Feature
How do I share a private photo without its location?
Share from York Vault. Before an item leaves, York Vault removes its GPS location, camera serial number, device model, dates and other photo details. A preview shows what goes, and a switch keeps the details for one share if you want them. The original in your library keeps everything, encrypted. There is no item limit, and full videos work.
What a photo carries
A photo file holds more than the picture. Your phone’s camera writes details into it. These include the GPS location, the date and time, the phone model and often a camera serial number. Apple’s safety guide puts it plainly: “When photos and videos that include location metadata are shared, the people you share them with may be able to access the location metadata and learn where it was taken.”
A photo from your home can give away your address. York Vault removes these details by default, every time you share.
What York Vault removes
When you share or export, York Vault removes these from the copy:
- GPS location
- Camera serial number
- Device model
- Dates
- Other camera details in the file
Before you share, a preview shows what York Vault removes. Sometimes you need the details, for example on a photo for a lawyer. Turn on Keep details for that share only. The next share removes them again.
Your original does not change. It keeps every detail inside York Vault, encrypted, so your albums and dates still work for you.
Three ways to share
| Share sheet | Password-locked file | Private link | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What the other person gets | A normal copy | One encrypted .york file | A link to encrypted items |
| Details removed | Yes, by default | Yes, by default | Yes, by default |
| Stays encrypted | No | Until they type the passphrase | Yes |
| Expires | No | No | Yes |
| Needs York Vault | No | York Vault, or the App Clip on iPhone | No |
| Plan | Free | Free | Free, with more controls in Plus and Pro |
Share through the share sheet
The share sheet sends items to Messages, Mail, a chat app or Files. York Vault puts no limit on the number of items, and long videos go out at full size. If an app or a form needs a smaller photo, our free image resizer makes a copy at the size you set, in your browser.
The first time you share, York Vault tells you that the copy leaves its protection. A file in another app is a normal file there. It can sync to that app’s cloud, and the other person can forward it. York Vault does not repeat the message every time.
Send a password-locked file
Some people prefer a file to a link. York Vault can pack your items into one .york file locked with a one-time passphrase.
- Pick the items.
- Choose the password-locked file.
- York Vault makes the passphrase and shows it to you.
- Send the file in one app.
- Send the passphrase in a different app, or say it in person.
The file opens in York Vault on iPhone or Android. On an iPhone without York Vault, it opens in the App Clip. Keep the file and the passphrase apart. A person who has both can open it. To lock a file for someone who does not use York Vault, the free file encryption tool writes the open age format.
Free on every plan
Sharing never depends on a plan. The share sheet, the password-locked file and the detail removal are free, also after a trial ends. See what stays free.
How other apps share
| App | Sharing | Where we read it |
|---|---|---|
| Private Photo Vault | “You can share up to 20 items at a time.” On one path: “Video sharing isn’t supported yet.” | App package |
| Keepsafe | The listing says “files must be decrypted when exported”. | App Store listing |
| LockMyPix | “Share with password” makes an encrypted package: “It is not possible to unlock the shared and encrypted files without your set password.” | App package |
| NQ Vault | “Vault can no longer protect content once it is sent.” | App package |
We read each app package in September 2026 and checked the listings on 2026-10-03. NQ Vault’s line is true of every app, York Vault too. A copy that leaves is outside the app’s control.
For a copy that stays encrypted and expires, use a private share link. To bring photos in and remove the originals from Photos, see import and cleanup. Before you choose an app, read are photo vault apps safe.
Questions people ask
Does a shared photo show its location?
It can. Apple says the people you share a photo with may be able to learn where you took it. York Vault removes the GPS location and other details before an item leaves. A switch keeps them for one share if you need them.
Does York Vault change my original photo?
No. York Vault removes the details only from the copy that you share or export. The original in your library keeps its location, dates and camera details, encrypted. Your own albums and search still work.
How many photos can I share at once?
There is no limit in York Vault, and full videos work. Some vault apps limit this. Sharing is free on every plan. Some vault apps limit it: Private Photo Vault's app text says "You can share up to 20 items at a time."
How do I send a password-protected photo file?
Share your items as one password-locked .york file. York Vault makes a one-time passphrase for it. Send the file one way and the passphrase another way. The file opens in York Vault, or on iPhone in the York Vault App Clip, with no install.
Is a shared copy still protected?
Not after it reaches the other app. A copy that you send through the share sheet is a normal file in that app. York Vault tells you this once, the first time you share. For a copy that stays encrypted and expires, use a private link.
Sources
- Manage location metadata in Photos (Apple Personal Safety User Guide) · checked Oct 3, 2026
- Secret Photo Vault: Keepsafe (App Store, US) · checked Oct 3, 2026
- Private Photo Vault - Pic Safe (App Store, US) · checked Oct 3, 2026
