Photos+ user guide

For iPhone and iPad. Photos+ is being prepared for its first App Store release.

Two passwords, two collections

The decoy password opens photos and videos you are comfortable showing. The real password opens your private collection. The decoy side cannot reveal the private collection or its settings. Face ID opens the same collection as your real password. Some earlier versions call the decoy password a “dummy password”.

1. Read the introduction, example and camera guide. Opening the app alone does not request photo access.
2. Read the subscription terms and price. Tap Start 3 months free if eligible, or Subscribe, then confirm in the App Store. Installing the app alone does not subscribe you. If you already have an active subscription, use the displayed continue button or Restore purchases.
3. Set two different passwords, each with 4 to 6 digits. Enter each twice.
4. After confirming your real password, tap Set up on the photo access screen, then select Allow Full Access. Photos+ needs full access for importing and organizing photos. This does not send your library to us.
5. Choose whether to enable Face ID where available. You can change this later from the private side.
6. Tap Try it out, then enter a password to open its collection. Each collection starts with a folder that you can rename or delete.

If photo access was not allowed

Tap Open Settings, find Photos+ (under Apps, if shown), then choose Photos → Full Access. Return to Photos+ and tap Try again if needed. Your passwords were already saved before this step. If the app restarts, sign in with the passwords you set. You can enable Face ID later in the private-side settings.

Choose your language

The interface supports English, Japanese, German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Turkish, Korean, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese. Open the gear menu → Settings → Language to change it. Language names appear in their own language, such as “English” and “日本語”, so you can find them even if the current language is unfamiliar. Choose the device-language option to follow your device again.

The upcoming language improvement also adds a globe button during the introduction and a Language item in the gear menu before sign-in. Unsupported device languages use English. The language you choose changes the interface; it does not change your App Store country, currency or subscription.

Import and export photos and videos

Open a folder and use Add to choose items from your photo library. Once encrypted copies are saved, choose whether to keep or delete the originals. Deleting originals requires the system confirmation. If you keep them, they remain visible in the device Photos app.

To export, use the item menu to return it to the photo library. Exported items are visible in the device Photos app and may sync through iCloud Photos according to your Apple settings. Sharing an item also gives an unprotected copy to the destination you choose.

Camera and editing

Open the camera from a folder. Check the destination at the top. Filters, stamps, brightening and smoothing are applied on your device and included in the saved photo or video. Captures are encrypted in the collection you currently have open; they are not automatically added to your device photo library. A separate unedited capture is not kept.

• Add up to 20 stamps, including repeated designs. Select, move, resize or remove each one. Reset clears the selected effects.
• Effects, destination and camera are fixed while recording. Switching apps stops and saves the recording.
• Open a saved item and tap Edit. Adjust filters, brightness, contrast, saturation, smoothing, crop, rotation, text and stamps. You can trim or mute videos.
• Use separate application areas for effects, with rectangle, ellipse or brush selection where offered. Compare with the original, then tap Save a copy to preserve the original.
• For photos, Makeup detects face positions on-device. Select one face and adjust eye size, lip color or blush. It does not identify anyone. Try a clear, well-lit face if detection fails.

If the camera or microphone is unavailable, check the permissions for Photos+ in device Settings.

Auto-lock and Face ID

Private-side settings let you choose how soon the app locks after you leave it. Immediately also locks when you open the app switcher. During operations such as saving, the screen is hidden and the app locks when the operation finishes. Permission prompts opened by the app do not interrupt the operation.

Face ID starts when you tap its button on the password screen. Launching Photos+ alone does not start Face ID. If you cancel or authentication fails, you can still use a password. The decoy side cannot change the real password, Face ID, recovery key or subscription settings.

Change or recover a password

From an open collection, use Settings to change the permitted password. Enter the new password twice; the old one is not required. The private side can change both passwords, while the decoy side can change only its own. Stored photos and videos are kept.

If you forget the real password but Face ID works, open the private side and change the password in Settings. Otherwise use Forgot password on the password screen and enter your recovery key. Record the key from the private-side settings in advance. New keys have 8 digits; older letter-and-number keys remain valid until replaced. A replaced key stops working.

Keep the recovery key safely outside the device. The confirmation screen asks for individual digits at specified positions. With immediate auto-lock, record the key before switching apps, or use Change Auto-Lock on the key screen. If you forget the decoy password, open with the real password or Face ID and change it in Settings.

Subscription, price and cancellation

• Eligible customers receive 3 months free after confirming the subscription in the App Store. Reinstalling does not reset trial eligibility.
• After the trial, the subscription renews monthly at the displayed price until cancelled. Japan is ¥100 per month. Other storefronts use their local price and currency; check the App Store confirmation before subscribing.
• Cancel at least 24 hours before renewal to avoid the next charge. Deleting the app does not cancel a subscription.
• Use Restore purchases with the Apple Account used for the purchase. Restoring a purchase confirms your subscription; it does not restore deleted photos or replace an iCloud backup.

Cancel on iPhone or iPad

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap your name (Apple Account) → Subscriptions.
3. Select Photos+ Premium.
4. Tap Cancel Subscription and confirm. Scroll down if needed.

If there is no cancellation button and an expiry message is shown, the subscription may already be cancelled. See Apple’s cancellation instructions.

Restore deleted items

Photos+ keeps deleted items in its own trash for 30 days. Open with the same password used to delete them, then go to the gear menu → Settings → Trash. Tap an item in Recently Deleted and choose Restore. It returns to its original folder in Photos+.

Use Select to restore several items, or Restore the whole folder below a folder name. If the original folder is missing, a folder is created. Items removed after 30 days or permanently deleted cannot be restored. Restoring from Trash is different from exporting to the device Photos app.

Encrypted iCloud backups and a new device

Open iCloud backup from the private-side settings. Backups include both collections: photos, videos, folders, trash and the keys needed for restoration. Face ID registration is not backed up.

1. Create and record an 8-digit backup code. It is separate from your app passwords and recovery key. Confirm the requested digits, then choose a folder inside iCloud Drive.
2. Enable iCloud Drive in Settings → your name → iCloud → Drive if needed.
3. Tap Back up now. Wait for Upload to iCloud confirmed. “Waiting to confirm” means the file is saved locally but cloud upload is not yet confirmed; check connectivity and storage, then check upload status again.

Automatic backup runs after changes while you use the private collection, at most once every 15 minutes. After subscription expiry, both collections are included. Running while the app is closed is not guaranteed. The latest three completed backups are kept in the selected folder. You can turn off automatic backup and still back up manually.

Restore before initial setup

1. On your new iPhone or iPad, enable iCloud Drive with the same Apple Account and install Photos+.
2. Before setting up new passwords, tap Restore from backup on the first introduction screen.
3. Enter the code used when the backup was saved, then choose its .photosbackup file from iCloud Drive. Keep the app open while downloading and restoring. You can cancel while waiting for the file.
4. Open with the app password from that backup. Set up Face ID again. Subscription access is checked with the App Store.

Restoration is only available before initial setup on a device with no existing Photos+ data. It does not overwrite your existing collection. An old backup still requires its original code even if you create a new code later. Without that code, we cannot restore the backup.

Erasing data

Erase all data from the private-side settings only after checking the target. It removes local data and settings but leaves iCloud backups. Deleting the app also leaves exported, shared and backed-up copies elsewhere. Manage unwanted backups in the Files app. iCloud Photos or a whole-device backup alone may not transfer this app’s device-bound keys.

Contact support

Email apps@mgkinc.co.jp with “Photos+” in the subject. Include your device model, iOS or iPadOS version, app version and the steps that led to the issue. Never send passwords, a recovery key or a backup code. Our company contact form is in Japanese.

Updated: 2026-09-17 JST