Hiding vs encrypting your photos: what’s the difference?
A hidden album and an encrypted vault don’t protect your photos the same way. Here is what changes.
Hiding changes what you see
Hiding a photo removes it from the usual views. Anyone who can unlock the phone can usually still reach it in a few taps, and the file itself stays exactly as it was.
Encrypting changes the file
Encryption turns the data into something unreadable without the right key. In Kofrix, AES-256-GCM protects each file with its own random key and also detects any tampering.
Mind the originals
Copying a photo into a vault doesn’t remove the original, your backups or the “Recently Deleted” album. Check each of those places before you consider a photo private.
Choose for your need
To avoid a photo popping up by accident, hiding may be enough. To protect a file even from someone holding your unlocked phone, you need encryption and a separate secret.