How to Disable Authentication for Hidden and Recently Deleted in the Photos App on iPhone

iOS has been lacking the ability to lock photos or albums for that matter for a long time. Thankfully, this has changed with the release of iOS 16 where your Hidden album and Recently Deleted photos and videos are locked by default.

iOS uses your default passcode or biometric authentication to lock these albums to keep them away from prying eyes. However, this can end up being quite cumbersome if you need to access your locked albums regularly. In such cases, disabling this lock might be your best option, and here’s how you can do it in iOS 16.

How to disable authentication in the Photos app

Open the Settings appscroll down and tap on Photos.

Now scroll down and turn off the toggle for your default authentication. In our case, it is the Face ID.

Confirm your identity using your passcode or biometric authentication.

Once confirmed, authentication will no longer be required to access your Hidden album or Recently Deleted photos.

And that’s how you can disable authentication in the Photos app.

FAQs

Here are a few common questions related to the new authentication in the Photos app that should help you get up to speed.

Can I lock other albums on iOS 16?

Unfortunately no, iOS 16 cannot yet lock other albums in the Photos app. You can only lock the Hidden album and the Recently Deleted section for now.

Can I use a different authentication method in the photos app?

Noyou can not use a different authentication method in the Photos app. The app currently uses your default iOS authentication method and if you wish to change the same within the app, then you will have to change your default authentication method.

Are hidden photos automatically deleted?

Nohidden photos will stay hidden forever in your Photos app until you decide to unhide them. Recently Deleted images, on the other hand, will be deleted after 30 days. So if you delete a hidden photo, it will be permanently deleted after 30 days.

We hope this post helped you easily disable authentication in the Photos app. If you face any issues or have any more questions for us, feel free to drop them in the comments below.