When you select an image in Camera roll on Snapchat and then select hide is the upload process completely private when going to my eyes only

1. How the Camera Roll → Hide → My Eyes Only flow actually works, step by step

Selecting a photo from the device Camera Roll and choosing “Hide” moves that image into Snapchat’s Memories area and then into the My Eyes Only folder; users must swipe up to Memories, select My Eyes Only, and confirm the move, and only photo Snaps and short video Snaps are eligible for that folder according to Snapchat’s support documentation ^{[1] [4]}. Snapchat’s product pages repeatedly present My Eyes Only as a special folder inside Memories that is unlocked by a user-chosen passcode and that requires that passcode to view moved items ^{[1] [3]}.

2. What Snapchat publicly claims about privacy and encryption

Snapchat’s official materials state that My Eyes Only “lets you keep your Snaps safe and encrypted, and protected behind a password you choose,” and assert that without the My Eyes Only passcode “not even us” can view the content ^{[2] [5]}. Guides and tech press repeat the same claim: the folder is passcode‑protected and designed to keep selected content “completely private” from casual access on the device and from other users of the account ^{[3] [6]}.

3. The important technical and product caveats that prevent calling it completely private

Multiple Snap pages and support notes show the move goes through Memories and that Memories are designed to be backed up online to avoid loss—Snap explicitly warns users to ensure Memories are backed up before logging out or changing devices ^{[1] [2]}. Snap also states it “adds Snapchat’s magic” to content saved to Memories, which implies server-side processing or metadata changes to personalize the experience and suggests the company processes those files in some form ^[2]. The sources provided do not publish a full cryptographic whitepaper or independent attestation proving a zero‑knowledge encryption scheme, so claims that Snap “can’t view” content rest on company statements rather than independently verifiable technical proofs in these materials ^{[5] [2]}.

4. Real-world failure modes and user responsibilities that undermine “complete” privacy

If a user forgets the My Eyes Only passcode and resets it, Snapchat’s support warns that items saved under the former passcode are deleted and cannot be recovered, which is an explicit tradeoff tied to the stated protection model ^[7]. Other practical risks remain: anyone who compromises the Snapchat account or obtains both device access and account credentials may bypass protections tied to Memories or account backups, and third‑party reporting notes broader privacy hazards on social platforms despite My Eyes Only’s protections—these caveats come from guides and parental‑advice coverage rather than Snap’s own technical guarantees ^{[8] [9]}.

5. Bottom line — is the upload process “completely private” when hiding from Camera Roll to My Eyes Only?

The process provides a robust, passcode‑protected vault designed to hide content on the device and to encrypt items saved in My Eyes Only, and Snapchat publicly claims it cannot view those items without the passcode ^{[1] [5] [2]}. However, because the move routes through Memories (which may be backed up), because Snap describes processing applied to Memories, and because no independent technical proof is presented in these sources that Snap implements client‑side, zero‑knowledge encryption for Camera Roll uploads, it is not possible on the basis of the cited reporting to assert the upload is “completely private” in an absolute, provable cryptographic sense; the protection is strong and practical, but it carries operational and trust‑model caveats users should understand ^{[2] [1] [3]}.