**App-Vault — iPhone photo vault with AES-256 encryption** > App-Vault is an iPhone photo and file vault with on-device AES-256 encryption, pattern lock, and an optional calculator launcher. No account. Vault contents stay on the device and never upload to a server. Source: https://appvau.lt/ FILE 01 / ENCRYPTED LOCALLY # Your photos. Sealed shut. AES-256 on-device encryption. No account. Vault contents stay on the device. Your pattern is the only key — mathematically. [Download for iPhone](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6769763852?pt=127157325&ct=appvault&mt=8) Designed for journalists, travelers, lawyers, and anyone who hands a phone to a stranger now and again. CAMERA ROLL · 12 → VAULT α SEALED · AES-256 FILE 01 / ON-DEVICE Cipher AES-256-GCM Key derivation PBKDF2 · Secure Enclave Servers None — on-device only Account required No SEALED SCAN ME FILE D0 / DOWNLOAD ### Point your iPhone camera at the code. The QR opens the App-Vault listing on the App Store directly. Free download, no account, no email. WHAT IS INSIDE ## Eleven layers between your photos and everyone else. App-Vault is a single iPhone app with a small surface area and a deep stack. Every feature exists to keep your files mathematically yours. - FILE / 01 ### Photo & File Vault A locked album for photos, videos, and documents that never appears in the Photos app, Spotlight, or AirDrop. [Read more about Photo & File Vault](https://appvau.lt/photo-vault/) - FILE / 02 ### AES-256 On-Device Files are encrypted with AES-256-GCM on your iPhone using a key derived from your pattern. The key never leaves the device. [Read more about AES-256 On-Device](https://appvau.lt/encryption/) - FILE / 03 ### Pattern Lock A 5×5 drawing grid replaces the password. Patterns are harder to shoulder-surf and impossible to leak in a breach because no one stores them. [Read more about Pattern Lock](https://appvau.lt/pattern-lock/) - FILE / 04 ### Calculator Launcher App-Vault can present as a fully functional calculator on your home screen. A long-press on the equals key reveals the vault entry — a privacy layer for shared family iPads, customs checkpoints, and lent phones. [Read more about Calculator Launcher](https://appvau.lt/calculator-vault/) - FILE / 05 ### Decoy Vault A second pattern opens a separate, plausible vault with its own album. Useful when one device serves multiple users — kids, partner, work account — without exposing the rest. [Read more about Decoy Vault](https://appvau.lt/decoy-vault/) - FILE / 06 ### Intruder Selfie After a configurable number of wrong patterns, the front camera quietly captures a single photo and stores it encrypted inside the vault on the device, along with the time. Never uploaded. [Read more about Intruder Selfie](https://appvau.lt/intruder-selfie/) - FILE / 07 ### Excluded From iCloud Backup The vault directory is marked NSURLIsExcludedFromBackupKey and the master keys use ThisDeviceOnly Keychain access. Vault contents never enter iCloud, iTunes, or Finder backups. - FILE / 08 ### No Account, No Server No account creation. No email. We operate no server that holds your vault, so there is nothing for us to hand over. Anonymous, content-free funnel events go through Firebase — full disclosure on the Privacy page. [Read more about No Account, No Server](https://appvau.lt/zero-knowledge/) - FILE / 09 ### File Shredder Permanent delete overwrites the encrypted blob three times before unlinking. Once shredded, even physical access to the device cannot recover the file. Pro feature. [Read more about File Shredder](https://appvau.lt/file-shredder/) - FILE / 10 ### 12-Word Recovery Phrase During setup App-Vault generates a BIP-39 12-word mnemonic. Write it down once. It is the only way to recover your vault if you ever forget the pattern. - FILE / 11 ### No Ads No banner ads. No ad mediation SDKs. No cross-app tracking. The App Tracking Transparency prompt is not invoked because the IDFA is never read. HOW IT WORKS ## Three steps. Then everything disappears. 1. 01 ### Draw a pattern Pick a 5×5 grid pattern you can draw in two seconds. The pattern derives the encryption key directly — there is no password stored, anywhere. 2. 02 ### Move files in Import from Photos, Files, or the camera. App-Vault encrypts each file on your device before it touches the vault, then removes the original from the source album. 3. 03 ### Lock and leave Close the app. Without the exact pattern the vault is mathematically indistinguishable from random noise. No login screen for an attacker to bypass — there is nothing to log into. WHO IT IS FOR ## Five honest reasons to keep a vault on your phone. 1. CASE 01 ### Customs and border checks Inspectors ask to scroll your camera roll. With App-Vault, sensitive work, ID, and medical photos live in a sealed compartment that does not appear in the camera roll at all. 2. CASE 02 ### A phone you sometimes hand to a child Shared family iPads collect everyone’s photos. The Calculator Launcher keeps a kid-safe calculator on the home screen while the rest stays sealed behind the pattern. 3. CASE 03 ### Travel with sensitive documents Passport scans, vaccination cards, insurance documents, signed contracts. Encrypted at rest on the device, optionally backed up to your own iCloud encrypted at the file level. 4. CASE 04 ### Professionals with privileged photos Therapists, lawyers, journalists, and medical staff occasionally photograph privileged material. Those photos do not belong in the same album as a dinner snapshot. 5. CASE 05 ### You are about to sell your iPhone The File Shredder overwrites encrypted blobs three times before unlinking. A factory reset is not always enough on older devices — overwrite is. UNDER THE HOOD ## The boring details that decide whether a vault is actually a vault. Encryption is not a feature, it is the entire product. We picked AES-256-GCM and PBKDF2 because they are boring, decades-old, and have survived every public review since the early 2000s. Each file is sealed with a unique nonce. The vault catalog itself is encrypted — without the pattern, an attacker cannot even tell how many files exist. The vault directory is excluded from iCloud Backup and from local iTunes/Finder backups. Cipher AES-256-GCM per file Key derivation PBKDF2-SHA256 · high iteration count · master keys in iOS Keychain (ThisDeviceOnly) Transport Vault contents never leave the device. The only outbound traffic is anonymous, content-free funnel events through Firebase. See the Privacy page for the exact list. Audit Cryptography stack documented on our Security page. Independent review scheduled. PRICING ## One file free. Weekly or yearly for the rest. Free $0 one file in your vault · no card Weekly Premium from $3.99 per week · billed weekly through Apple Yearly Premium BEST VALUE from $29.99 per year · 7-day free trial · best value - Unlimited files in your vault - Disguise — Calculator Launcher with 3 alternate icons - Decoy Vault (second pattern, separate album) - Intruder Selfie and File Shredder - Prices vary by App Store region — exact price shown in-app [Open App-Vault on iPhone](https://appvau.lt/download/) FAQ ## Sharp questions, plain answers. 1. 01 Is the iPhone Hidden Album already secure? No. The Hidden Album is hidden from the Photos app shelf but the photos remain in your camera roll, sync to iCloud unencrypted, appear in Spotlight search, and are visible if anyone scrolls into the Hidden folder. App-Vault stores files in a separate encrypted container that does not appear in any of those places. 2. 02 What happens if I forget my pattern? The pattern derives the encryption key. Without the pattern there is no key, and without the key the vault is mathematically random data. We cannot recover it. During setup App-Vault generates a BIP-39 12-word recovery phrase — write it down and keep it offline. The recovery phrase is the only way back into the vault if you forget the pattern. 3. 03 Do you upload my photos to a server? No. App-Vault has no servers that hold user content and no account system. Vault contents stay on your device, encrypted with a key derived from your pattern. The vault directory is also marked excluded from iCloud Backup and from iTunes/Finder backups. The only outbound traffic from the app is anonymous, content-free funnel events through Firebase — never filenames, never file contents, never your pattern. 4. 04 How is the Calculator Launcher allowed by Apple? It is a fully functional calculator. It does math. The privacy layer is an opt-in long-press on the equals key that opens the vault entry — a standard alternate launcher pattern Apple has approved many times. Nothing about it requires misleading metadata. 5. 05 Can my iPhone restore a backup and unlock everything? Only if you also restore your pattern. Backups contain the encrypted vault. Without entering the pattern on the restored device, the vault stays sealed. 6. 06 Is App-Vault open source? The cryptography stack uses Apple’s audited CryptoKit framework. Our wrapping code is documented in detail on the Security page and a third-party audit is scheduled. Source release is on the roadmap once that audit is complete. 7. 07 What is the difference between the Decoy Vault and the Calculator Launcher? The Calculator Launcher changes what the app looks like on your home screen — a calculator icon instead of the App-Vault icon. The Decoy Vault is about what you see after you unlock — a second pattern opens a separate album, useful on a shared iPad or when handing the phone to someone you trust partway. 8. 08 Can I share a vault with my partner? Vault sharing with a trusted contact is on the roadmap for version 1.1. It will use a public-key exchange so each side decrypts files locally — the server (used only for handoff) never sees plaintext. 9. 09 Why pattern lock instead of a regular password? Patterns are faster, harder to shoulder-surf at a glance, and impossible to leak in a server breach because we do not store them. Face ID and PIN are still available as a quicker convenience unlock after the first pattern of the day. 10. 10 Does App-Vault work offline? Yes. Every core vault function — unlock, import, view, decrypt, file shred, change pattern — runs entirely on the device with no network call. The only outbound traffic is anonymous Firebase funnel events and Crashlytics diagnostics, and the app keeps working if those are blocked at the OS level. GUIDES LIBRARY ## From the guides library. How-to walkthroughs, comparison reviews, and encryption explainers — written for readers, cited to primary sources. - [FILE / G1 ### How to Hide Photos on iPhone — Every Method, Honestly Evaluated A practical guide to hiding photos on iPhone — the built-in Hidden Album's real limits, how dedicated vault apps work, and which approach fits your threat model.](https://appvau.lt/guides/how-to-hide-photos-iphone/) - [FILE / G1 ### Is Apple Hidden Album safe on iPhone? Apple's Hidden album hides photos from view, but it is not a separate encrypted vault. See what it protects, what still syncs, and better options.](https://appvau.lt/guides/is-iphone-hidden-album-secure/) - [FILE / G2 ### Best iPhone Photo Vault Apps 2026 Compare the best photo vault app for iPhone by encryption, key storage, offline use, and subscription model, including App-Vault, Keepsafe, and Vaultaire.](https://appvau.lt/guides/best-photo-vault-iphone-2026/) - [FILE / L4 ### Best Photo Locker App for iPhone Compare the best photo locker apps for iPhone by setup speed, lock type, ads, and disguise features, with honest limits and exact tradeoffs.](https://appvau.lt/best/easiest-app-to-hide-photos-iphone/) - [FILE / L1 ### Best Free Photo Vault Apps for iPhone Ranked by free-tier generosity: file limits, ads, account requirements, and telemetry. Honest breakdowns of what you actually get at $0.](https://appvau.lt/best/free-photo-vault-iphone/) - [FILE / G1 ### Calculator Vault iPhone Guide Best calculator vault iPhone guide for 2026: how calculator photo vault apps work, what iOS allows, and what to check before trusting one.](https://appvau.lt/guides/calculator-vault-apps-iphone/) [Browse all guides](https://appvau.lt/guides/) GET STARTED ## Seal the vault. Free to download. The free tier holds one file. Premium removes the limit — Weekly from $3.99 or Yearly from $29.99 with a 7-day free trial. [Open App-Vault on iPhone](https://appvau.lt/download/) --- HTML version: https://appvau.lt/ Structured data for this site: https://appvau.lt/api/v1/openapi.json · https://appvau.lt/llms.txt Free to quote and reuse with a link back to the source URL above (CC BY 4.0).