What happens if I forget my pattern?

Use the 12-word recovery phrase from setup. If you lose both the pattern and the phrase, nobody can open the files, including us.

Can NoxVault see my hidden photos?

No. There is no account and no server of ours. Files stay encrypted on your iPhone or iPad.

Draw it. It opens.

A private vault for photos, opened with a pattern.

Straight answers How it locks

Try it: drag across the dots. Nothing is saved.

Three steps, all on the phone

Draw a pattern of 6 dots or more

Your pattern and a device secret make the encryption key.

Import or capture directly

Everything is encrypted with AES-256-GCM on the phone.

Lock and vanish

A second pattern opens a separate decoy vault instead.

Six things between a stranger and your photos

Two patternsOne opens your vault. The other opens a separate decoy vault, which is never backed up.

Break-in reportFailed attempts are logged, with an optional front-camera photo. Opening the decoy hides the report.

12-word recovery phraseMade at setup. It gets you back in if you forget the pattern.

No account, no serversNo sign-up and no database of ours to breach.

Locks itselfAfter 1 to 10 idle minutes, or face-down if you choose. The app switcher shows a blank screen.

Lockout delaysEach wrong pattern makes the next wait longer.

How it differs from hiding a photo

What you get	Hidden album in Photos	NoxVault
Files encrypted by the app	Protected by the phone’s own lock	AES-256-GCM, keys from your pattern
Account or cloud needed	Follows your iCloud Photos setting	No account, no server of ours
Separate decoy vault	No	Yes, free
Recovery if you forget	Your Apple ID and passcode	12-word phrase
Export over the free limit	Not limited	Always possible

What you get

Hidden album in Photos

NoxVault

Files encrypted by the app

Protected by the phone’s own lock

AES-256-GCM, keys from your pattern

Account or cloud needed

Follows your iCloud Photos setting

No account, no server of ours

Separate decoy vault

Yes, free

Recovery if you forget

Your Apple ID and passcode

12-word phrase

Export over the free limit

Not limited

Always possible

Straight answers

How is it encrypted?	AES-256-GCM on the device. Keys come from your pattern through PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA512 and a device secret, held in the Secure Enclave on a real iPhone.
Is a pattern strong?	Not alone. Six or more dots on a 5×5 grid is roughly 33 to 43 bits, far below a good passphrase. That is why the keys are tied to the device and wrong guesses are slowed down.
I forgot my pattern	Use the 12-word recovery phrase from setup. The phrase is the key: lose both and nobody, including us, can open the files.
Can you see my files?	No. There is no account and no server of ours. The only outside services are Apple’s.
After I import a photo?	Empty “Recently Deleted” in Photos. iOS keeps deleted originals there for 30 days.
Is iCloud backup live?	Not yet. It is built, but needs the App Store developer setup first. Export what matters until then.
Is there a Mac app?	Not released. The code builds for Mac but has not been run on one.
A hacked phone?	No vault app can protect a compromised device.

How is it encrypted?

AES-256-GCM on the device. Keys come from your pattern through PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA512 and a device secret, held in the Secure Enclave on a real iPhone.

Is a pattern strong?

Not alone. Six or more dots on a 5×5 grid is roughly 33 to 43 bits, far below a good passphrase. That is why the keys are tied to the device and wrong guesses are slowed down.

I forgot my pattern

Use the 12-word recovery phrase from setup. The phrase is the key: lose both and nobody, including us, can open the files.

Can you see my files?

No. There is no account and no server of ours. The only outside services are Apple’s.

After I import a photo?

Empty “Recently Deleted” in Photos. iOS keeps deleted originals there for 30 days.

Is iCloud backup live?

Not yet. It is built, but needs the App Store developer setup first. Export what matters until then.

Is there a Mac app?

Not released. The code builds for Mac but has not been run on one.

A hacked phone?

No vault app can protect a compromised device.

Pay only when you outgrow it

Packs	One-time add-ons for photos, videos or documents. The Everything pack adds 100 photos, 15 videos and 50 documents for $2.99.
Unlimited	$19.99 a year with a 7-day free trial, $2.99 a month, or $39.99 once. Cancel in Apple ID settings.

Packs

One-time add-ons for photos, videos or documents. The Everything pack adds 100 photos, 15 videos and 50 documents for $2.99.

Unlimited

$19.99 a year with a 7-day free trial, $2.99 a month, or $39.99 once. Cancel in Apple ID settings.

These are the test prices in the app and may change before release. No ads.