How to Hide Anything on Your iPhone

4 minute read

The eyes may be the window to your soul, but your iPhone is the peephole into your daily life. Who you contact, which apps you use, which selfies you snap — it’s all right there. So if you care about your privacy, it’s worth taking some simple steps to protect it. Here are seven ways to keep digital snoops at bay.

Pair Touch ID With a Complex Password

If you’re already using your fingerprint to unlock your iPhone, you’re on the right track. (If not, tap Settings >Touch ID & Passcode and add it now.) Here’s another trick: add a complex password to enter each time you power up your phone. (Tap Settings > Touch ID & Passcode, disable Simple Passcode and follow prompts). For a stronger passcode that’s quick to enter, stick to all numbers and aim for up to 12 digits. That won’t stop a dedicated hacker, but it’s tougher for an unwanted onlooker to figure out than a standard 4-digit password.

Nix the Notifications on Your Lock Screen

Hide your notifications by going to Settings > Notifications and toggling off the Show on Lock Screen slider. Alternately, you can also fine tune this setting so that only certain apps can place notifications on your lock screen using the options right below this setting. You can even block notifications from individual message threads: go into the message, tap the word Details on the upper right hand corner of your screen and slide the Do Not Disturb Button to the left. Voila.

Hide Clandestine Contacts

There’s no built-in setting for hiding individual contacts, but there are some smart workarounds. The simplest way is never to save the person’s name so only their number appears in your recent calls list. To hide all your recent and favorite contacts in the App Switcher – which appears atop your screen when you press the home button twice – tap Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > Contacts > Show in App Switcher and toggle off Phone Favorites and Recents.

Deep-Six Secret Texts

This one’s easy – just delete them. Swipe left on the Messages screen to delete entire exchanges at once. If you only want to nix certain parts of a thread, hold your finger on the offending text bubble, tap More when it pops up, select each bubble you want to delete using the check marks at left, then tap the trash icon at the bottom left of your screen.

The 15 Most Bizarre Moments From the Consumer Electronics Show

A brand ambassador tests Samsung's Gear VR headset at the Samsung Galaxy booth at the International CES on Jan. 6, 2015, in Las Vegas.
A brand ambassador tests Samsung's Gear VR headset at the Samsung Galaxy booth on Jan. 6, 2015.Jae C. Hong—AP
Frank Lee, Brand Marketing for LG Electronics MobileComm USA, demonstrates the enhanced selfie feature on the new LG G Flex 2 mobile phone on press day for the 2015 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas on Jan. 5, 2015.
Frank Lee, Brand Marketing for LG Electronics MobileComm USA, demonstrates the enhanced selfie feature on the new LG G Flex 2 mobile phone on Jan. 5, 2015. Michael Nelson—EPA
Attendees lay on Serta mattresses at the Serta stand on Jan. 6, 2015 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Attendees lay on Serta mattresses at the Serta stand on Jan. 6, 2015.Robyn Beck—AFP/Getty Images
Joe Clayton, CEO of Dish, arrives on stage banging a bass drum followed by company mascots during the Dish news conference at the International Consumer Electronics show (CES) in Las Vegas on Jan. 5, 2015.
Joe Clayton, CEO of Dish, arrives on stage banging a bass drum followed by company mascots during the Dish news conference on Jan. 5, 2015. Rick Wilking—Reuters
A transparent TRW model car is seen during the 2015 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas on Jan. 6, 2015.
A transparent TRW model car is seen on Jan. 6, 2015. Yang Lei—Xinhua Press/Corbis
At the 'Unveiled-event' a young woman has a look at salad at the CES electronics and consumer technology tradeshow in Las Vegas on Jan. 4, 2015.
At the 'Unveiled-event' a young woman has a look at salad on Jan. 4, 2015. Britta Pedersen—dpa/Corbis
The drone'Nano' from 'Zano' on Jan. 8, 2015.
The drone 'Nano' from 'Zano' on Jan. 8, 2015. Britta Pedersen—dpa/Corbis
Attendees interact with wity screens that run on Intel's Realsense technology on Jan. 6, 2015.
Attendees interact with wity screens that run on Intel's Realsense technology on Jan. 6, 2015.Michael Nelson—EPA
An attendee wears Altspace Virtual Reality head ware on Jan. 6, 2014.
An attendee wears Altspace Virtual Reality head ware on Jan. 6, 2014.Michael Nelson—EPA
Sony Electronics President and COO Mike Fasulo displays the Sony 4K Action Cam at a press event on Jan. 5, 2015.
Sony Electronics President and COO Mike Fasulo displays the Sony 4K Action Cam at a press event on Jan. 5, 2015.David Becker—Getty Images
Consumer Electronics Association President and CEO Gary Shapiro exits a Mercedes-Benz F 015 autonomous driving automobile after it was unveiled at a Mercedes-Benz press event on Jan. 5, 2015.
Consumer Electronics Association President and CEO Gary Shapiro exits a Mercedes-Benz F 015 autonomous driving automobile after it was unveiled at a Mercedes-Benz press event on Jan. 5, 2015.David Becker—Getty Images
A display shows Panasonic's virtual make-up mirror at a Panasonic news conference on Jan. 5 , 2015.
A display shows Panasonic's virtual make-up mirror at a Panasonic news conference on Jan. 5 , 2015.Steve Marcus—Reuters
Selfie sticks of the company 'Noosy' displayed on Jan. 8, 2015.
Selfie sticks of the company 'Noosy' displayed on Jan. 8, 2015.Britta Pedersen—EPA
World freediving champion Stig Severinsen holds his breathe underwater for a total of 5 minutes, 35 secs to demonstrate the functionality and accuracy of the Masimo SET pulse oximetry device on Jan. 8, 2015.
World freediving champion Stig Severinsen holds his breathe underwater for a total of 5 minutes, 35 secs to demonstrate the functionality and accuracy of the Masimo SET pulse oximetry device on Jan. 8, 2015.Robyn Beck—AFP/Getty Images
Workers install an advertisement for a new S'UHD TV from Samsung Electronics on the side of the Las Vegas Convention Center on Jan. 4, 2015.
Workers install an advertisement for a new S'UHD TV from Samsung Electronics on the side of the Las Vegas Convention Center on Jan. 4, 2015.Steve Marcus—Reuters

Zap Photos and Videos

Here’s one case when you’re better off using a third-party app instead of the iPhone’s built-in option. While you can hide any photo from your camera roll by holding your finger on it, then selecting Hide, the Hidden Album is not password-protected. Instead, try a free app like KYMS or Private Photo Vault, which require a password to access. Just remember to permanently delete the originals from the default iPhone photo app afterwards.

Make Apps Disappear

Don’t want anyone who borrows your phone to know you’re on Tinder or have a Private Photo Vault? There are two ways around this. First, you can hide apps inside another folder like your “Extras” by holding down the app icon until it starts shaking, then dragging it into the desired folder. Second, you can hide app icons altogether by dragging them into the dock, then using Spotlight to access it. Get a detailed explanation for how to do both tricks here.

Hide Your Search History in Safari

If you just want to browse privately for a while, open Safari, tap the page icon in the lower right corner, then tap Private. To clear your entire browser history, go back to your phone’s home screen, tap Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data. Pro tip: download the DuckDuckGo search engine and use it instead. Unlike Safari, it never stores your search history.

More Must-Reads from TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com