Your Hidden album isn't actually hidden. Vaultaire is.
Your photos move into a vault only your pattern can open.
Encrypted on your phone. No account, no cloud, no risk.
Vaultaire is a local-first encrypted vault app for iOS that protects photos, videos, and files with AES-256-GCM under a random master key unlocked by your pattern. It requires no identity account, keeps optional analytics off until consent, and does not operate a server that receives readable vault contents or decryption keys.
What Is Zero-Knowledge Encryption?
Your data never leaves your device unencrypted. We build privacy architecture, not data vacuums.
Pattern Encryption
Draw a shape on a 5×5 grid. PBKDF2 combines the pattern with a device-wide salt to derive a 256-bit vault key, which unwraps the random master key that encrypts your files.
Learn More →Secret Phrase
Every vault can use a custom nine-word recovery phrase. The phrase derives a separate recovery key that opens an encrypted access envelope; it does not encode the vault key directly.
Learn More →Plausible Deniability
Separate configured patterns address separate encrypted vaults without a visible cross-vault picker. This limits interface disclosure, while encrypted index count remains visible to filesystem examination.
Learn More →Hidden Vaults
The unlock interface shows no cross-vault list. Each vault still has one enumerable encrypted index file, so filesystem access can reveal local vault count without revealing patterns or readable contents.
Learn More →Duress Mode
Set a special pattern that opens one designated vault while silently removing other local indexes and recovery mappings from that device. Existing encrypted cloud backups remain available for phrase-based recovery.
Learn More →Encrypted iCloud Backup
Free + ProOptional backup where a separate pattern-derived backup key encrypts padded records before CloudKit receives them. Apple does not receive readable vault files or a plaintext backup key.
Learn More →Secure Sharing
Share vaults with others via a secret phrase. Control how many times they can open it, set expiration dates, and prevent data export.
Learn More →Device Sync
Vaultaire ProOpen the same vault on your iPhone and iPad. Every change is encrypted before iCloud receives it, so the sync path never carries a readable photo.
Learn More →Secure Camera
Shoot photos and video inside the vault. Nothing lands in your camera roll, so there is no original to delete afterwards.
Learn More →Security Architecture
AES-256-GCM protects file content, metadata, thumbnails, indexes, and key wrappers. PBKDF2 derives separate vault, backup, and recovery keys for defined roles.
Learn More →Ease of Use
Military-grade encryption that feels like unlocking your phone. No setup wizards, no configuration. Draw a pattern and start protecting files.
Learn More →How It Works
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01
Define Your Pattern
Draw a geometric pattern with at least six dots and two direction changes.
PBKDF2 derives the local vault key in the app process using a device-wide Keychain salt. -
02
Load the Vault
Import photos, documents, and notes. Files are instantly encrypted using AES-256 before being written to disk.
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03
Lock & Vanish
Lock the app. Vaultaire discards active key state and clears owned key buffers on deallocation. Your encrypted index and files still require the correct keys.
Security Architecture
We don’t trust servers. We trust math.
- AES-256-GCM file encryption
- PBKDF2 key derivation
- AES-256-GCM authenticated metadata protection
- Client-side cloud encryption
const vaultConfig = {
cipher: "AES-256-GCM",
kdf: "PBKDF2",
iterations: 600000,
salt: device_wide_keychain_salt,
cloud_sync: false // default
};
// Server knows nothing.
// Only your pattern decrypts.Someone takes your phone.
Now what?
Most vault apps prove you have something to hide. A locked folder is an invitation to keep looking. A “calculator” disguise fools no one who is actually searching.
Vaultaire does not open to a list of named vaults. Each configured pattern addresses its own encrypted index. The interface reveals the vault you opened, while the storage layout and its forensic limits remain documented.
Separate what the interface reveals from what the device can expose.
Download VaultaireHow Vaultaire compares
Real AES-256 encryption and duress vaults — not a PIN screen or a calculator disguise. See the side-by-side breakdowns.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Vaultaire?
Vaultaire is a local-first encrypted vault app for iPhone. A pattern drawn on a 5×5 grid derives the vault key that unwraps a random AES-256-GCM master key. Separate configured patterns can open separate vaults without a visible cross-vault list. The encrypted index files remain countable to an examiner with app-container access. Vaultaire requires no identity account and uses external services only for user-enabled cloud features, purchases, and consent-based analytics.
What happens if I forget my pattern?
You are provided with a secret passphrase that recovers the vault. However, if you forget that too, the data is lost. We do not store keys or have a backdoor to the data.
Can Apple see my files?
Vaultaire encrypts backup components on-device with a separate pattern-derived backup key before uploading padded records to your private CloudKit database. Apple receives ciphertext and an encrypted recovery manifest, not readable vault files or a plaintext backup key. The Vaultaire client, iOS, and your unlocked device remain part of the trust model.
Do I need an account?
Absolutely not. Vaultaire works right out of the box. No email, no phone number, no signup.
Do you optimize my data?
You have an option to store pictures and videos in optimized form, saving space and allowing for faster shares.
How does sharing work?
When you share a vault you are provided with a secret phrase that differs from the vault recovery phrase. The recipient can use it to obtain a copy of the data. You control how long they keep access or how many times they can open the vault. If you add files, the data is synchronized automatically.
Do you support folders?
Not at this time. Instead we suggest you use different vaults to store different data.
What kind of data can I store?
There is no limitation. Any file can be stored and shared.
How many vaults can I have?
In the free version you can have up to 3 vaults holding 100 photos and 10 videos in total. In paid it’s unlimited.
How many files can I have per vault?
There is no limit, but the more files you add, the bigger the vault gets and the slower sharing becomes.
Do you collect any analytical data?
If you give us permission (can be revoked at any time), we collect bugs, crashes and basic analytical information. There are no accounts, identity or any personal data attached. We have no idea who you are or what you are using Vaultaire for.
