# How to lock photos on iPad Air 13-inch (M3)

> Lock photos on iPad Air 13-inch (M3): the Hidden album locks with Touch ID. 4 of 5 locks compared, with Require Touch ID.

Source: https://lockphotosoniphone.com/ipad/ipad-air-13-inch-m3/ · Updated 2026-11-01 · By VaultForYou

![Photo lock on iPad Air 13-inch (M3) with iPadOS 26](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/img/ipad--ipad-air-13-inch-m3.png)

- Hidden locks with Touch ID
- Photos app lock
- iPadOS 26

iPad Air 13-inch (M3) (2025) unlocks with **Touch ID in the top button** and runs up to **iPadOS 26**. 4 of the 5 photo locks on this site work on it.

- **Locks:** 4/5
- **Newest iPadOS:** 26
- **Unlock:** Touch ID
- **Guided Access:** Top ×3

**Quick answer:** To lock photos on iPad Air 13-inch (M3), hide them with **••• › Hide**. On iPadOS 26 the Hidden album opens only with **Touch ID** or your passcode. You can also lock all of Photos with **Require Touch ID**. For a lock your passcode can't open, use a **locked note** with a custom password.

- **Model:** iPad Air 13-inch (M3)
- **Unlock:** Touch ID in the top button
- **iPadOS here:** iPadOS 18–26
- **Lock switch:** Settings › Apps › Photos › Use Touch ID
- **Notes password:** Settings › Apps › Notes › Password
- **Guided Access:** Triple-click the top button

4 locks

## Photo locks on iPad Air 13-inch (M3)

- **Hidden album lock**Utilities › Hidden
- **Photos app lock**Require Touch ID
- **Locked note**Notes › ••• › Lock
- **Guided Access**Triple-click
- **Vault (VaultForYou)**iPhone only

Side by side

## What opens each lock on iPad Air 13-inch (M3)

**From Apple's iPad User Guide. We make VaultForYou, which has no iPad version.**

| Lock | Opens with | Separate from passcode | Holds video | Across your devices |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Hidden album lock](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/locks/hidden-album/) | Touch ID or your iPad passcode | No | Yes | Hidden photos sync with iCloud Photos; each device unlocks its own album |
| [Photos app lock](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/locks/photos-app/) | Touch ID or your iPad passcode | No | Yes | This iPad only; Apple doesn't sync app locks |
| [Locked note](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/locks/locked-note/) | Your iPad passcode, or a custom notes password | Yes | No | Custom password: the same on every device. Device passcode: each device's own |
| [Guided Access](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/locks/guided-access/) | A separate Guided Access passcode | Yes | Yes | Started on this iPad with the top button |
| [Vault (VaultForYou)](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/locks/vault/) | iPhone only | – | – | No iPad version |

Best built-in

## Lock photos on iPad Air 13-inch (M3): hidden album lock

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 •••, then Hide.** Tap the **•••** button, then tap **Hide** and confirm.
3. **Turn on Use Touch ID.** Switch **Use Touch ID** on. It locks Hidden and Recently Deleted. An iPad without Touch ID set up shows **Use Passcode**.
4. **Test it.** Open Photos, tap **Hidden** under Utilities. It should ask you to unlock first.

Whole app

## Lock the Photos app on iPad Air 13-inch (M3)

iPadOS 26 can lock any app with **Require Touch ID**. Content from a locked app stays out of notification previews and search.

1. **Touch and hold Photos.** On the Home Screen, touch and hold the **Photos** icon until the Quick Actions menu opens.
2. **Tap Require Touch ID.** Tap **Require Touch ID**, then tap **Require Touch ID** again to confirm.
3. **Open it with Touch ID.** Photos now asks for Touch ID or your passcode every time it opens, and locks again when you leave it.

Own password

## Add a lock your passcode can't open

On iPad Air 13-inch (M3), choose **Use Custom Password** in Settings › Apps › Notes › Password for notes that your iPad passcode can't open. Photos only: notes with video can't be locked.

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**. Use your iPad passcode or a custom notes password in Settings › Apps › Notes › Password.
3. **Delete the originals.** Delete the photos from Photos, then delete them again in **Recently Deleted**.

Handover

## Guided Access on iPad Air 13-inch (M3)

iPad Air 13-inch (M3) has no Home button, so you triple-click the top button.

1. **Turn on Guided Access.** Go to **Settings › Accessibility › Guided Access**, switch it on and set a Guided Access passcode.
2. **Triple-click the top button.** Open the app or photo you want to show, triple-click the **top button**, then tap **Start**.
3. **End it with your code.** Triple-click the top button again and enter the Guided Access passcode.

Compare

## Lock vs lock on iPad Air 13-inch (M3)

Only the comparisons between locks this iPad actually has.

- [Hidden album vs Photos app](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/compare/hidden-album-vs-photos-app/)
- [Hidden album vs Locked note](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/compare/hidden-album-vs-locked-note/)
- [Hidden album vs Guided Access](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/compare/hidden-album-vs-guided-access/)
- [Photos app vs Locked note](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/compare/photos-app-vs-locked-note/)
- [Photos app vs Guided Access](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/compare/photos-app-vs-guided-access/)
- [Locked note vs Guided Access](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/compare/locked-note-vs-guided-access/)

Our app is iPhone-only

VaultForYou, the app we make, runs on iPhone only and has no iPad version. If you also keep private photos on an iPhone, see [the vault lock](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/locks/vault/). On this iPad, use the built-in locks above.

Did that lock your photos on iPad Air 13-inch (M3)?

Good. People usually do this next:

- [Hidden album or a note?Compare them](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/compare/hidden-album-vs-locked-note/)
- [Lock notesPasscode or custom password](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/guides/lock-notes-iphone/)
- [A real passwordNot your passcode](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/guides/password-protect-photos-iphone/)

Find your fix:

- [Forgot the notes passwordWhat still works](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/guides/forgot-notes-password/)
- [Open a locked noteOr remove the lock](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/guides/unlock-notes-iphone/)
- [Not this iPad?Every iPad model](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/ipad/)

Questions

## iPad Air 13-inch (M3): questions

### How do I lock photos on iPad Air 13-inch (M3)?

Hide them: open the photo, tap the ••• button, then Hide. On iPadOS 26 the Hidden album opens only with Touch ID or your passcode. Check that Use Touch ID is on in Settings › Apps › Photos. For a lock that your passcode can't open, use a locked note with a custom password.

### Can I lock the Photos app on iPad Air 13-inch (M3)?

Yes. Touch and hold the Photos icon, tap Require Touch ID, then confirm. Photos asks for Touch ID or your passcode every time it opens and locks again when you leave. The lock stays on this iPad; Apple doesn't sync app locks to your other devices.

### Should I lock notes with my iPad passcode or a custom password?

On iPad Air 13-inch (M3) you can choose either in Settings › Apps › Notes › Password. The iPad passcode is easier and can't be forgotten separately, but anyone who knows it gets in. A custom password keeps out people who know your passcode, and Apple can't recover it if you forget it.

### How do I start Guided Access on iPad Air 13-inch (M3)?

Turn it on in Settings › Accessibility › Guided Access and set its passcode. Open the photo or app, triple-click the top button and tap Start. To end it, triple-click the top button again and enter the Guided Access passcode. It limits the screen; it doesn't lock stored photos.

### Does VaultForYou work on iPad Air 13-inch (M3)?

No. VaultForYou is an iPhone app for iOS 16 or later and has no iPad version, so it isn't one of the locks for this iPad. On iPad Air 13-inch (M3), the lock that your iPad passcode can't open is a note locked with a custom notes password, which holds photos but not video.

## Same locks as iPad Air 13-inch (M3)

- [iPad (10th generation)2022 · Touch ID in the top button](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/ipad/ipad-10th-generation/)
- [iPad (A16)2025 · Touch ID in the top button](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/ipad/ipad-a16/)
- [iPad mini (6th generation)2021 · Touch ID in the top button](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/ipad/ipad-mini-6th-generation/)
- [iPad mini (A17 Pro)2024 · Touch ID in the top button](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/ipad/ipad-mini-a17-pro/)
- [iPad Air (4th generation)2020 · Touch ID in the top button](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/ipad/ipad-air-4th-generation/)
- [iPad Air (5th generation)2022 · Touch ID in the top button](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/ipad/ipad-air-5th-generation/)

## Other iPad Air models

- [iPad Air (3rd generation)2019 · iPadOS 26](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/ipad/ipad-air-3rd-generation/)
- [iPad Air 22014 · iPadOS 15](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/ipad/ipad-air-2/)

## Lock types

- [Hidden album lockUtilities › Hidden](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/locks/hidden-album/)
- [Photos app lockRequire Touch ID](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/locks/photos-app/)
- [Locked noteNotes › ••• › Lock](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/locks/locked-note/)
- [Guided AccessTriple-click](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/locks/guided-access/)