Review
Privault review: is Privault safe, and is it still worth using?
Privault is a photo vault for iPhone and iPad with 76,592 US ratings at 4.7. It hides files behind a digit passcode, with a decoy code, an erase-all code and a player for 150 media formats. It has no backup, no Face ID and no Trash. Its last update shipped on February 28, 2025. Its reviews are mostly short praise.
At a glance
| Developer | Binspir Technologies Co., Ltd. First release January 2017.source |
|---|---|
| Platforms | iPhone and iPad, iOS 11 or later. We found no Google Play version.source |
| US App Store rating (checked 2026-10-08) | 4.68 from 76,592 ratings. Version 10.2, updated 2025-02-28.source |
| Account | None. An optional verified email resets the passcode.source |
| Encryption claim | “The encrypted storage can be accessed only when you enter your particular digit-passcode.” No cipher is named.source |
| Backup | None in the app. Apple's phone migration or a Wi-Fi download to a computer.source |
| Pro (US, checked 2026-10-08) | $3.49 a month, $24.99 a year or $45.99 permanent. Remove ADs is a separate $2.99 purchase.source |
| Data used to track you (App Store label) | Usage Data.source |
What is Privault?
Privault is a photo vault from Binspir Technologies. It arrived on the App Store in January 2017 and has 76,592 US ratings at 4.7. You import photos, videos and audio, and the app hides them behind a digit passcode, apart from your Photos library. It runs on iPhone and iPad. We found no Android version.
The model is freemium. The free version shows ads and limits imports, albums and recording length. Pro removes the limits, and a separate purchase removes the ads.
The app has not changed in a while. Version 10.2 shipped on February 28, 2025, and no update has followed in more than 19 months. It still supports iOS 11.
How Privault protects your photos
The App Store page says “The encrypted storage can be accessed only when you enter your particular digit-passcode.” It names no cipher. Our read of the app package found a Realm database, which can encrypt its data. Apple encrypts the app code, so we could not confirm that Privault turns that encryption on.
The welcome screen says “All imported files are only stored securely on your device.” So nothing leaves the phone, and nothing is backed up either.
Lock, forgotten PIN and decoy
You set a passcode of 4 to 8 digits. Two keypads are on offer: a locker style and a calculator style, where you end the code with “%”. The app has no Face ID or Touch ID. Our read of the package found no Face ID permission text, which iOS needs before an app can use Face ID.
Forgot the passcode? The FAQ says to type 911911 on the keypad, open the help list and tap Forget Passcode?. You need a verified email, and the app sends a temporary code to it. The setup text says the email “is only stored locally on your device”. Yet a code reaches your inbox, so some server must hold the address.
Privault has three codes. The primary passcode opens your files. A secondary passcode opens a second folder, for use “if you are threatened to disclose a passcode”. An erase-all passcode deletes everything. The app warns that “all data will be erased immediately without a second confirmation alert.” We found no wrong-code photo.
Backup and moving to a new phone
There is no backup in the app. The welcome text says “If the App is removed, files inside will be removed too.”
To move to a new iPhone, the FAQ names two paths. Apple’s migration during setup copies the app’s data with everything else. Or you start the app’s Wi-Fi server, download your files to a computer, and upload them on the new phone. Photos also export one at a time with share export. The FAQ says video export “can be done through the WiFi server”. One reviewer did not find that path: “Once you store a video in the app you can’t save back to your phone or tablet.” (3★, September 2025).
Price and plans
Prices on the US App Store, checked October 8, 2026:
- Pro Service/Month: $3.49
- Pro Service/Year: $24.99
- Permanent Pro: $45.99
- Remove ADs: $2.99
Remove ADs and Pro are separate. Our read of the package found a free import cap of 10 videos. At the cap, the app offers Pro, a rewarded video, or more quota in return for an App Store rating.
Privacy label and ads
The free version shows AdMob ads. Its first-run consent form says “We keep this app free by showing ads.” The App Store privacy label lists Usage Data under “Data Used to Track You”. It also lists usage and advertising data linked to you, for third-party ads.
None of this says that Privault looks at your photos. It says the free app runs on ads, which is fair to weigh when you choose a privacy app.
What users report
We read 50 US App Store reviews from November 2024 to September 2026. 41 give 5 stars, and 28 of those are one-line praise. Only 15 reviews carry a clear theme, so this sample says little. Read it as a short list of signals.
- Locked out: 2 reviews. “you will never receive the password recovery email they claim to send you” (1★, July 2026).
- A name or icon that gives it away: 2 reviews. “It’s not really private if it indicates Private.” (5★, March 2025).
- Paying twice: 1 review. “I purchased the ad removal now they want me to buy pro to save more than about 10 photos” (1★, March 2025).
- Videos that will not export: 1 review, quoted above.
- Lost items: 1 review asks how to get deleted videos back.
- Praise for the free version: 2 reviews. “Very decent free version.” (5★, March 2025).
- Praise for folders: 2 reviews. “Love this app to store docs and pics” (5★, July 2025).
What Privault does well
Privault plays almost anything. Its player decodes “up to 150 media formats”, including MKV, AVI, WMV and FLV, with subtitles and AirPlay. No review in our sample complains about playback. The three-code model is a real idea, and the decoy and erase menus stay hidden until you enter the real code. A covert voice recorder starts from the lock keypad. Imports come from the camera roll, a share extension and the Wi-Fi server. The price is low, and a permanent plan costs $45.99.
York Vault as an alternative
York Vault is our own app, so read this part with that in mind. It needs no account. Each item is encrypted on your phone with its own key (AES-256-GCM), and we cannot open your files. Backup of every item to your own iCloud, or Google Drive on Android, is free. Face ID or Touch ID is optional on top of your code. The cover code, the erase code and wrong-code photos are free, and the erase code needs a typed confirmation at setup. Viewing, export and Trash recovery stay free on every plan. See York Vault vs Privault for the full table, and the Privault alternative page for how to export everything first.
Download York Vault on the App Store or Google Play.
Who it fits
Privault fits people who want a cheap vault that plays almost any video file, with a decoy code and an erase-all code, and who keep their own copy elsewhere. It does not fit people who want a backup, Face ID, a Trash or regular updates. If you stay, download your files to a computer over Wi-Fi from time to time.
Side by side with York Vault, row by row: York Vault vs Privault: which photo vault should you use?
Questions people ask
Is Privault safe?
Privault says its storage is encrypted and opens only with your passcode, but it names no cipher. It keeps files on the iPhone with no backup, so a lost phone or a deleted app can take every file with it. Its erase-all code wipes the vault at once, with no second confirmation. Its last update shipped in February 2025.
What if I forget my Privault passcode?
Privault's FAQ says to update to version 4.0 or later and type 911911 on the keypad to open a help list. Tap Forget Passcode, set up and verify an email if you have not, then tap it again to get a temporary code. One 2026 reviewer says the recovery email never arrived.
Is Privault free?
Yes. The free version shows ads and has an import quota, which defaults to 10 videos in our read of the app. Pro costs $3.49 a month, $24.99 a year or $45.99 permanent on the US App Store, checked October 8, 2026. Remove ADs is a separate $2.99 purchase and does not lift the quota.
Is Privault still updated?
Not recently. Version 10.2 shipped on February 28, 2025, and no update has followed in more than 19 months, as of October 8, 2026. The app still supports iOS 11. Binspir's App Store text says it is “still committed to providing you continuous update and support.”
How do I move Privault to a new iPhone?
Privault's FAQ says Apple's data migration during new iPhone setup copies the app's data too. For a manual move, open the app's Wi-Fi page on the old phone, download the files to a Mac or PC, then upload them in bulk through the same page on the new phone.
Sources
- App Store: Privault - Private Photo Vault (listing, prices, privacy label) · checked Oct 8, 2026
- App Store lookup: Privault rating, rating count and version (US) · checked Oct 8, 2026
- Privault FAQ (Binspir) · checked Oct 8, 2026
- App Store customer reviews of Privault (US storefront) · checked Sep 30, 2026
