There are a number of third-party applications that offer up a “secret folder” on your iPhone for hiding certain, ahem, private photos from prying eyes. But most of these require a bit of photo management to take place first – you have to import your photos into the app, then delete the original from the Photo Stream. A new app called Overswipe takes a different approach. It’s designed for use on the fly, allowing you to quickly tap the photos you want to share, then hand over your iPhone without any further anxiety.
Explains Overswipe‘s co-founder Jonathan Hughes, a creative director at Hotel Engine by day, it’s that process that makes the app different from the majority of competitors. And it’s easier to use than simply creating a safe-to-view album within the default iOS Photos app, too.
“I am pretty tech savvy,” he says, “but the simple fact is that I do not curate my photos with albums, and I’m willing to bet that 95% of iPhone users don’t either. Due to the sheer volume of photos we take on a daily basis, who has time for this upkeep?”
Overswipe, he continues, was built more for the everyday user looking for a way to share select photos on the spot, as opposed to someone who’s looking to hide their porn collection. In other words, you might want to share some work-related photos with a colleague or a client, but don’t want them accidentally flipping through your party photos from the weekend.
“I don’t want to stress and think, ‘I hope she doesn’t swipe to the next photo,'” says Hughes. “I can just open the app, select the photo I want to show you and forget about it.”
There’s absolutely no learning curve to using the app. After giving it the appropriate permissions to access your photos, all you do is tap the items you want to share, then tap “Display.” The photos then appear larger, as if you were flipping through the default photo gallery.
Hughes notes that there’s nothing stopping a serious snooper from exiting back to your homescreen, then launching the native Photos app for themselves, but this app is not designed for that use case. Instead, when people reach the last photo in the collection you’ve shared, they generally just hand back the phone. (Although if you’re paranoid, a passcode option is available).
The bootstrapped app, co-founded by Mike Haley, soft-launched in April, and began its marketing efforts in June. It has now grown to 12,000 users. Hughes says they’ll later introduce a few more features, but for now they’re working on just getting the app into users’ hands.
Overswipe is a free download on iTunes.