How to Get Photos Out of a Vault App on iPhone
Open the vault, select the photo, and look for a save or share option. Almost every vault app can copy a photo back to Photos or hand it to the iOS share sheet.
You need to be able to unlock the vault. No app can export photos from a vault you cannot open.
Try Cryptile free: join the beta on TestFlight
What do I need to know?
- Exporting makes a normal copy. Once it is in Photos, it is no longer protected by the vault.
- Do it before you delete the app. Deleting an app can delete everything stored inside it.
- Check the copy arrived. Open Photos and look at the newest items before you remove anything from the vault.
How do I get photos out of a vault app?
The names differ by app, but the pattern is the same:
- Unlock the vault and open the album or folder.
- Touch and hold a photo, or tap Select and choose several.
- Look for Save to Photos, Export, Unhide or a Share button.
- Choose where to send it: the Photos app, Files, AirDrop or another app.
- Open the destination and check the photo is there and opens.
If you only see a share button, look in the share sheet that opens. It lists the places on your phone that can take the photo.
How do I get photos out of Cryptile?
- Draw the pattern for the vault that holds the photo.
- Touch and hold the photo or video.
- Tap Save a copy to Photos. The first time, iOS asks to let Cryptile add to your library.
- For other files, or to send somewhere else, tap Share / Save to Files… and pick a destination.
The original stays encrypted in the vault until you delete it. Cryptile does not show up inside the Files app itself yet; that is coming.
I am switching vault apps. What is the safest order?
- Export everything from the old vault to Photos.
- Import it into the new vault. Check the count matches.
- Delete the exported copies from Photos.
- Open Recently Deleted in Photos and delete them there too. Otherwise they stay for 30 days.
- Only then delete the old app.
Our page on what happens when you delete photos explains Recently Deleted. If iCloud Photos is on, exported copies sync to iCloud while they sit in your library. Keep that window short.
I forgot the vault's PIN or pattern. Can I still get my photos?
Only through the app's own recovery route. Some apps reset by email or account. Apps with real encryption cannot, because the key comes from your PIN or pattern. See how to reset a photo vault password for what each kind of app allows.
What this doesn't protect against
An exported photo is an ordinary photo again. It can sync to iCloud, appear in backups and be seen by anyone with your passcode. If you share it, you cannot pull it back from the person who received it.
Do it with Cryptile
Cryptile lets you save a copy to Photos or share a file whenever the vault is open. Your vaults are not locked into the app. Keys come from your pattern on your device, with no account and no server.
Cryptile is free for up to 2 vaults, 100 photos and 10 videos. Plus removes the limits and adds search and the panic pattern. It costs $19.99 a year (7-day free trial) or $39.99 once.