Start with the protection already built into Photos
Apple’s Hidden collection is the right place for individual photos and videos you already know you want to keep out of the main library. It is locked by default with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode, and you can also hide the collection itself from view.
The limitation is simple: an item only reaches the Hidden collection after you find and hide it. That does not help with something forgotten in an old year, saved from another app, or mixed into thousands of ordinary photos.
A practical review workflow
- Check Hidden and Recently Deleted first. Confirm what is already protected and what is still recoverable.
- Search obvious dates and contexts. Travel, relationships, medical events, screenshots, and imported media can narrow a manual review.
- Review videos separately. Private moments are often harder to notice in a video thumbnail than in a still image.
- Use automated detection as a filter, not a verdict. Detection can reduce the review set, but false positives and missed items remain possible.
- Decide item by item. Hide what you want to retain, delete only what you choose, and remember that deleted media normally remains recoverable for 30 days.
No detector is perfect. Review every suggested match yourself before hiding or deleting anything.
Scanning without uploading the library
Sensitivity analyzes photos on the device and presents likely sensitive matches for review behind device authentication. Photos are not uploaded to Sensitivity servers, there is no account, and the app does not move or delete media automatically.
Photo scanning is free. If an item exists only in iCloud Photos, Apple Photos may need to download it to the device before it can be analyzed. That behavior can be controlled in Sensitivity’s scan options.
Hide or delete?
Hide when you want to keep the item
Apple says hidden media moves out of the main Library and other albums into a locked Hidden collection. If iCloud Photos is enabled, the hidden state follows the item across connected devices.
Delete when you no longer want the item
Deleting a photo with iCloud Photos enabled also deletes it from other devices signed in to the same Apple Account. Apple keeps deleted photos and videos in Recently Deleted for 30 days unless you permanently remove them sooner.
What this does not replace
A photo-library review is useful before lending a phone or cleaning up an old library. It does not replace a full backup and device erase before selling, trading in, or permanently giving away an iPhone.