Face ID Plus a Decoy Vault: Does It Hold Up?
Face ID and a decoy password pull in opposite directions. A decoy works because you choose which secret to give. Face ID gives the same answer every time, to anyone who can point the phone at you.
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What do I need to know?
- Face ID opens one fixed vault. If that is your real vault, your face is the way in.
- A decoy must look ordinary. No vault list, no "decoy" label in settings, no different screen.
- Cryptile has no Face ID. Every vault opens by pattern, and a different pattern opens a different vault.
Why does Face ID weaken a decoy?
A decoy is for the moment someone makes you open the app. You draw or type the decoy secret, they see a believable vault, and the real one stays shut.
Face ID removes that choice. If it is turned on, the person can say "use your face". Whatever vault Face ID is tied to opens. If they know the app supports Face ID, refusing it looks suspicious too.
Apple's own figures show Face ID is hard to fool by chance: under 1 in 1,000,000 for a random person (Apple: about Face ID). The risk is not chance. It is someone with you, holding the phone.
What should I check in a vault that offers both?
- Which vault does Face ID open? If it can only open the real one, leave Face ID off.
- Is there a list of vaults anywhere? A settings screen that names a "decoy" gives it away.
- Is each vault encrypted with its own key? If a decoy only hides a folder, anyone who copies the files can read it.
- Does the decoy look the same as the real one? Same screens, same menus, same speed.
- What happens after wrong attempts? An "intruder" photo is a nice extra. It proves nothing about the encryption.
Can I use Face ID for the iPhone and a pattern for the vault?
Yes, and that split is reasonable. Face ID protects the phone in your pocket. The vault pattern protects the photos when the phone is already unlocked and in someone else's hands.
You can also lock the vault app itself behind Face ID with iOS. Touch and hold the icon and tap Require Face ID (Apple: lock or hide an app). That adds a layer, but a forced Face ID unlock gets past it.
How does Cryptile handle decoys?
Cryptile unlocks by pattern only. There is no Face ID, Touch ID or passcode option.
- Every pattern opens its own vault. A pattern you have not drawn before opens a new, empty one.
- There is no vault list, and nothing marks a vault as a decoy.
- Each vault's key is made from its pattern on your device. Files are AES-256-GCM encrypted.
- Storage is padded and spare slots hide how many vaults exist. Total size still shows.
The free plan includes 2 vaults, so you can try a decoy before you pay. Plus adds more vaults and a panic pattern, which destroys this device's keys until you restore from the recovery phrase.
What this doesn't protect against
A decoy only helps if it looks lived-in. An empty vault invites a second question. Anyone who watches you draw the real pattern has it. Total storage size is not hidden. A large vault on a phone with few visible photos can raise suspicion.
Do it with Cryptile
Cryptile derives each vault's key from your pattern on your device. A different pattern opens a different vault, and there is no account and no server.
Cryptile is free for up to 2 vaults, 100 photos and 10 videos, with encrypted iCloud backup included. Plus adds more decoy vaults and the panic pattern for $19.99 a year (7-day free trial) or $39.99 once.