The days of a mobile phone being used exclusively for phone calls and text messages died out with the dinosaurs. Or to be more precise, the Nokia 3310. These days, a smartphone is a personal diary, photo album and PC in one.
You would not leave any of these items lying around for anybody to flick through without permission, so why should your smartphone be any different? A lock screen offers a measure of protection, but you should still take further steps.
The installation of a photo vault is ideal. If you use a photo vault, you will essentially have a safe located within your smartphone. Images can be kept under metaphorical lock and key here, preventing prying – or innocent! – eyes from accessing your content.
This begs a question, though. Which photo vault is best for your needs? We have reviewed 6 of the most prominent examples here to help you protect your privacy.
Keepsafe has been on the market for a while and is arguably the most well-known photo vault app for Android. It’s a very simple design, though it’s also very colourful which may attract attention. Beyond this, however, Keepsafe has a very pleasant UX interface.
You can divide your content into relevant folders, and back them up in the Cloud if you so wish. Keepsafe also has a range of additional security measures, though these are locked firmly behind paywalls.
Overall, Keepsafe is the most popular photo vault app for a reason. It has been around long enough to iron out any kink and has amassed a well-deserved reputation as a reliable way to store private files. Other apps are available though, so we encourage you to explore alternatives before making your choice.
Hide Something is hugely popular, presumably because it is so user-friendly. This app creates a new folder within your smartphone, which can host any images or videos. You can protect this folder with a password, fingerprint or a simple PIN.
Worried that using an app called Hide Something suggests that, well, you have something to hide? This app will not show up in your recently used apps, so anybody that borrows your phone will not have their curiosity piqued.
Another selling point of Hide Something is also a potential drawback. This app will automatically back up anything you save to a Google Drive within the Cloud. This means you can check your photos from another device, or even a desktop PC, which can make sorting easier. Alas, not all users will be comfortable with the security implications inherent in this.
Calculator, designed by FishingNet, is a photo vault with a difference. As the name suggests, this app functions as a calculator. The vault is hidden behind this basic feature, though. Great for disguising the fact that you are burying images and videos. Less ideal if somebody borrows your phone and decides to add up their supermarket shop!
The vault of Calculator is accessed by entering a 4-digit PIN then pressing the = key. Once this is done, the content will be accessible – and heavily encrypted. You can quickly close the vault if somebody is standing over your shoulder by shaking your phone.
Another security feature is the Intruder Selfie. Calculator will automatically take a snapshot of whoever is entering the PIN. You can identify who broke into your vault. The privacy ship may have sailed by this point, but at least you can take action.
A portmanteau of Android and Incognito, Andrognito offers some very solid security options. The encryption software used by this app is worthy of the military, though be warned that it also automatically moves files into a Cloud drive to reduce space used on your appliance.
You’ll need to open your cyber wallet to enjoy the best that Andrognito has to offer. The free version of this app is perfectly serviceable, but it is a little restricted. You’ll only have access to one folder, for example. If you invest in the Pro upgrade, you can create a range of sub-folders. This will also be an ad-free version of the software.
Overall, Andrognito keeps things a lot simpler than the hard-to-pronounce name suggests. Just be aware that you’ll quickly find yourself tempted to upgrade to some of the paid features to make the most of it.
LockMyPix is another vault with highly advanced security. The encryption is extremely strong, and any images or videos can be moved with a single tap of a button. What’s more, this app does not offer the opportunity to back up images to the Cloud. Some users may consider this a negative, others a positive step toward enhanced security.
One thing we like about LockMyPix is that it does not allow screenshots of images that are secured in the vault. If an image is hidden in this app, it’s truly private. It’s virtually impossible to prise something out of LockMyPix that the handset’s owner does not want to be shared.
Have we saved the best for last? That’s for you to decide. We are extremely proud of Cover though, and we hope you’ll give us a shot. Cover is the ultimate all-in-one photo vault that means all your needs will be met with a single download.
The biggest standout of cover is our patented real-time protection. With other photo vault apps, you cannot avoid viewing content that you want to be hidden. Cover, however, will automatically scan and detect explicit images or videos. These files will then be moved immediately. If you don’t want to look at what you have been sent, you will not need to.
Naturally, though, Cover is not interested in censorship. If you want to view the image or video, whether out of curiosity or determine if it meets your definition of explicit, you will be discreetly informed. You can check out the file in the vault, moving it if necessary. Alternatively, if you want nothing to do with anything that could be considered untoward, Cover can automatically block explicit content from within messenger apps.
Naturally, we recommend Cover for all your photo vault needs. The most important thing, however, is that you take appropriate measures to protect your privacy. You cannot really go wrong with any of these apps.