Offline Photo Vault for iPhone: No Account Needed
An offline photo vault stores your photos and their keys on your iPhone, with no account and no company server in between. Cryptile works this way. The key comes from a pattern you draw on your phone, and there is nothing to sign up for.
Try Cryptile free: join the beta on TestFlight
What do I need to know?
- No account means no password to leak. There is no login for anyone to phish or reset.
- No server means no copy with the developer. Nobody else holds your key.
- You are the only way back in. Lose the unlock and the recovery method, and the photos are gone.
Why choose a vault without an account?
An account ties your photos to an email address and a company login. If that company is breached or asked for data, your account is part of it. A vault without an account has nothing to hand over: no email, no user list, no keys on a server.
It also means no "forgot password" link. That is the point, and the cost.
What should I check before I trust one?
- Does it encrypt every file? A lock screen in front of readable files is not a vault.
- Where is the key made? It should be made on your device from something only you know.
- Does it need an account to work? If sign-up is required, it is not offline.
- Is the backup encrypted before it leaves? Ask whether the backup provider could read it.
- Does it state its limits? Honest apps say what they cannot protect against.
Our list of checks for any photo vault goes further.
Does an offline vault mean no backup?
Not with Cryptile. Its iCloud backup is encrypted on your phone first, so Apple stores only encrypted data. You restore it on a new phone with the vault's 9-word recovery phrase. Backup is on by default, and you can turn it off for a vault that never leaves the device.
Compare that with iCloud Photos. Under standard data protection, Apple holds the keys and can decrypt Photos and iCloud Backup for you. Advanced Data Protection changes that, from iOS 16.2. (Apple)
What do I give up?
- No sync. A vault lives on one device. Sync between devices is coming and not available yet.
- No Mac app yet. It is coming and not available yet.
- No reset. Write the recovery phrase on paper and keep it somewhere safe.
How do I set up an offline vault in Cryptile?
- Install Cryptile. There is no sign-up screen.
- Draw a pattern of 8 or more cells and confirm it.
- Write down the 9-word recovery phrase on paper.
- Tap Add → Photos & videos, or Take photo with the in-app camera.
- Delete the originals from Photos, then from Recently Deleted.
What this doesn't protect against
No account means nobody can help you recover a lost vault. A pattern is weaker than a long passphrase, so use 8 or more cells. Anyone who sees you draw it can open the vault. Malware on the phone can read a vault while it is open.
Do it with Cryptile
Cryptile encrypts every photo, video, file and thumbnail with AES-256-GCM. The key is made on your phone from your pattern. There is no account and no server, and the developer never holds keys.
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. The price is the same every day.