Screen Time App Lock vs. a Photo Vault: Which Actually Hides Your Private Photos?

What Apple's app lock does

If you searched for a Screen Time app lock, Apple's current app-lock control is a different feature. Apple describes Screen Time Schedules and Time Allowances as controls for when apps are available and how long they can be used, while Lock or Hide an App requires Face ID, Touch ID, or the device passcode before a locked app opens.^1,4

That lock works at the app level: it gates opening the app as a whole rather than selecting individual items inside it. Apple also says information from a locked app does not appear in places such as notification previews, search, Siri suggestions, CarPlay, or call history.¹

Where the Hidden album stops

For selected photos, Apple's Hidden album moves them out of normal Photos views and protects the album with device authentication.²

The important overlap is the credential. Apple's app lock can open with Face ID, Touch ID, or the device passcode, and Apple's personal-safety guide says the Hidden album uses Face ID, Touch ID, or the passcode too. If another person knows the iPhone passcode, neither Apple option adds a separate vault PIN.^1,3

What a photo vault changes

A photo vault creates a separate place for the photos you choose. Secure Folder keeps imported photos, videos, and files in its own hidden gallery and protects the vault with its own 6-digit PIN.

Secure Folder's PIN is set at first launch and is separate from the iPhone passcode, so the passcode that opens the phone does not open the vault. That matters if someone already knows your passcode, or if you sometimes lend or share the iPhone. You can change the vault PIN later in Security under Change PIN. For the broader options, see how to password-protect photos on iPhone.

How photos actually leave Photos

Importing into Secure Folder creates a copy in the vault. The original leaves Photos only after it is deleted. On the first import, the app asks whether to remove originals after import; that choice becomes the Auto-Delete Originals setting, and you can change it later in Settings.

iOS confirms each deletion. If you keep the originals at first, Delete Originals (Free Up Space) can remove them later, and Restore to Photos puts vault items back into Photos.

Which option fits your situation

You can use an app-level lock and a vault together if you want both kinds of separation. If your real situation is handing someone an already-unlocked iPhone for one task, Guided Access versus a photo vault covers that handoff instead.