Guide

Do Photo Vault Apps Actually Encrypt Your Photos? 6 Things to Check

Published November 9, 2026

Short answer

Many vault apps put a PIN screen in front of your files, and a PIN screen is not the same as encryption. Before you trust any vault, check how it encrypts, what unlocks it, where your files live, whether it needs an account, what it tracks, and what happens if you forget your passphrase.

1. Does it say how the files are encrypted?

Specific is good. Look for a named, published algorithm and a named key-derivation method on the developer's website. Vague phrases such as bank-level or unbreakable tell you nothing about what the app does.

2. What actually unlocks the files?

If a short PIN opens the app but the files underneath are not encrypted with a key tied to your secret, the PIN is only a door in front of a pile of readable files. A real design derives the encryption key from something only you know.

3. Where do your files live?

Some vaults keep everything on your phone. Others copy files to the developer's servers for backup or sync. Both can be reasonable, but you should know which one you are choosing, because server copies mean your files depend on the company and its account system.

4. Does it need an account?

An email address and password mean there is a record of who you are and a recovery path that runs through the company. Apps with no account have fewer moving parts, and the trade-off is that no one can reset access for you.

5. What does it track?

Open the app's App Store page and read the privacy label. Ads, analytics and tracking identifiers are signs that the app earns money from data as well as from you.

6. What happens if you forget your passphrase?

A vault that can restore your files without your secret must hold a key somewhere. An honest answer is either a recovery key that only you hold, or the plain statement that the files cannot be recovered. Read what happens when you forget a vault passphrase before you commit files to any vault.

How Sealed answers the six

Each file gets its own random key (XChaCha20-Poly1305) and the passphrase is hardened with Argon2id.
The passphrase is its own, separate from your iPhone passcode.
Files stay on the iPhone and are kept out of iCloud backups. There is no server copy.
No account and no sign-up.
No analytics. The only outside service is RevenueCat, which handles purchases and is not linked to you.
An optional printable 24-word recovery key. There is no reset button and no back door.

Details are on the security page.