What happens to hidden photos when you get a new phone

Phone switching tools copy apps, messages and photos, but hidden spaces are deliberately awkward to copy. That's the point of them. So before you reset or trade in your old phone, check where your private photos live.

Google Photos Locked Folder

Locked Folder has an optional backup, added in August 2023. If backup is on, sign in to Google Photos on the new phone and your Locked Folder is there, unlocked with that phone's screen lock. If backup is off, the photos exist only on the old phone. Turn backup on or move them out before you wipe it.

Samsung Secure Folder

Secure Folder is tied to your Samsung account. Open Secure Folder's settings on the old phone and look at its backup options before you switch, and make sure you know your Samsung account password.

Android Private space

Google's documentation says Private space has no backup and restore. Apps and files inside it don't come across in a normal phone transfer. Copy anything you need out of it first.

Dobr

Dobr vaults are encrypted with a key that's mixed with a secret held in the old phone's secure hardware. That secret can't be copied, which is what makes a stolen copy of the files useless. It also means a vault can't move to a new phone.

Before you switch:

1. Open each vault on the old phone.
2. For each item you want to keep, use Save a copy outside Dobr.
3. Move those copies to the new phone with a cable or your usual transfer method.
4. Add them to a vault on the new phone, then delete the plain copies.

It's slower than a cloud sync, and that's the trade-off for a vault that never touches the internet.

Don't forget the bin

Deleted photos often sit in a bin or recently deleted folder for 30 days or more, in Google Photos, in Samsung Gallery and in many file managers. Empty them on the old phone before you hand it over, then do a full factory reset.

Last checked 2026-11-01. Phone menus change between Android versions and brands, so labels on your phone may differ slightly.