Hiding a photo is not the same as protecting it.
VaultCube locks your private photos and videos in an encrypted vault on your iPhone. No account, no email, and nobody opens the vault without your pattern.
Why the Hidden album
isn’t enough.
The iPhone’s Hidden album moves a photo out of sight, but the file stays readable. Anyone with your passcode, a computer cable or your iCloud sign-in can open it. VaultCube encrypts the file itself, so without your key it’s noise, not a photo.
Out of sight in Photos
- Hidden album
- Yes
- PIN vault app
- Yes
- VaultCube
- Yes
Files encrypted on the device
- Hidden album
- No
- PIN vault app
- Often not
- VaultCube
- Yes
Needs an account or email
- Hidden album
- Apple ID
- PIN vault app
- Often
- VaultCube
- No
Ads
- Hidden album
- No
- PIN vault app
- Often
- VaultCube
- No
Typical PIN vault app: our summary of the category. Each named competitor gets its own tested comparison page.
How it works
Create a vault
Set your unlock pattern. VaultCube shows a recovery phrase once, so write it down.
Move photos in
Pick photos and videos from your library. VaultCube encrypts them, then offers to delete the originals from Photos.
Open it when you need it
Only your pattern or recovery phrase opens the vault. We can’t open it, and neither can anyone else.
What we protect,
and what we don’t.
The photos, videos and file names inside the vault, on your phone and in your private iCloud. They’re encrypted before they’re written.
Photos you leave in the Photos app, screenshots taken while the vault is open, and software on a jailbroken or compromised phone.
We say this plainly because a vault you trust too much is a risk of its own. Read the security model →
Someone picks up your phone.
Now what?
They know your passcode
They still can’t open the vault. It uses its own pattern, not your phone’s passcode.
They plug your phone into a computer
The vault’s files show up as encrypted data, not as photos.
You lose your phone
Restore the vault on a new iPhone with your recovery phrase and the encrypted backup.
They watch you unlock it
Open a decoy vault with a second pattern instead.
How VaultCube compares
Questions
Is VaultCube free?
Yes, to start. The free version holds up to 3 vaults with 100 photos and 10 videos in total with no ads. VaultCube Pro removes the limits for $1.99 a week, $5.99 a month or $19.99 a year.
Do I need an account?
No. VaultCube has no sign-up and never asks for your email address or phone number.
What if I forget my pattern?
Use your recovery phrase. Without the pattern or the phrase, nobody can open the vault, including us. That’s the cost of real encryption, and why we show the phrase when you create the vault.
Can VaultCube see my photos?
No. Your photos are encrypted on your iPhone, and the keys never leave the device. The backup holds only encrypted data.
Does deleting the app delete my photos?
Yes, deleting the app deletes the vaults on that phone. An encrypted backup lets you restore them with your recovery phrase. Keep your recovery phrase somewhere safe.
Which iPhones does it run on?
iPhone with iOS 17 or later.