How to hide photos on Google Photos for Android and iOS

We live in an age where smartphones double up as albums to store our precious memories, in the form of images and videos. However, smartphones are bound by limitations of storage space. In such cases, what does one do? They turn to cloud-based storage services such as Google Photos of course. Google Photos provides a secure space to access your images. However, being on the cloud also makes them vulnerable, and can be accessed by anyone with access to your devices.  What do you do about the pictures that you want to hide then? In this guide, we tell you how to do just that, on both, Android as well as iOS devices. Read on.

How to hide images on Google Photos

Google Photos gives you the ability to access and edit your pictures and videos on the go, as you please. However, a lesser known feature it also has, is one that allows it to hide them as well. Here’s how to use the same on both, Android and iOS devices.

Hiding images on Google Photos for Android 

1. Open the Google Photos app on your Android phone.

2. Select the images and you want to hide, either in the photo library or in a specific album.

3. In the top-right corner, tap the three dots to open a menu of alternatives.

4. Choose Archive from the dropdown menu, which will essentially hide it from the main photo feed.

Hiding photos on Google Photos for for iOS

1. Open the Google Photos app on your iPhone.

2. Select the pictures you need to hide. 

3. Tap the three dots on the top-right corner of the selected photo to see the options.

4. Choose “Archive” from the menu. Archiving a photograph will hide it from the main image feed.

Accessing hidden pictures on Google Photos

Whether you are an Android or iOS user, gaining access to your hidden images on Google Photos is just as easy. All it takes, is three simply steps.

1. Open the Google Photos app on your device.

2. In the menu, you’ll locate an option called “Archive.” Tap on it.

3. You’ll now see all your archived photographs. 

Restoring your hidden photos

If you want to unhide the pictures you’ve previously hidden, and make them appear on your main feed again, the process is just as easy.

1.  Tap on the menu (usually from the top-left corner) and select “Archive.”

2. Long press on the photo you want to unarchive.

3. In the top-right corner of the display screen, tap the three dots to get more options. Choose “Unarchive” from the dropdown menu. The picture will be moved back to your main image feed.

Google Photos’ archive function offers a simple and effective way to hide photos without the need for additional apps or complex methods.