Which photo vault app for Android encrypts and backs up for free?

The same app on both platforms

York Vault on Android is the full app, not a smaller version. These work the same on an Android phone as on an iPhone:

• Your code: PIN, pattern or passcode. See lock options.
• The cover code and the erase code.
• Album codes and wrong-code photos.
• Quick exit and the calculator front.
• Import, the viewer, export and private share links.
• The 12-word recovery key and the encryption design.

The library format and the keys work the same way on both. That is why a library can move between iPhone and Android. See move between iPhone and Android.

What is different on Android

Android has its own parts for some jobs. York Vault uses them where iOS parts do not exist.

	iPhone and iPad	Android phones and tablets
Store	App Store	Google Play
Free backup	Your own iCloud	Your own Google Drive, in the app data folder
Key protection	Secure Enclave	Android Keystore, in StrongBox where the phone has it
Open without the code	Face ID or Touch ID	Fingerprint or face recognition that Android rates as Class 3
Optional 72-hour recovery	Apple Account	Google account, through Block Store
Screenshots	iOS lets no app block them. York Vault blanks the screen during recording and mirroring	Android blocks screenshots and screen recording on every York Vault screen
Neutral icons	The home screen name is “YV” under every icon	Each icon has its own home screen name

Free backup to your own Google Drive

On Android, York Vault backs up every item to your own Google Drive, on the Free plan. It uses the Drive app data folder. Google describes it this way: “This folder is only accessible by your app and its contents are hidden from the user and from other Google Drive apps.”

York Vault encrypts each item on your phone before upload. Google stores only encrypted data and no key. We hold no copy. The backup status, the background upload, the restore check and backup history work as they do on iPhone. See encrypted backup for how each part works.

The backup counts toward your Google storage. Google says your storage “also counts items left in your Drive Trash, hidden app data, and background system files.” York Cloud in Pro is the other choice for a large library. See pricing.

Keys in Android Keystore

York Vault keeps its keys in Android Keystore. Android Developers say: “Key material never enters the application process.” Some phones have StrongBox, a separate secure chip with “its own CPU” and “secure storage”. York Vault uses it there. On other phones, York Vault uses the trusted execution environment.

Fingerprint and face, strong class only

York Vault accepts only biometrics that Android rates as Class 3. Android calls this level BIOMETRIC_STRONG. Your code still opens York Vault on every phone, with or without a fingerprint sensor.

No screenshots

York Vault sets FLAG_SECURE on every screen. Android Developers explain the effect: “When the screenshot is taken the resulting image is blank.” The same flag also keeps the screen off a TV when you cast.

Android 10 or later

York Vault runs on Android 10 and later. Two parts work less well on Android 10 and 11:

• Screenshot blocking. Google says: “For Android 11 (API 30) and lower FLAG_SECURE is able to help around 70% of the devices reliably. This is because on certain devices keyboard taps can be recorded.”
• Restore with your code alone. On a new phone, your code opens your Drive backup through Google Block Store. Google says Pixel phones can use this cloud restore from Android 9. For other phones, Google says “all other devices must be running Android 12 (API 31) or above”. On other phones with Android 10 or 11, your 12-word recovery key restores your library.

Neutral icons with their own names

On Android, each neutral icon carries its own home screen name. If you pick the budget icon, the name under it can match. On iPhone, the name is “YV” under every icon. See disguise icons.

Recovery through your Google account

The optional 72-hour recovery works on Android through Google Block Store. Google says end-to-end encryption needs “Android 9 or higher”. It also says “the user must have set a screen lock (PIN, pattern, or password)”. During the 72-hour wait, your library stays locked, and the right code or recovery key stops the reset.

Purchases and ads

You buy Plus or Pro through Google Play, and you cancel it in Google Play. A plan follows your library, not the store. A plan that you bought on the App Store also works when the library is on Android. York Vault has no ads on any plan. To measure its own ads, York Vault uses the Google Play Install Referrer and the Android advertising ID. That code never sees your library, file names or codes.