# Notes privacy on iPhone

## Quick answer

Distinguish locking an eligible application from protecting a specific note. The app-level menu does not establish the recovery rules for a locked note.

Updated: 2026-10-31

Canonical: /apps/notes

## Access boundary

Check the note's own lock and account recovery workflow before trusting it as the only location for information. Ordinary folders are not independent password containers.

## Source

[Apple: lock or unlock notes](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102537)

## Privacy tasks

| Task | Method | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| [Hide apps](/hide-apps) | Authenticated Hidden folder | Preinstalled apps and some default apps cannot be hidden. Records can remain in Settings, purchase history and family controls. The setting does not sync to other devices. |
| [Lock apps](/lock-apps) | Device authentication | Not every app can be locked. Device authentication is not an independent password for each app, and the lock applies only to this device. |
| [Find hidden apps](/find-hidden-apps) | App Library inspection | This inspects the phone you can authenticate to. It does not reveal another person's private app activity or recover a deleted app's data. |
| [Unhide apps](/unhide-apps) | Reverse the app hiding action | Unhiding does not reinstall an app that was deleted, restore its account, or recover files removed inside the app. |
| [Hide photos](/hide-photos) | Photos Hidden collection | Hidden is part of Photos, not an independent vault password. Hiding does not recall exports, messages or copies saved by someone else. |
| [Hide notifications](/hide-notifications) | Lock Screen notification review | A display change does not remove information inside an app or end account access elsewhere. |
| [Lock notes](/lock-notes) | Individual note lock | An app-level lock and an individual note lock are different. Resetting a forgotten custom password does not unlock older notes protected by it. |
| [Restrict apps](/block-apps) | Screen Time access restrictions | Restrictions do not delete an installation, erase account data or guarantee invisibility. Allowed exceptions and administrative recovery affect the result. |

## Questions

### Can Notes be hidden with the iOS Hidden folder?

Apple says apps that come installed cannot be hidden using this downloaded-app workflow. Check the app's own content controls instead.

### What remains outside the app lock?

Check the note's own lock and account recovery workflow before trusting it as the only location for information. Ordinary folders are not independent password containers.

### Does removing the icon delete the app?

No. Home Screen removal, hiding and deletion are separate actions.

## Explore

- [Photos privacy on iPhone](/apps/photos)

- [Messages privacy on iPhone](/apps/messages)

- [Safari privacy on iPhone](/apps/safari)

- [WhatsApp privacy on iPhone](/apps/whatsapp)

- [Instagram privacy on iPhone](/apps/instagram)

## Private photo and document storage

For photos and documents you choose to store separately, explore [VaultForYou](https://www.vaultforyou.app/).