PureVaultGuide · Updated
Your iPhone has more photo privacy controls than most people realize, spread across Settings, the Photos app and the share sheet. Here they are in one place, with what each one actually does.
Settings › Privacy & Security › Location Services › Camera. Set this to Never and new photos are taken without GPS data. You lose location-based Memories and the map view in Photos, but no photo you take will carry your coordinates. Set it to While Using the App to keep location in your library but control it before sharing.
Settings › Privacy & Security › Photos. Each app that has asked for photo access is listed here. Since iOS 14 you can grant Limited Access (pick specific photos) instead of full library access. Since iOS 18, the default prompt asks for limited access. Review this list and remove access from apps that no longer need it.
Settings › Apple Account › iCloud › Photos. Turn iCloud Photos on or off here. If it is on, consider enabling Advanced Data Protection (Settings › Apple Account › iCloud › Advanced Data Protection) to end-to-end encrypt your photos on Apple's servers. Without it, Apple holds the keys. See our iCloud encryption guide for details.
In the Photos app, you can hide photos so they move to the Hidden album and out of your Library. Since iOS 16, this album is locked with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode. In Photos settings (Settings › Apps › Photos), you can also turn off Show Hidden Album so the collection is not even listed. Read more in our Hidden album security guide.
When sharing a photo, tap Options at the top of the share sheet to toggle Location on or off for that share. This controls whether GPS data is included in the shared copy. It resets every time, so build the habit of checking it for private photos.
All these settings work within Apple's ecosystem. If you want certain photos in a completely separate space with their own encryption key and passcode, a vault like PureVault adds that layer. It does not replace the settings above — a strong iPhone passcode, current iOS updates and reviewed app permissions are still the foundation.