Open-source encryption · No tracking · No accounts

Your private
photo vault.

Hide your photos and videos behind AES-256-GCM encryption. No accounts, no cloud, no data collection. The code that encrypts your files is open source.

AES-256-GCM Encryption AES-256-GCM with 600,000-round PBKDF2 key derivation on every photo, video, and database
Fully Offline Zero network access required. Works on a plane, underground, anywhere
Buy It Outright Subscribe monthly or yearly, or pay once for Pro with no renewals. Most vault apps offer no way to buy at all
No Account, No Email No sign-up, no login, nothing to create. Open the app and go

How Obscura Photo Vault works

Three steps. Everything happens on your device.

1

Set a password

Create a vault with your own password. It never leaves your device and is never stored anywhere.

2

Import your photos

Move photos and videos from your camera roll directly into the vault. The originals can be deleted from Photos.

3

They're encrypted instantly

Every file is protected with AES-256-GCM the moment it arrives. No server call, no cloud upload, no account sync. Without your password, the files are unreadable binary data to anyone, including us.

What most photo vault apps don't tell you

The category is full of vague claims. Here's the honest difference.

Most photo vault apps
Obscura Photo Vault
✗Store photos on a remote server
✓Everything stays on your device
✗Require an account to function
✓No account, no email, no login
✗Include analytics or tracking SDKs
✓Zero data collection, zero telemetry
✗Subscription only, no way to buy
✓Subscribe, or buy Pro outright for $39.99 USD
✗Vague "military-grade" claims, cipher never named
✓Named cipher: AES-256-GCM with 600K PBKDF2 rounds
✗Closed code: you have to take their word for it
✓Open-source encryption you can read and test yourself
✗Password recovery exists, meaning there is a back door
✓No recovery means no back door. Encryption-first by design

* Based on publicly listed pricing and features of the top-ranked photo vault apps in the App Store as of October 2026.

Encryption

Encryption that doesn't cut corners

Every photo, video, and database is protected with AES-256, the same standard used to protect classified government information.

✓ The code that encrypts your files is open source. Anyone can read it, run its tests, and check that the files on their own iPhone match it: ObscuraCrypto on GitHub
✓ Your password is run through 600,000 rounds of PBKDF2 before becoming a key. Guessing it by trial and error would take longer than any attacker can afford.
✓ Videos are decrypted only while you are watching them. No unencrypted copy of a video ever lands on your phone's storage
✓ Face ID and Touch ID unlock via Secure Enclave key storage
✓ Auto-lock with a configurable timeout, so a phone left unattended does not leave your vault open
✓ The moment the vault locks, encryption keys are wiped from memory immediately. Nothing lingers that someone could later recover
✓ When you unlock, the app checks every vault before showing a result. The time it takes is designed not to reveal which vault you opened
✓ Each vault is padded with random data to a random size between 2 and 15 MB, so empty vaults and vaults with photos look about the same on disk
256-bit AES-GCM key size
600K PBKDF2 rounds
0 Data collected
10 Encrypted vault slots
Obscura Photo Vault encrypting and saving photos with AES-256-GCM
Separate Vaults

Hidden in plain sight.

Obscura Photo Vault keeps 10 encrypted vault slots in place at all times. Only your password unlocks a real vault. If you want extra protection in case someone asks to see your photos, create a second vault and fill it with photos you are comfortable sharing. When asked, you can unlock that one instead, and they see a real, unlocked vault with real content. Inside the app there is no vault list, no count, and no way to browse between vaults, no matter how many you have. On your phone's storage, real and empty vaults are built the same way and given the same random padding, so even someone with direct access to your files would have a hard time telling which is which.

Read the full details and best practices.

Obscura Photo Vault unlock screen with Create New Vault, each vault opened by its own password

From the founder

Why Obscura Photo Vault exists

I built Obscura Photo Vault after realising the photo vault apps at the top of the App Store either send your photos to a server, charge $120 a year for the privilege, or both. There was no app that worked the way privacy actually works: completely offline, no account, no analytics, and the choice to buy it rather than rent it indefinitely.

So I built it. If something isn't working or you have a question, email support@orlio.io. I read every message.

Andrew, Founder

Everything Obscura Photo Vault does.

Security at the core. A full set of photo tools. All offline. All encrypted.

Security

AES-256 Encryption

Every photo, video, and database entry encrypted with AES-256. Keys stay on your device.

Face ID & Touch ID

Biometric unlock stored in the Secure Enclave. Your biometrics never leave your device.

Separate Vaults

10 vaults on your phone, whether you use them all or not. Empty vaults look the same as real ones, so it is hard to tell which is which.

Memory Wipe on Lock

Keys are zeroed from memory the moment a vault locks, and folder keys as soon as the app goes to the background, so nothing recoverable lingers.

Folder Passwords

Add a second password to any folder. Even with the vault unlocked, folder-protected photos stay encrypted until you enter the folder password.

Open-Source Encryption

The code that encrypts your files is published on GitHub. Anyone can read it, run its tests, and check it against the files on their own iPhone.

Tools

Built-in Photo Editor

Crop, rotate, and flip without ever leaving the encrypted vault.

Collages

Combine several photos into one layout and save the result straight back into the vault.

Tags

Label photos and filter a folder down to what you are looking for. Tags are stored in the encrypted database, never written into the files.

Favorites

Mark the photos you keep coming back to, then show only those with a single tap.

Manual Arrange

Drag photos into any order you like. Your arrangement sticks, instead of being ruled by capture date.

Live Photo Extraction

Extract individual frames from Live Photos directly inside the vault.

Backup & Access

Encrypted Export

Export your vault as an encrypted .obscura file. Safe to store in iCloud or anywhere.

Auto-Lock

The vault locks itself after a timeout you choose, so it never stays open on a phone you put down.

Fully Offline

Zero internet required. No servers, no accounts, no way for anyone to see your photos.

A look inside

The screenshots from our App Store listing.

Start free. Upgrade when ready.

Full encryption is free. Upgrade to remove every limit, on whichever plan suits you.

Most photo vault apps rent by the year and offer no way to buy at all. Obscura Photo Vault does, for $39.99 USD once.*

Free
$0
Start today, no credit card needed
✓ AES-256 encryption
✓ Face ID & Touch ID
✓ Photo editing & collages
✓ Auto-lock
✓ Tags, favorites & manual arrange
✓ Duplicate detection
✓ Folder-level passwords
✓ Encrypted vault export & import
× Up to 50 photos (not unlimited)
× Single vault only
Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play
Pro
$29.99USD
per year, after a 7-day free trial
Yearly7 days free, then $2.50 a month billed yearly $29.99 USD
MonthlyCancel any time $6.99 USD
LifetimeOne payment, no renewals $39.99 USD

Prices shown in US dollars. The App Store charges in your local currency, so the amount will differ outside the US.

✓ Everything in the free tier
✓ Unlimited photos & videos
✓ Unlimited vaults
✓ Separate Vaults design for extra privacy
Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play

Download free, upgrade to Pro inside the app

* Based on publicly listed pricing of the top-ranked photo vault apps in the App Store as of October 2026. Prices shown are for the US App Store and vary by country.

Common questions

Straight answers to the questions people ask before downloading.

What happens if I forget my password?
Your photos cannot be recovered. There is no reset, no back door, no recovery email. This is by design: your photos never leave your device, so we have no way to access them. Write your password down and store it somewhere safe.
Does Obscura Photo Vault connect to the internet?
Never, for photos. The app requires zero network access to function. Your password never leaves your device.
Can Obscura Photo Vault employees see my photos?
No. Your photos are encrypted on-device before anything happens with them. There is no server, no account system, and no technical mechanism to access your data. Obscura Photo Vault itself does not collect installation, usage, or analytics data.
Is my vault included in iCloud Backup?
Yes, by default. iCloud Backup is what iOS uses to back up your entire phone (apps, settings, and data) so you can restore everything when switching to a new device or after a loss. Obscura Photo Vault's vault data is included in that backup automatically. Because every file is already encrypted on your device before the backup runs, whatever ends up in iCloud is encrypted binary data. Without your vault password it is unreadable to anyone, including Apple. To exclude the vault from iCloud Backup: Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Manage Storage > Backups > [your device] > Show All Apps > toggle off Obscura Photo Vault.
What are Separate Vaults and why do they matter?

Separate Vaults is Obscura Photo Vault's privacy feature that makes it hard to tell which of your vaults hold real photos and which are empty. It works on two levels.

Inside the app, there is no vault list, no count, and no way to browse between vaults. No matter how many vaults you have, the app reveals nothing about them. The only way into a vault is to enter its specific password.

On your phone's storage, Obscura Photo Vault keeps 10 encrypted vaults in place at all times. The unused ones are real, valid vaults, just empty, built the same way as your real ones. Even someone with direct access to your phone's files would have a hard time telling which of the 10 vaults hold real content.

If someone asks to see your photos, you can fill a second vault with photos you are comfortable sharing, and unlock that one. They see a normal vault with normal content. Read the full details and best practices.

Is Obscura Photo Vault free?
Obscura Photo Vault is free to download and use with full AES-256-GCM encryption, Face ID and Touch ID unlock, photo editing, and auto-lock. The free tier includes folder-level passwords, encrypted vault export, tags, favorites and collages, and supports up to 50 photos in a single vault. Obscura Pro removes those two limits: unlimited photos and videos, and unlimited vaults. Pro is $6.99 a month or $29.99 a year, with a 7-day free trial on the yearly plan, and can also be bought outright for $39.99 with no renewals. Those are US dollar prices; the App Store charges in your local currency, so the amount differs by country.
What happens if my subscription ends?
Nothing in your vault is locked or deleted. Every photo and video you have already saved stays exactly where it is, and you can keep viewing, organizing, exporting and deleting them just as before. Your vaults, folders and folder passwords all keep working. The only thing that stops is adding more: you return to the free tier, so new imports pause once you reach the free limit of 50 photos. You can import again after deleting enough to get back under it, or subscribe again at any time. Obscura Pro can also be bought outright as a one-time purchase that never expires.
How do I hide photos on my iPhone?
Download Obscura Photo Vault from the App Store, set a password, and import the photos you want to protect. Each photo is encrypted with AES-256-GCM the moment it enters the vault. Once imported, you can delete the originals from your photo library. Your hidden photos are only accessible by entering your vault password or using Face ID.
What encryption does Obscura Photo Vault use?
Obscura Photo Vault uses AES-256-GCM, the same encryption standard trusted by banks and governments. Your password is run through 600,000 rounds of PBKDF2 key derivation, which makes guessing attacks impractical. Encryption keys live only in memory and are erased the moment the vault locks. When you unlock, the app checks every vault before showing a result, so the time it takes is designed not to reveal which vault is yours. Each vault is padded with random data to a random size between 2 and 15 MB, so empty and lightly used vaults look about the same on disk.
Is Obscura Photo Vault open source?
The encryption is. The code that turns your password into a key and encrypts your photos, videos, folder passwords and backups is published as the open-source ObscuraCrypto package on GitHub, with tests and sample files made by the app, so anyone can read it and check their own vault files against it. The rest of the app, such as its screens and its database, is not open source.
How is Obscura Photo Vault different from the iPhone Hidden Album?
The built-in Hidden Album in iOS moves photos out of your main library but does not encrypt them. Anyone with your device passcode can access the Hidden Album. Obscura Photo Vault encrypts every photo individually with AES-256-GCM and requires a separate vault password. Obscura Photo Vault also includes the Separate Vaults feature, works fully offline, and collects no usage analytics or telemetry.
Can I move my vault to a new iPhone?
Yes. If you restore from an iCloud or local backup, your encrypted vault transfers automatically. You can also use the encrypted .obscura export feature to create a portable vault file and import it on your new device. The export file is fully encrypted and can only be opened with your vault password.
Is Obscura Photo Vault safe for storing private photos?
Obscura Photo Vault is designed so that only you can access your photos. Every file is encrypted with AES-256-GCM on your device. There is no server, no account, and no way for anyone, including the developer, to view your data. The app collects zero analytics and requires zero network access. If you forget your password, your photos cannot be recovered, because no back door exists.

Encrypted. Offline. Yours.

Your photos are private by design, not by promise. Free to start, with a 7-day trial on Pro.

Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play