Search inside a Cryptile vault
Search finds items in an open vault by name, by folder and, with Plus, by the words inside them. The text is read on your phone when you add an item and is stored inside the encrypted vault.
Try Cryptile free: join the beta on TestFlight
What do I need to know?
- Free searches names and folders. Plus also searches the text in photos, PDFs and notes.
- Nothing leaves the phone. Text recognition runs on the device, with no server involved.
- Reading happens at import. Items added on the free plan become searchable by text once you upgrade.
How do I search my vault?
- Open Cryptile and draw the pattern for the vault you want.
- If you use folders, tap All to search the whole vault. Inside a folder, search covers only that folder.
- Tap the search field at the top. If you do not see it, pull down on the vault.
- Type a word, such as a name on an ID card or a policy number.
- Tap an item to open it. Clear the field to see everything again.
Turn off Favourites only in the More menu if it is on. It also filters search results.
What does search read?
- Photos. Printed text in a photo or screenshot, such as a receipt, a card or a letter.
- PDFs. The text layer of the first 20 pages.
- Notes. The full text of your secure notes.
Videos and other file types are found by name and folder only. Up to 4,000 characters are kept per item.
What does search protect against?
- Uploading documents to find them. You do not need a cloud service that reads your files.
- Leaving text readable on disk. The recognised text lives in the vault's index, which is AES-256-GCM ciphertext.
- Searches showing up elsewhere. Vault items do not appear in the iPhone's own search.
What does search not protect against?
- Recognition mistakes. Blurry photos and unusual fonts can be misread or missed.
- Someone with the vault open. They can search it too. Lock it when you put the phone down.
- Other vaults. Search covers only the vault that is open, by design.
- A short vault pattern. Use 8 or more cells.
Search is part of Plus at $19.99 a year (7-day free trial) or $39.99 once. Read the security page for the full limits.