iOS 8 lets you easily hide photos and App Store purchases
Users have can greater control over their privacy with Apple's iOS 8 update, thanks to newly added options to hide individual photos, and to hide App Store purchases directly from an iPhone or iPad.
Pictures can be hidden from the Years, Collections, and Moments views in the Photos app by simply long-pressing a picture. This pops up a menu with options to "Copy" or "Hide" the image.
Once "Hide" is tapped, iOS 8 presents a warning informing users that "This photo will be hidden from Moments, Collections and Years but still visible in Albums." Users can then choose to verify they wish to hide the picture, or cancel.
The standard Photos view allows users to find images from large collections more easily. Hiding an image from this view, but keeping it in the Albums view, makes it harder to find certain images without the need to delete or transfer them, or store them in a third-party app.
Users who have enabled Family Sharing can also hide App Store purchases more easily in iOS 8. Previously, to hide past purchases, users had to launch iTunes on their Mac or PC. But with iOS 8, users can hide purchases from directly within the App Store application.
Choose the Updates menu, then tap Purchased. If you have Family Sharing enabled, choose "My Purchases," and downloaded applications --?both free and paid -- are listed. These can be sorted by "All" or those "Not on This iPhone."
Simply swipe an app to the right to display the red "HIDE" option. Tapping this removes the application from the Purchased view.
It should be noted that doing so hides, but does not remove, the application from past purchases. That means the app can always be re-downloaded for free, and searching for it in the App Store will still show an iCloud redownload button.
iOS 8 does not give users the ability to hide other iTunes Store purchases directly from their device. To hide those past purchases, iTunes must still be accessed on a Mac or PC.
For more iOS 8 features, see AppleInsider's ongoing iOS 8 Tips series, which shows you how to enable Family Sharing to share apps, music, movies and other content between users; how to easily create a blank home screen to spotlight your wallpaper; and also what happened to the Camera Roll in iOS 8.
Pictures can be hidden from the Years, Collections, and Moments views in the Photos app by simply long-pressing a picture. This pops up a menu with options to "Copy" or "Hide" the image.
Once "Hide" is tapped, iOS 8 presents a warning informing users that "This photo will be hidden from Moments, Collections and Years but still visible in Albums." Users can then choose to verify they wish to hide the picture, or cancel.
The standard Photos view allows users to find images from large collections more easily. Hiding an image from this view, but keeping it in the Albums view, makes it harder to find certain images without the need to delete or transfer them, or store them in a third-party app.
Users who have enabled Family Sharing can also hide App Store purchases more easily in iOS 8. Previously, to hide past purchases, users had to launch iTunes on their Mac or PC. But with iOS 8, users can hide purchases from directly within the App Store application.
Choose the Updates menu, then tap Purchased. If you have Family Sharing enabled, choose "My Purchases," and downloaded applications --?both free and paid -- are listed. These can be sorted by "All" or those "Not on This iPhone."
Simply swipe an app to the right to display the red "HIDE" option. Tapping this removes the application from the Purchased view.
It should be noted that doing so hides, but does not remove, the application from past purchases. That means the app can always be re-downloaded for free, and searching for it in the App Store will still show an iCloud redownload button.
iOS 8 does not give users the ability to hide other iTunes Store purchases directly from their device. To hide those past purchases, iTunes must still be accessed on a Mac or PC.
For more iOS 8 features, see AppleInsider's ongoing iOS 8 Tips series, which shows you how to enable Family Sharing to share apps, music, movies and other content between users; how to easily create a blank home screen to spotlight your wallpaper; and also what happened to the Camera Roll in iOS 8.
Comments
iPhone 4s with 8.0.2, not working. Maybe this is 8.1 beta?
No, screenshots are from 8.0.2 on an iPhone 6. Have tested with 5s and 5 as well, but don't have a 4S to test.
Does not appear to work on my 5. Swiping right takes me back to the previous (updates) screen. Works on my iPad, but requires swiping left.
Yes, you have to swipe from the right to the left, like the Delete gesture. I tried both anyway, doesn't work.
Does not appear to work on my 5. Swiping right takes me back to the previous (updates) screen. Works on my iPad, but requires swiping left.
Do you have Family Sharing enabled?
No - not on either device.
That's exactly what I was gonna post, I read it again and realized that. I have one device only, so no.
But it would be a cool option for anyone, not just for Family Sharing.
No - not on either device.
Yeah, as I said in the article, it requires Family Sharing. You could always create a family account and just have yourself on it.
That's exactly what I was gonna post, I read it again and realized that. I have one device only, so no.
But it would be a cool option for anyone, not just for Family Sharing.
Agreed. You can still hide any purchase through iTunes on a computer, though that's obviously not as convenient. Just go to the iTunes Store, choose Purchased, and mouseover a purchased item to see an "X" appear in the upper left of the item. This allows you to hide music, movies, TV shows and apps.
whats the point of "hiding" if the pics still show up in other albums and in imessenger recent pics?
Hint: the ‘hiding’ isn’t designed to keep your nude selfies secret.
Just wondering why Family Sharing requires a credit card. I've never made a purchase with a credit card from iTunes, only pre-paid iTunes gift cards. I know Apple would prefer to have a credit card on file, but as long as I have a balance left to my account, it shouldn't matter.
It shouldn’t matter REGARDLESS.
I did wonder if that was the case, but then why does it work on my iPad, albeit with a different swipe direction.
What would be a nice addition to the article would be how to unhide these items once they're hidden.
Hint: the ‘hiding’ isn’t designed to keep your nude selfies secret.
why not? valid use case.