Most people have something on their phone they would rather keep to one side: a second account, some documents, photos that are not for the family slideshow, notes that are nobody else’s business. And most people hand their unlocked phone to someone now and then — a child with a game, a friend looking at a photo, a colleague checking a map.
A private space is about that moment: keeping your own material from whoever is holding your phone. Here is what iOS gives you built in, and how to keep it all in one place.
What iOS offers built in
- The Hidden album in Photos is locked with Face ID or your passcode on recent iOS versions.
- Locked notes in Notes need your iPhone passcode or a separate Notes password.
- Locked and hidden apps (iOS 18): touch and hold an app and choose Require Face ID. You can also hide an app, which moves it into a locked Hidden folder in the App Library.
- Private Browsing in Safari can be locked with Face ID when you leave it.
Each protects one thing, in one app. There is no single private area that holds accounts, notes and photos together — and most of these still show that something is there. A locked album or a locked app is visibly locked.
What a private space should do
- Hold the whole thing: web accounts, notes, photos and videos together.
- Be absent, not just locked: a locked door still tells people there is a room.
- Unlock simply, with Face ID or a code you choose.
- Stay on the phone, with no account to create and no server involved.
Private Spaces in SideSpace
SideSpace keeps separate Spaces on one iPhone, and with SideSpace Premium a Space can be marked Private:
- Unlisted. A private Space does not appear in the Space list until you unlock private Spaces. Its name is not shown, not only its contents.
- Locked with Face ID or a passcode. Choose Face ID — fast, and your iPhone’s own passcode also opens it — or a separate 4- or 6-digit passcode that neither Face ID nor your iPhone’s code will open. One lock covers every private Space.
- Everything in one place. Each Space has its own web sessions and pinned web apps, a browser with its own tabs and history, its own notes, and photos and videos that never go into your Photos library.
- Local only. There is no SideSpace account and no server; what a Space holds stays on the phone.
A locked Space’s contents do not show in the App Switcher preview either.
Setting one up
- Create a Space for what you want to keep apart.
- In that Space’s settings, turn on Private.
- In SideSpace’s settings, choose how private Spaces unlock: Face ID or a passcode.
- Tap Hide in the Spaces list, and the private section is gone until you unlock it again.
Things to know before you rely on it
- Pick the lock with care. Face ID is quickest, but anyone who knows your iPhone passcode can open it. A separate passcode keeps them out.
- A forgotten passcode cannot be recovered. The only way back is the reset on the lock screen, which erases every private Space. Export a backup while you can.
- Backups do not include web sign-ins. After restoring, you sign in to each service again.
- It is for your own material. A private space protects your things from someone who picks up your phone. It does not change any service’s rules, and it is not a substitute for honesty with the people you share your life with.
Short answers
Can I create a private space on iPhone? iOS has locked albums, notes and apps, but no single private area. An app such as SideSpace adds one.
Can I hide apps on iPhone? On iOS 18, yes: touch and hold an app, choose Require Face ID, then hide it.
Is there a private profile on iPhone? Not system-wide. Safari profiles are not locked; a private Space is.
Is a private browser the same as a private space? No. Private Browsing forgets your session; a private Space keeps you signed in, behind a lock.