Which lock should a photo vault use: PIN, passcode, pattern or Face ID?

What York Vault offers

York Vault offers three lock types, Face ID or Touch ID on top, a wait after wrong codes, and auto-lock. On Android, a fingerprint or face takes the place of Face ID. You can change the lock type at any time. These options are also in the app:

• Hide the code while you type. One switch hides the pattern line, the PIN dots, key highlights and key vibrations, so a person who watches or records the screen sees nothing useful.
• Live hints for weak codes. York Vault flags common PINs, repeats, runs, and simple pattern shapes such as an L or a Z. For a passcode, it shows an estimate of the time to guess it. You can keep a code after a warning.
• Open on the last digit. A PIN or pattern opens as soon as it is complete, with no Enter key. A passcode opens with Return.
• A shuffled keypad. Off by default. The digits move to new places each time you open the app.
• A second code for the same library. Add up to 2 extra codes, for example a short PIN for daily use and a long passcode as a backup.
• A lock button. Tap it in the library header, or press Command L on an iPad or Mac keyboard.
• Accessible unlock. Every lock type works with VoiceOver. Pattern dots have labels and a hold-to-connect mode.
• Face ID plus the code (Plus and Pro). This option needs both every time. Your library key opens only when both are present, so it is a real split of the key, not a screen check.
• Location lock (Plus and Pro). Pick up to 5 trusted places. Outside them, your real code opens the cover library or shows a wrong-code message, as you choose. Your recovery key still opens the real library anywhere.

The three code types

You pick one at setup. All three open the same key for your library, so the choice never changes how York Vault stores your items. York Vault does not store the code itself. The code is the input that opens the key, so a code that is never typed cannot be read from the phone.

Lock type	Rule	Good for
Pattern	A 4x4 grid (default) or 5x5. At least 6 dots and 1 change of direction.	People who remember shapes better than numbers.
PIN	6 to 16 digits. 4 or 5 digits only after a warning that shows how few guesses they take.	Fast daily use with one hand.
Passcode	At least 8 characters. Letters, numbers, symbols, accents and emoji all work.	The strongest choice against a person who watches you.

Common PINs such as 1234, 0000 and 123456 get a warning. You can still keep them, and the warning shows why they are weak. To test a PIN or passcode before you set it, use the free password and PIN strength checker.

A passcode with an accent or an emoji is a known trap. Private Photo Vault’s app text says “Emoji passwords are no longer supported”. In the 836 App Store reviews we studied, users also said a correct code stopped working after an update. York Vault stores every character in one fixed form before it uses the code. So the same passcode keeps working after an app update or a change of phone language.

How setup works

1. Open York Vault for the first time.
2. Pick Pattern, PIN or Passcode. PIN is selected first.
3. Set your code and enter it a second time.
4. Write down your 12-word recovery key and type 3 of the words back.
5. Turn on Face ID or Touch ID if you want it.

How Face ID fits in

Face ID is a shortcut, not a second lock type. When you turn it on, York Vault keeps a key in the iPhone’s Secure Enclave that only a matching face or finger can release. On Android, the key sits in Android Keystore, in StrongBox where the phone has it. Only a fingerprint or face check that Android rates as strong (Class 3) can release it.

Three rules make it safer than the usual setup:

• The fallback is your York Vault code. It is never the iPhone passcode. Apple’s Hidden album works the other way. Apple says it “requires Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode to unlock it”, and that passcode is the one for the whole iPhone. A partner or parent who knows the iPhone passcode can open it. See the Hidden album guide.
• A new face or finger turns Face ID off. If someone adds a face or fingerprint in iOS Settings, Face ID in York Vault stops until you type your code once.
• Face ID opens only the main library. A cover library always needs its own code.

You can also ask York Vault to need the code after a restart and after 48 hours, which matches what iOS does for the iPhone itself. Apple puts the chance that a random person opens an iPhone with Face ID at “less than 1 in 1,000,000”. Apple says the odds are higher for twins, siblings and children under 13. Apple also says apps only learn “whether the authentication is successful”. York Vault never sees face data.

What happens after wrong codes

After 5 wrong codes, York Vault adds a wait: 30 seconds, then 1 minute, 5 minutes, 15 minutes and 1 hour. After that, each new wrong code keeps the 1-hour wait. Changing the phone clock or deleting and adding the app again does not reset the count.

Every guess must happen on your phone, because the Secure Enclave, or Android Keystore on Android, takes part in each open. A copy of the files on a computer gives nobody a way to test codes. Each wrong code also goes into your attempts, with a photo if you turn that on.

Changing the lock later

In settings, enter your current code or your recovery key, then pick any lock type. Only the outer lock changes, so the switch takes under 1 second whether you have 50 items or 50,000.

Your recovery key, cover code, erase code and album codes stay valid. Other apps handle this differently, according to the text inside their app packages that we read in September 2026:

• NQ Vault re-encrypts every photo and video when the passcode changes, and warns that it “may take a few minutes”.
• Vaultaire makes a new recovery phrase when the pattern changes, so the old paper copy stops working.
• Keepsafe clears its Secondary PIN and turns it off when the lock type changes.

Auto-lock

By default, York Vault locks the moment it goes to the background, when a call comes in, and when the screen locks. You can add a grace period of 30 seconds, 1 minute or 5 minutes, at no cost. Keepsafe’s app text says “PIN Timeout is a Keepsafe Premium feature.” The app switcher always shows a plain cover, even during a grace period. See quick exit.

How other apps lock

App	Lock types	Face ID	Where we read it
Vaultaire	Pattern only	Not offered. Its manifesto says biometric unlock “can be legally compelled”.	Manifesto and pattern guide
Private Photo Vault	PIN, pattern, password	Yes, plus a Dual Lock that needs both	App Store listing and app text
Keepsafe	PIN or pattern	Yes, with the note “anyone with a fingerprint registered to this phone will be able to access your Keepsafe”	App Store listing and app text
LockMyPix	PIN or password	Yes. The listing says “Select from Face ID, PIN, Password or Fingerprint”.	App Store listing
NQ Vault	PIN of 3 to 15 digits	Touch ID and Face ID	App Store listing and app text

Vaultaire’s own guide makes the case against patterns. It cites a study where watchers repeated a traced pattern “around 64 percent of the time” and a six-digit PIN about 11 percent of the time. That is why York Vault offers all three types, and a switch that hides the pattern line.

To compare whole apps, see the best photo vault apps for iPhone. All lock types, Face ID and the Android fingerprint option are on the Free plan. Face ID plus the code and location lock are in Plus and Pro. See pricing.