The iPhone already includes a way to hide photos. Before adding another app, decide what you want to protect and what an extra vault would change.

Give the built-in option credit

Apple’s Photos app has Hidden and Recently Deleted collections that require device authentication. Hiding a photo changes where it appears in Photos. It would be misleading to call the iPhone’s built-in protection “no security” or suggest that all hidden photos are simply unencrypted files. Apple’s Photos guide describes the current behavior.

A separate vault adds separate decisions

A dedicated vault may offer its own unlock method, separate recovery material and independently encrypted copies. Those are product-specific capabilities. Check the implementation rather than assuming every app called a vault offers the same protection.

For Photo Vaulty, each vault has an independent encryption key and recovery key. Your vault lock can be a password, passcode or swipe pattern, with optional local biometric access. We do not operate a photo server or hold a developer master recovery key.

Importing is not moving the original

Photo Vaulty imports a separately encrypted copy. Your original remains in Apple Photos. Before changing originals, confirm that the imported copy opens correctly and that you understand your backup and recovery plan. This article does not ask you to delete your only copy.

Also consider files you previously sent in messages, saved to another app or exported. A vault cannot pull those copies back. Sharing and deletion boundaries matter as much as the appearance of the lock screen.

Choose around your situation

  • For keeping selected items out of the main Photos view, understand the built-in Hidden collection first.
  • For a separate app lock and recovery process, examine a vault’s key handling and limitations.
  • For device loss, plan recovery and encrypted backups before relying on a local-only library.

Privacy should be understandable

You should be able to explain where your photos live, who can open them and what happens if you lose access. If the answers are vague, a glossy interface is not enough. Photo Vaulty is in development; our on-page explanation describes what is implemented and what still needs review.