What happens to my photos when my photo vault subscription ends?

The moment a vault plan ends is when many people find out what they were really paying for. In our study of 836 App Store reviews of vault apps, 63 reviews describe files held behind a paywall. The causes were a trial that ended, a downgrade that stalled, or a Trash that only paid users can open. 54 of them are about Keepsafe. This guide sets out what the apps say happens, from their own help pages and listings, checked on 2026-10-09.

What each app says

App	When the paid plan ends	Source
Keepsafe	You switch to Basic to keep using the vault. Only 200 items stay backed up. Space Saver turns off and downloads full-size files. Trash recovery needs Premium	Keepsafe help center
LockMyPix	Premium lists “Instant Cloud Backup”, “Fake Vault”, intruder detection and “Ad-Free”	LockMyPix help center
Private Photo Vault	The listing says the free version does not back up to Cloud Vault	App Store listing
York Vault	Viewing, export, Trash recovery, backup and restore stay free. Only new items above the Free limit and the paid extras need a plan	Our own rule

Keepsafe, in detail

Keepsafe’s help page on an expiring plan says you will be offered a new Premium plan. If you do not want one, you “need to downgrade to Keepsafe Basic in order to access your photo vault”, by closing the plan screen and choosing Switch to Basic. Then:

• Backup shrinks. “Only 200 items will remain backed up in your private Keepsafe cloud.” All items stay in the app, “but extra items will no longer have a backup”.
• Space Saver turns off. If it was on, full-size versions download from the cloud and “take up more space in your device”. Keepsafe says you confirm the downgrade once the download finishes.
• Trash recovery stops. Keepsafe says Trash recovery “is a Premium feature” and that it does not offer refunds.

In our review study, 11 reviews describe a downgrade that stalls during that download. So check your free space first, and keep Keepsafe open on Wi-Fi until it ends. If you are leaving, our Keepsafe move guide has the export steps.

LockMyPix and the Fake Vault

LockMyPix’s help center lists the Fake Vault, its cloud backup, intruder detection and ad removal among the Premium features. In the LockMyPix app text we read, a lapsed plan shows “Reactivate LockMyPix Premium to open your FakeVault again”. That line also tells anyone who sees it that a second vault exists. If you keep things in the Fake Vault, move them while Premium is active.

Before your plan or trial ends

1. Write down the end date the day you start a trial.
2. Check the backup count against the total in the app.
3. Recover Trash while recovery still works.
4. Turn off any storage saver that keeps originals only in the app’s cloud, and wait for the download.
5. Export a copy of anything you could not stand to lose.
6. Cancel in the store, not by deleting the app. Keepsafe says a subscription is not cancelled when you uninstall. On iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions.

What York Vault does when a plan ends

York Vault never holds your files behind a plan. This holds in every billing state, including a trial that ended and a plan that lapsed. You can view, export, back up and restore every item, and recover anything in Trash. The backup to your own iCloud or Google Drive stays. Shared albums you created turn read-only, and nothing in them is deleted. The cover library never shows any billing message. Only new items above the Free limit and the paid extras wait for a plan.

See never held hostage and what stays free. If you would rather pay once, see vaults with a one-time purchase. Download York Vault.