| Situation | What you do |
|---|---|
| You forgot your pattern | Unlock screen → "Use recovery phrase" |
| New or replaced iPhone | Welcome → "Restore a backup" → type the phrase, draw a new pattern |
| The phrase may have been seen | Vault settings → New recovery phrase |
Nine words that only you have
Short answer
When you create a vault, VaultCube shows you 9 random words. They open that vault if you forget your pattern. They also restore the vault from your encrypted backup on a new iPhone. Write them down. We can't send a reset email: there's no account, and we never see your keys.
Why not "forgot password"?
A reset link means the company can give someone else access to your vault. Someone who gets into your email can do the same. A recovery phrase keeps the spare key with you and nobody else.
How it works
- 9 words from the standard BIP39 list of 2,048 words, picked at random on your iPhone: about 99 bits of randomness. Guessing it isn't practical.
- Or your own 6–9 words, if you'd rather choose them. Your own words are only as strong as the words you pick.
- Capital letters and spaces don't matter.
- The phrase opens its own sealed copy of your vault key, separate from the pattern. Changing your pattern doesn't change the phrase.
- A new phrase can be made at any time in Vault settings → New recovery phrase. The old one stops working at once, and in your backup too as soon as you're online.
What it's used for
Keeping it safe
- Write it on paper and keep it somewhere separate from your phone.
- Don't keep it in Photos or in a screenshot: that defeats the vault.
- If you copy it, VaultCube clears it from the clipboard after 60 seconds, on this device only.
The limit
No pattern and no phrase means no vault. Nobody can recover it, including us. That's the price of real encryption, and the reason the phrase exists.
Questions
Can I see my phrase again later?
Once it's set, you can make a new phrase in Vault settings, which replaces the old one.
Does the backup need my pattern?
No. Backups open only with the phrase. Your pattern never leaves your iPhone.
Related
Keep your photos yours.
Free to start with 1 vault with up to 100 photos and 10 videos.