I’ve been running Apple’s (AAPL) iOS 16 beta on my iPhone 13 Pro for more than a week, and I can confirm the software update will bring major changes to your phone when it lands in September. But there’s one feature — the ability to hide your sensitive photos — that will certainly come in handy.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m digging the new lock screen setup that lets you add widgets to the panel. And being able to retract or edit texts sent to other iOS 16 users, and the option to pull back messages sent via the Mail app are clutch additions to the software that will save you from plenty of embarrassment if you’re a little too quick with your fingers.
But protecting your pics is guaranteed to be an underrated but worthwhile update for all users.
Hear me out. We’ve all handed our phone over to someone to show them a few photos before. Maybe you want them to check out your vacation shots, or perhaps you want to show off your new apartment or remodeled bathroom.
But in the back of your mind, you’re hoping, praying they don’t swipe too far through your photo roll. Maybe you’re a bride preparing for your wedding and you don’t want your partner to see your dress. Maybe you’ve taken a photo of a potential birthday gift you don’t want your friend to see. Perhaps you’re embarrassed about the pictures you took of your beagle wearing a tu-tu. Or maybe you’ve got photos of…well, something else entirely.
Now you can keep your photos hidden and locked behind a password or FaceID. The idea is to let you keep your more, err, sensitive photos away from any prying eyes or overly ambitious finger swipers.
To use the feature, you simply have to select a photo you want to keep protected in the Photos app, tap the three buttons in the top right corner of the screen, and choose Hide.
When you want to check out your photo again, you can simply navigate to the Albums tab in photos, scroll down to the bottom of the screen and select Hidden under the Utilities section. You’ll then need to either use FaceID or a passcode to access the hidden album, and bam, you’ve got your photo back.
Of course, since this is the beta version of iOS 16, the final version of the software you eventually download in September could look or act differently.
If you’re interested in trying out the iOS 16 beta, you can sign up for public beta access from Apple’s website and download the beta profile to your iPhone. If you choose to install the beta, you should ensure that you’ve backed up your phone, and be prepared to potentially lose your data and have to reset your device entirely.
If that sounds a little too scary for you, you can download the beta to a secondary device to try it out.
Happy hiding.
Sign up for Yahoo Finance's Tech newsletter
More from Dan
Snap shares down 77% year-to-date following dismal Q2 results
Twitter misses Q2 expectations, blames economy and Elon Musk
Got a tip? Email Daniel Howley at dhowley@yahoofinance.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley.
Click here for the latest trending stock tickers of the Yahoo Finance platform
Click here for the latest stock market news and in-depth analysis, including events that move stocks
Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance
Download the Yahoo Finance app for Apple or Android
Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, LinkedIn, and YouTube
