# Hidden album on iPad Air 2 > iPad Air 2 on iPadOS 15: Photos › Sidebar › Utilities › Hidden, with no lock. Plus the Hidden Album switch, unhiding and iPhone sync. Source: https://hiddenalbumiphone.com/ipad/ipad-air-2/ · Updated 2026-11-01 · By VaultForYou ![iPad Air 2 Photos sidebar on iPadOS 15 with Utilities and the Hidden album](https://hiddenalbumiphone.com/img/ipad--ipad-air-2.png) - No album lock - In the sidebar - Up to iPadOS 15 iPad Air 2 (2014) unlocks with **Touch ID in the Home button** and runs up to **iPadOS 15**. That decides where Hidden sits and whether it locks. - **Taps to open:** 3 - **Newest iPadOS:** 15 - **Unlock:** Touch ID - **Released:** 2014 **Quick answer:** On iPad Air 2 with iPadOS 15, open **Photos**, show the **sidebar** (swipe from the left edge), then tap **Hidden** below **Utilities**. It opens with no lock, because iPad Air 2 can't update past iPadOS 15. If Hidden isn't there, turn on **Hidden Album** in Settings › Photos. - **Model:** iPad Air 2 - **Released:** 2014 - **Unlock:** Touch ID in the Home button - **Home button:** Yes - **iPadOS here:** iPadOS 14–15 - **Photos settings:** Settings › Photos Where it is ## Where the Hidden album is on iPad Air 2 Pick the iPadOS version your iPad Air 2 is on. Check it in Settings › General › About. iPadOS 15: **Tap:** Photos › Sidebar › Utilities › Hidden No lock on this version. Anyone holding your unlocked iPad can open it. Show or hide the album: Settings › Photos › Hidden Album. Hide photos with Share › Hide. iPadOS 14: **Tap:** Photos › Sidebar › Utilities › Hidden No lock on this version. Anyone holding your unlocked iPad can open it. Show or hide the album: Settings › Photos › Hidden Album. Hide photos with Share › Hide. 2 steps ## How to open the Hidden album on iPad Air 2 1. **Open Photos and show the sidebar.** Open **Photos**. If the sidebar is hidden, swipe from the left edge of the screen or tap the sidebar button at the top left. 2. **Tap Hidden under Utilities.** Tap **Hidden** below **Utilities**. On iPadOS 15 it opens right away, with no lock. No lock ## Why Hidden can't lock on iPad Air 2 No lock on this model Apple added the Hidden album lock in iPadOS 16.1, and iPad Air 2 stops at iPadOS 15. Anyone who picks up your unlocked iPad can open Hidden. A locked note can hold photos behind a notes password. 1. **Put the photos in a note.** Open **Notes**, start a note and add the photos. Notes with video, audio, PDF or file attachments can't be locked. 2. **Tap ••• then Lock.** Tap the **•••** button at the top right, then **Lock**. Set a notes password in Settings › Notes › Password. 3. **Delete the originals.** Delete the photos from Photos, then delete them again in **Recently Deleted**. Show or hide it ## Hide the Hidden album itself on iPad Air 2 Turning off **Hidden Album** removes the album from the sidebar. Your photos stay hidden. 1. **Open Settings › Photos.** Open **Settings**, then tap **Photos**. 2. **Turn off Hidden Album.** Switch **Hidden Album** off. The album disappears from Photos; the photos stay hidden and nothing is deleted. Missing Hidden album? Same switch: turn **Hidden Album** back on and it returns under Utilities. 3 steps ## Add photos to Hidden on iPad Air 2 1. **Open the photo.** Open **Photos** and tap the photo or video you want to hide. You can also touch and hold it in the grid. 2. **Tap Share, then Hide.** Tap the **Share** button, then tap **Hide** and confirm. On iPadOS 15, Hide is in the Share menu. 3. **It moves to Hidden.** The photo leaves your library and goes to **Sidebar › Utilities › Hidden**, which has no lock on this version. Undo ## How to unhide photos on iPad Air 2 1. **Open Hidden.** Go to **Photos › Sidebar › Utilities › Hidden**. 2. **Pick the photos.** Tap a photo, or tap **Select** and choose several. 3. **Tap Unhide.** Tap the **Share** button, then **Unhide**. The photos go back to your library. With your iPhone ## iPad Air 2 and your iPhone Hiding syncs through iCloud Photos; the lock is whatever unlocks the device in your hand. | Question | On iPad Air 2 | | --- | --- | | Photos hidden on iPhone appear here | Yes, with iCloud Photos on both and the same Apple Account | | Unhiding here unhides on iPhone | Yes, with iCloud Photos | | Opens with | Nothing: no lock on iPadOS 15 | | Album location | Photos › Sidebar › Utilities › Hidden | Privacy level ## How private is Hidden on iPad Air 2? Level 1Hidden, but anyone can open it 1. Hidden, no lock 2. Locked by passcode 3. Locked + app lock 4. Own separate lock iPadOS 15 hides photos from your library but puts no lock on the album. - **Out of your library**Moved to Hidden - **Album locked**Not on iPadOS 15 - **Photos app lock**Needs iPadOS 18 - **Separate password**Passcode opens it Did you find the Hidden album on your iPad Air 2? Good. People usually do this next: - [Make sure it locksCheck Use Touch ID](https://hiddenalbumiphone.com/guides/lock-hidden-album-iphone/) - [Is it on my other devices?How iCloud syncs hidden photos](https://hiddenalbumiphone.com/guides/hidden-photos-icloud/) - [Give it its own passwordWhat works instead](https://hiddenalbumiphone.com/guides/hidden-album-password/) Find your fix: - [No Hidden row at allTurn on Hidden Album](https://hiddenalbumiphone.com/guides/hidden-album-missing/) - [Album is emptyWhere your photos went](https://hiddenalbumiphone.com/guides/hidden-album-empty/) - [General iPad stepsSidebar › Utilities › Hidden](https://hiddenalbumiphone.com/guides/hidden-album-ipad/) Questions ## iPad Air 2 Hidden album questions ### Where is the Hidden album on iPad Air 2? With iPadOS 15, open Photos, show the sidebar by swiping from the left edge or tapping the sidebar button, then tap Hidden below Utilities. It opens straight away, because iPadOS 15 has no lock on it. The sidebar also lists Recently Deleted in the same Utilities group. ### Can I lock the Hidden album on iPad Air 2? No. iPad Air 2 can't update past iPadOS 15, and Apple added the Hidden album lock in iPadOS 16.1. For a few private photos, use a locked note in the Notes app, which takes its own notes password and keeps the photos out of Photos. ### Why can't I see the Hidden album on my iPad Air 2? The Hidden Album switch is off. Open Settings › Photos and turn it on, then look under Utilities in the Photos sidebar again. Turning the switch off never deletes anything; the photos stay hidden until you unhide them. If the switch is already on, check that the photos weren't unhidden or deleted on another device. ### What is the newest iPadOS for iPad Air 2? iPad Air 2 runs up to iPadOS 15. Apple's later versions don't support it, so its Photos app keeps the iPadOS 15 layout and its unlocked Hidden album. Check yours in Settings › General › About, and look for updates in Settings › General › Software Update. ### Do my iPhone's hidden photos show on iPad Air 2? Yes, if both use iCloud Photos with the same Apple Account. A photo hidden on your iPhone is hidden on the iPad too, and appears in its Hidden album. On this iPad, though, the album has no lock, so anyone holding it unlocked can open them. ## Same steps as iPad Air 2 - [iPad mini 42015 · Touch ID in the Home button](https://hiddenalbumiphone.com/ipad/ipad-mini-4/) ## Other iPad Air models - [iPad Air (3rd generation)2019 · iPadOS 26](https://hiddenalbumiphone.com/ipad/ipad-air-3rd-generation/) - [iPad Air (4th generation)2020 · iPadOS 26](https://hiddenalbumiphone.com/ipad/ipad-air-4th-generation/) - [iPad Air (5th generation)2022 · iPadOS 26](https://hiddenalbumiphone.com/ipad/ipad-air-5th-generation/) - [iPad Air 11-inch (M2)2024 · iPadOS 26](https://hiddenalbumiphone.com/ipad/ipad-air-11-inch-m2/) ## Same change on iPhone - [Hidden album on iOS 15iPhone steps](https://hiddenalbumiphone.com/ios/ios-15/) - [Every iPad model](https://hiddenalbumiphone.com/ipad/) - [Where is the Hidden album on iPad?](https://hiddenalbumiphone.com/guides/hidden-album-ipad/)