waitedA Locket alternative for sharing photos with friends
Updated
In short waited is a Locket alternative for people who want their photos to be worth the wait. On Locket, a photo shows up right away on your close friends’ home screen, and stays in your shared history; on waited, it arrives locked by a countdown you choose, your friends can unlock it sooner by taking on your challenges, then it disappears. No friend limit, no ads, no subscription.
waited and Locket, side by side
| Feature | waited | Locket |
|---|---|---|
| How the photo arrives | Locked in the app by a countdown, or instant | Right away, on your friends’ home screen widget |
| Number of friends | Unlimited; you have to follow each other | 20 on the free version; unlimited with Locket Gold |
| Wait chosen by the sender | Yes, from 1 hour to 30 days | No |
| Challenges to unlock the photo sooner | Yes, written by the sender | No |
| What happens to the photos | View once and automatic deletion (7 days by default) | Kept in a shared history, until the sender deletes them |
| Screenshots | Blocked by default | Not specified |
| End-to-end encryption | Yes, on the phone: our servers can’t see the photos | Not specified; encrypted in transit, according to its Google Play listing |
| Ads | None | Yes on the free version; Locket Gold removes them |
| Paid subscription | No: everything is free | Yes, Locket Gold (optional) |
| Minimum age | 16 | 13 |
Comparison made on October 4, 2026 from Locket’s store listings, help center and terms of use, which may change; “not specified” means the information isn’t public. Locket is a trademark of Locket Labs, Inc.; waited is not affiliated with it.
What’s different with waited
- A photo that makes them wait, rather than one that shows up right away: your friend knows it’s waiting for them, not what it shows.
- Challenges: a voice note, a call, a photo back. Every approved challenge earns credits that bring the unlock closer.
- Photos that don’t stick around: view once, screenshots blocked and automatic deletion by default, where Locket keeps a history.
- Actually free: no ads, no subscription, no friend limit. Nothing is for sale in waited.
When Locket is still the better pick
To see your close friends’ photos at a glance, on your home screen, without opening an app, Locket is hard to beat: waited has no widget. And to keep a journal of the photos you swap with a few friends, Locket’s history is made for that. waited plays a different part: the photos worth the wait.
Other apps like Locket
- BeReal: one photo a day, at the same moment for everyone, with both cameras. See waited or BeReal.
- Snapchat: photos that disappear once viewed, but also public content and ads. See waited vs Snapchat.
- Instagram: the “Close Friends” list keeps a story to a few people, inside a public social network.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free alternative to Locket?
Yes. waited is free, with no ads, no subscription, no in-app purchases and no friend limit: the credits that open a photo sooner are earned by taking on challenges, sending photos and inviting your friends.
Does waited have a widget like Locket?
No. On waited, a photo arrives locked in the app, with its countdown, and a notification tells your friend when it’s ready to see.
Can I use waited and Locket at the same time?
Yes: they don’t do the same thing. Locket for everyday photos on the home screen, waited for the ones worth the wait.
Sources
Want to try it?
waited is free, on iPhone and Android.