How to Switch From Keepsafe to Another Photo Vault
Switching vaults means moving every photo out of Keepsafe, into the new vault, and then cleaning up. The photos pass briefly through your Photos library on the way. Do it in one sitting and delete the leftovers straight after.
Do not delete Keepsafe until the new vault has everything. Deleting an app deletes the data stored in it.
Try Cryptile free: join the beta on TestFlight
What do I need to know?
- Count first. Note how many photos and videos each Keepsafe album holds.
- Make sure everything is on the phone. Keepsafe's App Store listing describes a Private Cloud. Items stored only there may need downloading first.
- Exported photos are unprotected until they are re-imported. Keep the gap short.
How do I export photos from Keepsafe?
We could not check Keepsafe's own export steps today, so these are the general steps. Confirm them in the help section of the Keepsafe app or on getkeepsafe.com before you start.
- Open Keepsafe and unlock it.
- Open an album and tap Select.
- Select the photos and videos you want to move.
- Use the share or export option to save them to your iPhone's Photos library.
- Repeat for each album.
Exported photos usually keep their original dates, so they may not appear at the end of your library. Make a new album in Photos, such as To move, and add them to it.
How do I bring them into Cryptile?
- Open Cryptile and draw a pattern of at least 8 cells. A new pattern opens a new, empty vault.
- Write down the 9-word recovery phrase on paper. There is no reset.
- Tap Add → New folder for each Keepsafe album you want to keep separate.
- Open a folder, tap Add → Photos & videos, and pick the exported photos.
- When Cryptile asks, delete the originals from Photos.
If you used Keepsafe's fake PIN for a second set of albums, use a second pattern in Cryptile. Each pattern opens its own vault, and there is no vault list.
How do I clean up afterwards?
- Compare the count in Cryptile with your Keepsafe count.
- In Photos, open Recently Deleted and delete the moved photos. Otherwise they stay for 30 days.
- Delete the To move album.
- Delete the Keepsafe app only when the counts match.
How do I cancel my Keepsafe subscription?
If you pay through the App Store, deleting the app does not cancel the subscription. Apple's cancel a subscription page gives these steps:
- Open Settings and tap your name.
- Tap Subscriptions, then tap the subscription.
- Tap Cancel Subscription. You may need to scroll down.
What this doesn't protect against
While photos sit in your Photos library, iCloud Photos may upload them and a Shared Library may share them. Do the move on a single device, and check your sharing settings first. Anyone who watches you draw your new pattern can open the new vault.
Do it with Cryptile
Cryptile encrypts every photo, video and thumbnail with AES-256-GCM under a key made on your device from your pattern. There is no account and no server, and the source of its core is published for audit.
Cryptile is free for up to 2 vaults, 100 photos and 10 videos. Plus removes the limits for $19.99 a year (7-day free trial) or $39.99 once, with no weekly or monthly plans.