No photo vault app is best for everyone, so we will not name one. Four questions narrow the choice.
Does it encrypt the files, or only lock the app?
A lock screen decides who can open the app. Encryption scrambles the files themselves. App pages often say “secure” and stop there. Look for a named method such as AES-256-GCM, and treat the developer’s words as a claim, not a fact.
Does your phone passcode open it?
If it does, anyone who knows your passcode can open the vault. A separate pattern or passphrase gives you a second lock.
What do you need besides storage?
Sync across devices, an iPad or Mac app, sharing and a decoy password are separate features. Decide which ones you need before you compare. If you need one of them, check that the app has it before anything else.
What happens if you forget the code?
Ask if the company can reset your secret. Each answer has a cost, and the page on forgotten passwords explains both. Read where the backup goes in the same breath: some apps keep a copy in their own cloud, some use yours, some keep nothing off the phone. Ask who holds the key to that copy.
Read the App Privacy section of each App Store page as well. The developer fills it in, so it is a claim too.
Where Vault9 is the wrong choice
- It has no sync between devices, no iPad or Mac app, and no Android app.
- It has no sharing with other people from inside the app, and no decoy or duress mode.
- It cannot reset your pattern or passphrase. If it is not on your Emergency Kit, the vault is lost for good.
- It does not protect photos while someone holds your unlocked phone, and it does not protect against malware.
- No independent security audit has happened yet.
Sources
- Apple Support: About privacy information on the App Store (checked 2026-11-06)
