Calculator Vault is a private photo & video vault disguised as a calculator app.
Your photos and videos are encrypted on your device. The calculator works like a normal calculator. Enter your secret PIN and tap % to unlock your vault.
You can also swipe up on the calculator screen to unlock with Face ID or Touch ID.
Optional Backup & Sync with iCloud keeps an encrypted copy in your iCloud so you can sync across devices and restore on a new iPhone or iPad. We never see your media. No app account is required.
The App opens as a working calculator. That is the disguise.
PIN: Type your secret PIN, then tap %. The vault opens.
Face ID / Touch ID: If this is on, swipe up on the calculator screen.
Decoy PIN: Type the decoy PIN, then tap %. The decoy vault opens instead of the real one.
If the number on screen is not your PIN (or decoy PIN), % works as a normal calculator percent key. Someone using the App only sees a calculator.
To set or confirm a PIN on this screen (first setup or change PIN), type the PIN and tap %.
By default, all photos and videos are stored locally on your device, encrypted.
If you turn on Backup & Sync with iCloud, encrypted copies of your main vault are also stored in your iCloud (your Apple ID). We do not operate our own servers, and we cannot read your files.
The decoy vault stays on the device only and is not backed up or synced to iCloud.
Your content is protected using AES-256 encryption, including copies in iCloud if Backup & Sync is on. We do not have the keys to decrypt your vault.
You can lock access to your vault using:
Secret PIN (tap % on the calculator)
Face ID / Touch ID (swipe up)
Recovery Key
Optional Decoy PIN
Hidden Area (see question 6)
Optional album password (see question 7)
Decoy PIN is a secondary PIN that opens a separate vault instead of your real vault.
This feature helps provide extra privacy protection in situations where you may need to unlock the app in front of someone else.
Example:
Main PIN + % → opens your real vault
Decoy PIN + % → opens a decoy vault
The decoy vault is local only. It is not synced to iCloud.
The Hidden Area is a second, extra-private space inside your main vault. You can move sensitive photos, videos, or whole albums there so they no longer appear in the main Photos and Albums lists.
Hide an item (Premium)
Press and hold a photo, video, or album, then tap Hide or Hide Album. You can also select items and hide them. Hidden items leave the main lists.
Open the Hidden Area
Go to Settings > Security.
Turn on Show Hidden Area. This shows Hidden in Settings.
Go to Settings > Hidden.
Authenticate with your vault PIN or Face ID.
If Show Hidden Area is off, the Hidden row is not listed in Settings. Turn it on when you need access; turn it off when you want Hidden to stay out of sight.
To move items back, open Hidden and Unhide them.
If you tapped Allow when you locked the album (so PIN or Face ID can remove the password):
Go to Settings > Security > Unlock Albums.
Select the albums you want to unlock.
Tap Unlock Albums.
Confirm with your vault PIN or Face ID.
The album password is then removed.
If you tapped Lock Anyway when you locked the album, it will not appear in this list. Only that album password can open it. If you forget it, the album stays locked. We cannot reset it. Your vault PIN, Face ID, and recovery key cannot open it.
The recovery key is for the vault (forgot PIN / restore iCloud). It does not remove album passwords.
Deleted items are moved to the Trash, where they are kept for 30 days.
During this time, you can restore them.
After 30 days, items in Trash are permanently deleted and cannot be recovered by us.
If Backup & Sync is on, Trash items may also sync to your iCloud as encrypted data. Emptying Trash removes them from the synced copy as well.
If Face ID / Touch ID is enabled, swipe up on the calculator screen to unlock.
If that isn’t available, use your recovery key on the calculator:
On the calculator lock screen, press and hold the decimal point (.) for 5 seconds. (There is no “Forgot PIN?” label on the calculator — that would break the disguise.)
Enter the recovery key, tap Verify, then set a new PIN.
We cannot recover your PIN. There is no email reset. If you lose your PIN, Face ID / Touch ID, and your recovery key, your vault cannot be recovered.
Forgetting an album password is separate — see question 7.
The App asks you to create a recovery key after you unlock on this version. It is shown as text (XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX) and a QR code. We do not keep a copy. Store it somewhere safe, where others can’t easily find it. Don’t rely on us to recover it.
View it later: Settings > Security > Recovery Key (after you unlock the vault).
If you forget your PIN
Open the lock screen.
On the calculator, press and hold the decimal point (.) for 5 seconds. On the classic PIN screen, tap Forgot PIN?
Enter the key: type it, Scan QR, Choose Image, or Choose File.
Tap Verify, then set a new PIN.
If you get a new device
Install the App, choose Restore from iCloud, restore Premium if needed, enter the same recovery key, then set a PIN for this device.
Treat the recovery key like a password. Anyone who has it may be able to unlock your vault. It does not unlock locked albums (see question 7).
Backup & Sync with iCloud is optional (Premium) and off by default.
When it is on:
Encrypted copies of your main vault go to your iCloud
You can sync across iPhone and iPad
Restore on a new device with your recovery key
Photos stay encrypted — we never see them
We do not use our own cloud or an app account. Backup & Sync uses your existing Apple ID and your iCloud storage. Apple’s iCloud storage limits apply.
We do not share or sell your vault contents.
Off pauses sync on that device. Your iCloud copy stays.
Delete iCloud Copy permanently removes the encrypted copy from your iCloud.
Uninstalling the App does not automatically delete the iCloud copy. Use Delete iCloud Copy in the App (or delete this App’s data from iCloud in your device settings) if you want it gone.
Uninstalling the App removes local content on that device, including items in Trash.
If Backup & Sync was on, the encrypted iCloud copy remains until you delete it (see question 12). You can restore on a new device with Premium and your recovery key.
If Backup & Sync was never on, uninstalling permanently deletes your vault on that device. Export your content first if you still need it.
Install Calculator Vault and choose Restore from iCloud.
Restore your Premium purchase if needed.
Enter your recovery key.
Set a PIN for this device.
You cannot restore by creating a new vault and hoping iCloud fills in. You need the recovery key. We cannot restore the vault for you.
Camera: To take photos/videos directly into your vault, and to scan a recovery key QR code
Photos: To import media from your photo library, and to read a recovery key from an image if you choose
Face ID / Touch ID: To unlock your vault quickly and securely
iCloud: To back up and sync encrypted vault data when you turn on Backup & Sync
On the calculator, type your PIN and tap %, or swipe up for Face ID / Touch ID.
You can change permissions in your device settings. Some features may stop working if a permission is turned off.
Contact us at cungtruong@gmail.com, and we’ll be happy to help.