Guides / My ex still has access

My ex still has access to my pictures

Updated 3 November 2026 · By the FirstHour team

Short answerYou can usually stop ongoing access, such as a shared album, a Shared Library or a device on your Apple Account. You can't take back copies they've already saved. Your ex may notice the changes. So if you're afraid of them, talk to a local support service or the police before you change anything.

Your safety comes first. Apple warns that changes to sharing or access may be noticed by others. For example, someone removed from a Shared Library gets a notification, and Apple sends an alert when your Apple Account password changes, which anyone still signed in may see. Apple also warns that changing a sharing relationship may lose you access to tools and information that matter to you. If you're afraid of your ex, a local support service or the police can help you plan when and how to make these changes. It may also help to keep records of what's happened, so ask them before you delete anything. If someone threatens to share your pictures or asks for money, contact the police and don't pay.

Look before you change

On iPhone, go to Settings, Privacy & Security, Safety Check, then Manage Sharing & Access. It needs iOS 16 or later and an Apple Account with two-factor authentication. It lists who you share with, including Shared Library and shared albums, shared location and more. You can read the list and leave without stopping anything. Quick Exit closes Settings straight away, though anything you already changed stays changed.

Safety Check also has Emergency Reset, which stops all sharing with all people and apps at once. It's quick, but it changes a lot, so it may be easier for your ex to notice.

Stop access, one place at a time

  1. Shared albums. Open the album in Photos, tap the More button, then the album's name. If you made the album, tap their name, then Remove Subscriber, or tap Delete Shared Album. If you joined someone else's, tap Unsubscribe. Apple says that once you stop sharing a photo or album, the other person loses access to it.
  2. Shared Library. In Photos, tap Collections, tap your account at the top right, then Manage next to Shared Library. Choose Remove From Shared Library, Leave Shared Library or, if you created it, Delete Shared Library. A person who's removed gets a notification, and can copy the library's items to their own. When a library is deleted, everyone in it is notified. If you leave less than 7 days after joining, you can keep only what you added.
  3. Your Apple Account. Go to Settings, tap your name, then look at the device list. To remove a device, tap it, then Remove from Account. Then go to Sign-In & Security and tap Change Password, and check the phone numbers there too. At icloud.com/settings, you can also choose Sign Out Of All Browsers.
  4. Your passcode and Face ID. If your ex knows your passcode or added their face, read your partner knows your passcode.
  5. Family Sharing. If you're in the same family group, leave it, or remove them if you're the organizer. Go to Settings, then Family. A shared family album and location sharing can be part of a group. Leaving can affect your storage and purchases, so read a family member shares my iCloud first.
  6. Shared passwords. In the Passwords app, you can remove yourself from a shared group. Apple says former members may still have access to what you shared, so change any of those passwords you still use.
  7. Everything that isn't Apple. Safety Check can't review other companies' accounts or social media. Check each cloud storage, photo backup and chat app you ever shared with them, in that app's own settings. Change the password if they ever knew it.

What you can't undo

Laws about sharing someone's private pictures differ from country to country. This guide isn't legal advice. The police or a lawyer where you live can tell you what your options are.

How FirstHour helps

FirstHour doesn't stop sharing, and it can't reach pictures on your ex's phone. Those steps above happen in your iPhone's Settings and in Photos. It can't tell you who has seen a picture or who has a copy.

What it can do is help with the pictures you keep. The Vault has its own pattern or PIN, separate from your iPhone passcode, and it's left out of iCloud and computer backups. Choose something your ex wouldn't guess, and don't reuse an old code. A well-chosen pattern can be much harder to guess than a 6-digit PIN, but shield your screen, because someone watching can copy it. Keep in mind that an ex who still sees your phone can see that FirstHour is on it, and a picture that's suddenly gone from Photos can be noticed too.

Questions

Will my ex be told when I leave a shared album?

Apple's page doesn't say either way for leaving an album. It does say people are notified in some cases, such as being removed from a Shared Library. Assume they may notice, because the album or new pictures will stop appearing for them.

I think they're getting into my phone. How can I tell?

Look at signs someone went through your phone. Check the device list above, and look for apps you don't remember installing.

Should I delete our old pictures?

That's up to you, and there's no hurry. If you may want a record, or you're afraid of this person, talk to the police or a support service first.

Sources

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