How does York Vault back up on Android?

Where the backup goes

York Vault saves its backup in the app data folder of your own Google Drive. Google describes this folder as hidden from you and from other Drive apps, and only the app that made it can read it. We hold no copy. The backup is free on every plan.

York Vault encrypts each item on your phone before it uploads anything. Google stores encrypted data and no key, so Google cannot open your items, and neither can we.

The backup counts toward your Google storage, which Gmail, Drive and Google Photos share. A personal Google account comes with 15 GB at no cost. If you need more room, Pro offers York Cloud. With Plus or Pro, your Android phones and tablets also sync one library through your own Google Drive.

Check the backup

Open Settings in York Vault. The backup row shows the count and the time of the last good backup, for example:

Backed up · 1,204 of 1,204 items · Today, 9:41 AM

If the numbers do not match, York Vault gives the reason, such as no internet or a full Google storage. Each item that is not backed up yet carries a small badge, and a filter lists them all. York Vault marks an item as backed up only after Google Drive confirms it has every piece.

By default, the backup uses Wi-Fi only. You can allow mobile data in Settings.

Restore on a new Android phone

1. Set up the new phone and sign in with the same Google account.
2. Install York Vault from Google Play and open it.
3. York Vault finds your backup in Google Drive and shows Restore your library.
4. Enter your code or your 12-word recovery key, whichever York Vault asks for.
5. Tap Continue.

The list of items and the thumbnails come first, so you can open your library in about a minute. The full-size originals follow in the background. When the restore ends, York Vault checks every item and shows the count, for example “12,400 of 12,400 items”. Keep the old phone until the count matches.

Your code alone opens the backup only when Google Block Store restored York Vault’s backup key to the new phone. Google says this cloud restore works on Pixel phones from Android 9 and on other phones from Android 12. On a phone other than a Pixel with Android 10 or 11, your recovery key restores the backup. York Vault runs on Android 10 and later.

Each library restores with its own code. Restore a cover library separately with the cover code.

Do not delete the hidden app data

Google lets you delete hidden app data in Google Drive settings, under Manage apps. Google’s developer page also says the folder goes away when you uninstall the app from your My Drive. Either action deletes your York Vault backup. Items on your phone are not affected, but they are then only on your phone.

What the backup does not cover

• If you lose your code and your recovery key, nobody can open the backup, unless you turned on the 72-hour reset with your Google account before. See Forgot your code.
• The Drive backup does not restore on an iPhone. See Move between iPhone and Android.
• Deleted and changed items stay in the backup for 30 days by default. You can choose 0 to 90 days in Settings.