# Pictograph - Steganography — Hide Messages in Plain Sight > Hide messages and images within other images using steganography. (iPhone/iPad app by Adam Boyd.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pictograph-steganography/id1051879856 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Adam Boyd](https://appshunter.io/developer/541810464) - Category: Utilities, Social Networking - Price: Free - Rating: 4.40/5 from 171 App Store ratings · 12 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 9.0 · 21 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2015-11-09 - Data updated: 2026-06-10 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pictograph-steganography/id1051879856/reviews.md ## What is Pictograph? Pictograph is the best steganographic app available for iOS. Send messages and imageswithout anyone knowing. Steganography is the practice of hiding messages in plain sight. Pictograph works by changing the least significant bits in each pixel in a specific way so that a message can be hidden. Because Pictograph only changes the least significant bits in a pixel, the change is imperceptible to human eyes. AES-256 encryption is used in Pictograph when encryption is enabled. This encryption is incredibly hard to break, so rest assured your message will be safe if you choose to encrypt it. ## Key features - Hide messages in images - Hide images in images - Steganography technique - Imperceptible pixel changes - AES-256 encryption ## Recent user reviews (10 of 12) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pictograph-steganography/id1051879856/reviews.md ### 3/5 — Works fine but limited *2024-01-06* When decoding a message that is 60+ characters, only the first 50-ish characters are shown. Also, there doesn't appear to be a way to cut/copy the decoded message text to be able to paste it into another app. ### 1/5 — Error *2021-12-27* I wanted this to work but it comes back with an error each time. Same thing happens with my friend. ### 1/5 — Doesn’t work *2021-01-09* Doesn’t work ### 4/5 — Aaa *2021-01-03* Ccc ### 1/5 — Need instructions *2020-04-02* Can’t figure out how the receiver knows I sent a message. Can’t figure out how the receiver inputs the password. Those gaping holes make the program less useful than it might otherwise be. ### 1/5 — This App doesn’t work! Frustrating and unclear. *2019-07-06* After 10 attempts with a friend using this and the similar Steganography app resulted in total frustration. My friend, the receiver, was unable to decrypt and view message. What’s bad is it asks you to select an image. Then when you select “hide text in image” it asks you to select another image (I guess if you wanted to save an image within an image; why you’d want to do that I don’t know, unless you’re into child porn) - totally confusing! I’ve tried every variation but the receiver still gets an error message when trying to view hidden test message. How it should work: when you text someone an encrypted picture with hidden message, they first have to save it to their photos, then select that photo from within the App to “show message or image.” It doesn’t work that way for some reason. FIX THIS APP - could be awesome! Procedures are not intuitive. ### 2/5 — Doesnt seem to work *2019-04-22, version 1.6* I sent 2 pics. One with a message, another with a pic embedded. On the receiving phone, the message read ‘no message contained with pic’. If im doing it wrong , its not clear how. ### 1/5 — The image doesn’t download in its original res. *2019-02-05, version 1.6* Refer to title ### 5/5 — It works *2018-05-21* It works exactly the way I wanted it to. ### 5/5 — Simple way to encrypt data in plain sight *2018-01-21* Learned about Steganography in a network security class and was pleased to find this cool app that allows you to try it out. ## Frequently asked questions about Pictograph ### What is steganography and how does this app use it? Steganography is the art of hiding messages in plain sight. This app uses it by subtly altering the least significant bits of pixels in an image. These changes are so minor that they are imperceptible to the human eye, effectively hiding your message within the carrier image. ### Can I encrypt my hidden messages? Yes, the app supports AES-256 encryption when enabled. This is a strong encryption standard that makes your hidden messages incredibly difficult to break, ensuring a high level of security for your communications. ### Is this app free to use? Based on the provided information, the app is free to use and does not appear to have in-app purchases or advertisements. ### What devices is this app compatible with? The application is available for iOS devices. ### What are some common use cases for this app? This app is useful for sending sensitive information discreetly, sharing private messages without leaving a trace, or protecting confidential images by embedding them within other visual content. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.6 — 2017-10-11 This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon. Big update! Now with this version, you can hide images and pictures within the same image! So no need to send two different images if you want to include both a message and an image. ### 1.5 — 2017-09-22 A new setting for shrinking encoded images more than normal. The images are lower quality but encode about 4x faster. The setting is on by default! ### 1.4.2 — 2017-09-17 New progress bar so you can see how long your image will take to encode/decode ### 1.4.1 — 2017-07-05 Sometimes images taken on an iPhone would create some weird patterns. That's now fixed! ### 1.4 — 2017-06-19 You can now hide images within other images! So now you can send pictures to your friends without anyone knowing about the content that you're sending. Keep in mind that hiding an image takes about 30 seconds and showing one takes about 15 seconds. Enjoy! ## Apps similar to Pictograph | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Advanced Pixels](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/advanced-pixels/id6739187287) | — | Free | Utilities | | [Paranoia Text Encryption Lite](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paranoia-text-encryption-lite/id1092955070) | 4.5 (82) | Free | Utilities | | [Sub Cipher](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sub-cipher/id1582898316) | 3.8 (4) | Free | Utilities | | [Paranoia Text Encryption PRO](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paranoia-text-encryption-pro/id935278498) | 4.7 (52) | $3.99 | Utilities | | [Cipher Pixel](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cipher-pixel/id6479542527) | — | Free | Utilities | | [Beagle.Chat](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beaglechat/id1597429120) | 5.0 (3) | Free | Utilities | ## More apps by Adam Boyd - [Catch Your Bus](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/catch-your-bus/id1331818989) All apps by Adam Boyd: https://appshunter.io/developer/541810464 --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-10.*