Feature
How do you find one photo fast in a photo vault app?
In York Vault, you search. Type a file name, an album, a type, a date range or a place, on the Free plan. The search index is encrypted and stays on your phone. Filters show photos, videos, documents or favorites in one tap. With Plus or Pro, you can also search for things and words inside pictures, such as passport or receipt.
Why search matters in a vault
People keep thousands of items in a vault: photos, screenshots, scans of IDs and long videos. Scrolling to find one of them is slow, and it keeps the screen open for longer than you want. In our study of 836 App Store reviews, users asked for folders, a stable order and search. No app we studied offers all three without a paywall.
York Vault puts search and filters on the Free plan, on iPhone, iPad and Android.
What can you search for?
Tap the search field at the top of your library and type any of these:
- A file name. York Vault keeps the original file name, also after you rename an item.
- An album. The results show the album and the items in it.
- A type. Photo, video, Live Photo, document, GIF or screenshot.
- A date range. For example, one month or one year.
- A place. York Vault uses the location that the camera saved with the photo.
Results come from an index on your phone. On a library of 50,000 items, results show in under 200 ms.
Filters in one tap
Filter chips sit above the grid. Each chip narrows what you see:
| Filter | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Photos | Still photos only |
| Videos | Videos only |
| Live Photos | Live Photos, with their video part |
| Documents | PDFs, Office files and other documents |
| GIFs | Animated images |
| Screenshots | Screenshots that you added |
| Favorites | Items you marked with the heart |
| Not backed up | Items that are only on this phone |
The Not backed up filter pairs with the backup status. It lists each item that waits, so you know what is only on this phone.
Search inside pictures (Plus and Pro)
With Plus or Pro, York Vault finds things and words inside your pictures. Search for “passport”, “receipt” or “dog”, or for a word in a screenshot or a scan. York Vault builds this index on the phone, in the background, while the phone charges. Nothing leaves the phone for this, and we never see your pictures.
This helps most with documents. In our review study, 9 users said they keep IDs, licenses, insurance cards or credit cards in their vault. With text search, you find the right card by a word on it. See pricing for what each plan includes.
What stays out of search
Some things never show in results:
- Albums with their own code. An album code keeps that album out of search until you open it. A person who opens your library and searches it sees nothing from those albums.
- The iPhone search. York Vault gives no items to Spotlight or Siri Suggestions. A search on the iPhone Home Screen does not show a York Vault file name.
The search index is encrypted, like your items. It does not go to our servers. Read what we can and cannot see for the full list.
How Apple Photos search compares
Apple Photos has its own search. Apple’s guide lists dates, places, people and pets you named, text, and captions. That search works on your open photo library, which has no code of its own. If you cannot find a hidden photo in Apple Photos, see where the Hidden album is.
How other apps do it
| App | Search | Where we read it |
|---|---|---|
| Private Photo Vault | “Search All Albums” sits in its list of paid features. | App text |
| Keepsafe | Filters such as Favorites and “Not backed up”. No search inside the vault found. | App text |
| LockMyPix | “Search files”. | App text |
| Vaultaire | “Search files” by name. Filters for media and documents. | App text |
We read the app text inside each App Store package in September 2026, and checked the listings on 2026-10-02.
Where to go next
Search works best with a clear structure. See albums and organizing for albums inside albums, tags and a lasting manual order.
Questions people ask
How to find hidden photos in a vault app?
Open the app with your code, then use its search or its albums. In York Vault, the search field takes a file name, an album, a type, a date range or a place. Filter chips narrow the grid to photos, videos, documents, screenshots or favorites. All of this is on the Free plan.
Can I search for words inside a screenshot or a scan?
Yes, with Plus or Pro. York Vault reads text and finds things in your pictures on the phone itself, while the phone charges. Then you can search for a word in a screenshot, or for passport, receipt or dog. Nothing leaves the phone for this.
Do my vault photos show up in the iPhone search?
No. York Vault gives nothing to Spotlight or Siri Suggestions, so a search on the iPhone Home Screen does not show a York Vault file name. Inside York Vault, the search index is encrypted and stays on the phone.
Does search show albums that have their own code?
No. An album with its own code stays out of the results until you open it with that code. So a person who opens your library and searches it sees nothing from those albums.
Is search free?
Search by name, album, type, date and place is free, and so are the filters. Search for things and text inside pictures is in Plus and Pro. See the pricing page for what each plan includes.
Sources
- Search for photos and videos on iPhone (Apple Support, iOS 27) · checked Oct 2, 2026
- Private Photo Vault - Pic Safe (App Store, US) · checked Oct 2, 2026
- Secret Photo Vault: Keepsafe (App Store, US) · checked Oct 2, 2026
- LockMyPix Secret Photo Vault (App Store, US) · checked Oct 2, 2026
- Photo Vault - Vaultaire (App Store, US) · checked Oct 2, 2026
