Which code should I choose?

The 3 lock types

At setup York Vault shows 3 cards: Pattern, PIN and Passcode. PIN is selected first. Each card has a short preview and one line on the trade-off. All 3 protect the same key, so your choice never changes how York Vault stores your items.

Pattern

You draw a line through dots on a grid. The grid is 4 by 4, or 5 by 5 if you want more room.

• The pattern must touch at least 6 dots.
• The line must change direction at least once.
• York Vault refuses a 5-dot pattern.

A pattern is fast, but a person who watches you draw it can often repeat it. If you use a pattern, keep the screen away from other people.

PIN

You type digits. The default length is 6 to 16 digits.

• You can choose 4 or 5 digits, but York Vault first shows how few guesses that takes.
• York Vault warns you about common PINs such as 1234, 0000, 1111, 123456 and likely birth years.

Passcode

You type letters, numbers and symbols on the full keyboard. The minimum is 8 characters. Accents and emoji work, and they keep working after an update or a change of phone language. York Vault shows the strength as an estimated time to guess.

On iPhone, the code fields accept only Apple’s keyboard. Keyboards from other apps cannot see what you type.

Face ID, Touch ID and Android fingerprint or face

After you set your code, York Vault offers Face ID or Touch ID. On Android, it offers a fingerprint or face check that Android rates as strong (Class 3). It is optional. It opens York Vault faster, but the code stays the real lock.

• Face ID, Touch ID and the Android fingerprint or face open your main library only. A cover library always needs its own code.
• On iPhone, a new face or fingerprint in iOS Settings turns off Face ID in York Vault. Type your code once to turn it back on.
• When Face ID or a fingerprint fails, York Vault asks for your York Vault code, never your phone passcode.

What happens after wrong codes

After 5 wrong codes, York Vault adds a wait before the next try: 30 seconds, then 1 minute, 5 minutes, 15 minutes and 1 hour. After that the wait stays at 1 hour. The lock screen shows the exact time you can try again. Changing the date on your phone or deleting and reinstalling the app does not reset the count.

How to pick a good code

1. Pick a lock type you can enter in under 3 seconds. A slow code tempts you to turn the lock off.
2. Do not reuse your phone passcode. People near you often know it.
3. Do not use a date, a phone number or a word that other people link to you.
4. Write down your recovery key at setup. It is the main way back in if you forget the code. See Your recovery key.

How to change your lock type

1. Open York Vault and go to Settings, then Lock.
2. Enter your current code, or tap Use recovery key.
3. Choose Pattern, PIN or Passcode.
4. Set the new code and confirm it.

The change takes under 1 second at any library size, because York Vault changes only the lock on the key, not your items. Your recovery key stays the same.

Codes cannot clash

If you set a cover code, an erase code or an album code, York Vault checks that no 2 codes are the same and that no code starts with another code. If a new code clashes, York Vault says only “Choose a different code”. It never names the other code type, so the message does not tell anyone else that a second library exists.