Private Vault
A private photo vault,
locked on your iPhone.
What you put in is encrypted on your phone first, then saved.
Private Vault
PicWay’s Private Vault is a private photo vault for iPhone. What you put in is encrypted on your phone before it’s saved. You can recover it with 12 words. It won’t open while your screen is being recorded, and it locks itself after a while. With iCloud sync on, it’s stored encrypted in your own iCloud.
Last updated:
How it protects
How does the vault
keep photos private?
-
Encrypted on your iPhone
Photos and videos are encrypted on your phone before they’re saved.
-
Won’t open while recording
If your screen is being recorded, the vault won’t open.
-
Auto-Lock
Leave it alone for a while and it locks. Playing a video doesn’t count.
Recovery
How do I recover
my photo vault?
With 12 words. You write them down when you set up the vault. PicWay doesn’t keep them and can’t recover them for you, so put them on paper, not in a screenshot.
iCloud
Where is my
vault stored?
With iCloud sync on (it’s on by default), the vault is encrypted on your phone and stored in your own iCloud, where only you can open it. Get a new phone or reinstall, and you can get it back.
Getting in
How do I put photos
in the vault?
-
Hide from your library
In PicWay’s library, touch and hold a photo and choose Hide. It goes into the vault, not the Hidden album in Photos.
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Open it
Touch and hold the search button in the tab bar.
At a glance
PicWay Private Vault
at a glance
| Encryption | On your iPhone, before saving |
|---|---|
| Recovery | 12 words you write down |
| Screen recording | The vault won’t open |
| Auto-Lock | Locks after a while untouched |
| iCloud sync | On by default, stored encrypted in your own iCloud |
| Requires | iOS 17.0 or later |