. This application allows you to set a pin or even a pattern lock just like the home screen lock to protect the application. From the settings menu on the application, all the customizations can be done.
3. The following splash screen will show you the files available in your gallery and the same page can be scrolled towards the right to access locked files later on. You have the option to choose specific files or even whole folders which you wish to hide from other users.
4. Press the lock icon on the upper left-hand side of the screen to enable the locking of files and folders. To select specific files, open the folders then select the lock icon. Once done selecting the files/folders then press the lock key that comes after pressing the lock icon.
5. Now the application will prompt you to proceed with the locking option. Once done, the files will disappear from the gallery.
6. The locked files will now only be accessible through the Galley Lock app which is protected by pin or pattern lock. Enter the pin or pattern to unlock the app and use the files.

Best Photos and Video Hiding Apps for Android (2021)

Here are the best apps that you can use to hide photos and videos on your Android device.

1. KeepSafe Photo Vault

If you’ve used an Android app to hide your private photos or videos, you’d surely heard of KeepSafe Photo Vault. It’s been around for quite a while and is still one of the better apps to safeguard your media from others. The app has bagged massive updates over the years, making it cleaner and easy to use by all. It lets you lock photos and videos with PIN, pattern, and fingerprint authentication options, post which it shows you a clutter-free and categorized folder grid.

Key Features:

• Easy-to-use
• PIN, pattern, and fingerprint authentication
• Private cloud storage.

2. Hide Pictures & Videos – Vault

The highlight of Vaulty is that it captures “mugshots” of intruders, who try to access your vault but fail to enter the correct password.

Key Features:

• Multiple vaults
• Intruder ‘mugshots’
• Directly hide photos from your gallery app.

Native Tools to Hide Photos

Two mainstream phone manufacturers, Samsung and LG, have built-in privacy tools that can help you hide photos.

Samsung

If you have a Samsung phone running Android Nougat 7.0 or above, you can take advantage of Samsung’s Secure Folder feature. It lets you keep private files, images, and even apps in a separate password-protected area.

To set up a Secure Folder for the first time, go to Settings > Lock screen and security > Secure Folder. You will need to sign in with your Samsung account. After signing in, your device will prompt you to choose your preferred lock method. Once complete, the Secure Folder will be accessible from your app drawer. To hide photos in the Secure Folder, open the app and tap Add Files.

LG

The process to hide pictures on Android if you have an LG device is slightly different. This time, start by heading to Settings > Fingerprints and Security > Content Lock. The phone will ask you to secure the feature using a PIN, password, or fingerprint scan. Now go to your phone’s default gallery app. Select all the photos you want to hide and tap Menu > More > Lock. You can also lock entire folders of pictures if you wish.

When you’ve tapped Lock, the photos/folders will vanish from the library. To view them, navigate to Menu > Show Locked Files. Enter your security credentials, and the photos will reappear.

Note: Content Lock is not available on all devices.