Apple Photos: archive ex girlfriends without deleting them?

[SvP]

Old thread but this is amazing.

 

[SteveManila1960]

You could consider my method. Doesn't involve messing around with albums and hiding things individually. Separate external drive, folder for each girl, drive password protected. Job done.

 

[jzuena]

If anyone is still trying to find a solution, I would look into creating a separate library with the old gf pictures. Then you won't see the pictures at all unless you specifically open the non-default library. There are even apps to help you set this up. I use one called PowerPhotos.

Once this is set up, when you look in your Pictures directory you will see a file called Photos Library and another with whatever name you give the second library. I think only pictures from the default library would get synced to your phone.

 

[Ruggy]

There are Apple instructions here on how to create a hidden album which you can access from the phone or mac

Hide photos on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Vision Pro with the Hidden album - Apple Support

With Photos, you can control which photos and videos are visible and what's hidden.

support.apple.com

There are also apps that will do this for you although I haven't tested them. There's one I know looks like a calculator and you tap a code on it to unlock the hidden pics. I'm sure a search will give you that info if you want to go down that route.

I do get it. It's no different really from pictures of your male friends from earlier in your life and as you say, they are part of your life and part of your memories and there's no reason they should mean anything more than that.

I advise you to be a bit careful though because if your other half discovers you've hidden photos it'll look way more suspicious and get you into far more trouble.

I'd be more tempted to go down the tried and tested bureaucracy route: put them in a wrongly labelled folder and hide them in a load of junk.
Good luck