Can a photo vault app have a widget or shortcut that does not give it away?

Why a widget can give a vault away

A home screen is the most public part of a phone. Anyone who borrows it sees the icons, the names and the widgets. In the 836 App Store reviews we studied, 26 say a name or an icon gave a vault app away. One user wrote: “It’s not really private if it indicates Private.”

A widget adds a new risk. A widget that shows a recent photo, an item count or an album name tells a person nearby what the app holds. So York Vault puts no content in any entry point outside the app.

What each entry point does

Entry point	Where	Off by default	What a tap does
Widget	iPhone, iPad and Android	Yes	Opens the camera or the lock screen
Shortcuts actions	iPhone and iPad	No, they wait in the Shortcuts app	Locks York Vault or opens its camera
Quick actions	iPhone, iPad and Android	Yes	New photo or Lock

None of these shows a photo, a thumbnail, a count or an album name. None of them sends anything to Siri suggestions.

The widget

The widget is off by default. When you turn it on, its label matches the icon you chose for York Vault. If you use the calculator icon, the widget does not say “vault”. It shows no content at all.

To add it on iPhone or iPad:

1. Turn on the widget in York Vault settings.
2. On the Home Screen, touch and hold an empty area until the apps jiggle.
3. Tap Edit, then tap Add Widget.
4. Select York Vault, choose a size, then tap Add Widget.
5. Tap Done.

To add it on Android:

1. Turn on the widget in York Vault settings.
2. On a Home screen, touch and hold an empty space.
3. Tap Widgets, then find York Vault.
4. Touch and hold the widget, slide it into place and lift your finger.

On Android, each York Vault icon has its own home screen name, and the widget label follows it. On iPhone, the home screen name is “YV” under every icon. See disguise icons.

Actions for the Shortcuts app

On iPhone and iPad, York Vault adds two actions to the Shortcuts app. One locks York Vault. The other opens the York Vault camera, which saves straight into your library.

Apple says app actions can run from Siri, from Spotlight and from your own shortcuts. Apple also lets you set the Action button on iPhone to run an app action. So you can put the lock action on the Action button and lock York Vault with one press.

No York Vault action returns content. A shortcut cannot read a photo, a file name or a count from York Vault. York Vault also does not donate actions to Siri suggestions. So Siri does not offer York Vault actions on its own. The same rule keeps York Vault out of search. See screenshot protection.

Quick actions on the icon

Quick actions show when you touch and hold an app icon. In York Vault they are off by default. When you turn them on, they use neutral titles: New photo and Lock.

A test sets the calculator icon and touches and holds it. Only the neutral actions may appear. Nothing in the menu may hint that York Vault holds a library. Read more about the calculator disguise.

On Android, Google describes the same gesture: touch and hold the app, then lift your finger, and a list of shortcuts appears.

Faster ways to leave

A widget or a shortcut helps you open York Vault or lock it on purpose. To lock it the moment someone walks up, use quick exit, such as turning the phone face down.