FILE F1 / FEATURES
Eleven features. One sealed container. Zero servers.
AppVault is a small iPhone app with a deep feature stack. Every line below is shipping in version one. None of them require an account, send data to a server, or open the door for an ad SDK.
UPDATED · 2026-05-16 · REVIEWED BY APPVAULT
- FEATURE / 01
Photo & File Vault
A separate encrypted container for photos, videos, and documents. Files inside do not appear in the Photos app, Spotlight, iMessage attachments, or AirDrop. They are visible only after you unlock with the correct 5×5 pattern.
SPEC · AES-256-GCM per file · unique 96-bit nonce
Read the deep dive - FEATURE / 02
AES-256-GCM Encryption
Every file is sealed with AES-256 in Galois/Counter Mode, the same primitive the NSA approves for TOP SECRET classified material and the cipher used by TLS 1.3, Signal, and WireGuard.
SPEC · FIPS 197 · NSA Suite B approved
Read the deep dive - FEATURE / 03
Pattern Lock
A 5×5 grid pattern replaces the password. The pattern derives the encryption key directly — there is no password stored anywhere, on the device or off it.
SPEC · PBKDF2-SHA256 · 600,000 iterations
Read the deep dive - FEATURE / 04
Calculator Launcher
AppVault can present on the home screen as a fully functional calculator. Long-press the equals key, draw your pattern, the vault opens. The calculator actually calculates. Apple-approved under guideline 4.3.
SPEC · Alternate icon · arithmetic engine
Read the deep dive - FEATURE / 05
Decoy Vault
A second 5×5 pattern opens a separate encrypted album with its own catalog. From inside one vault you cannot prove the other exists. From outside, neither vault is visible.
SPEC · Independent catalog · independent key
Read the deep dive - FEATURE / 06
Intruder Log
After three consecutive failed unlock attempts, the front camera silently captures a photo. The image, timestamp, and approximate location are written to a local log inside the vault.
SPEC · Threshold configurable · all-local
Read the deep dive - FEATURE / 07
Encrypted iCloud Backup
Optional opt-in backup to your own iCloud account. Each file is sealed on the device with a separate backup key before upload. Apple receives only ciphertext.
SPEC · Client-side · per-file backup key
Read the deep dive - FEATURE / 08
Zero-Knowledge Architecture
No account, no email, no analytics SDKs, no third-party trackers, no telemetry, and no server-side data. We cannot hand over what we do not have.
SPEC · No network calls by default
Read the deep dive - FEATURE / 09
File Shredder
Permanent delete overwrites the encrypted blob three times with random bytes before unlinking. Once shredded, even physical access to the device cannot recover the file.
SPEC · DoD 5220.22-M style overwrite
Read the deep dive - FEATURE / 10
Encrypted Notes
Short encrypted text — recovery codes, ID numbers, account hints. Stored inside the same vault, sealed with the same pattern.
SPEC · Per-note AES-GCM
Read the deep dive - FEATURE / 11
No Ads. No Tracking.
No banner ads, no interstitials, no third-party advertising SDKs. The app does not phone home. Crash reporting uses Apple’s built-in opt-in MetricKit, not a third-party service.
SPEC · Audited SDK list available on request
WHAT WE DELIBERATELY LEFT OUT
No social vault sharing in version one.
Vaultaire ships a vault-sharing feature where you grant a contact temporary read access to a vault. We are deferring it to version 1.1. Done right, vault sharing requires a public-key handshake and a server that brokers ciphertext-only handoff — we are building it but not at the cost of cutting corners on the cryptography.
No web client.
AppVault is an iPhone and iPad app. We will not ship a web version. A browser cannot use the iPhone Secure Enclave, cannot guarantee a clean memory environment, and cannot match the threat model we sell.
No automatic backup to our servers.
We do not run servers that hold customer data. The optional Encrypted iCloud Backup uses your own iCloud account, with files sealed on the device before upload.
GET STARTED
Seal the vault.
Free to download. The first vault is free, forever. Upgrade only when you outgrow it.