What is a vault app, and how is it different from an app lock?
Four kinds of privacy app that get mixed up all the time.
A vault app keeps its own copy of your photos or files, locked and ideally encrypted, and removes them from your gallery. An app lock just puts a PIN screen in front of another app. A hidden album only takes photos out of view. A calculator vault is a vault disguised as a calculator.
Vault apps
A vault app moves your photos, videos or files into its own storage, behind its own lock, and takes them out of your gallery. The good ones encrypt what they hold, so even someone who copies the phone's storage gets nothing readable.
Things worth checking in any vault:
- Is it encrypted? Some vaults just move files into a hidden folder. Look for a clear statement like AES-256 encryption.
- Is the lock its own? A vault that opens with your phone PIN is only as private as your PIN.
- Where do the files go? Some sync to the developer's cloud. That's handy for backup and also means a copy lives on someone else's servers.
- What can it do online? The Play Store listing shows the app's permissions and a Data safety section.
Dobr is a vault: files are encrypted with AES-256, it opens with a pattern that unlocks nothing else, and it has no internet permission at all.
App locks
An app lock puts a PIN, pattern or fingerprint screen in front of another app, like your gallery or WhatsApp. Some phones have one built in, and plenty of Play Store apps add one. It stops casual snooping. It doesn't move or encrypt anything, so the photos behind a locked gallery are still visible to Google Photos, the Files app and anything else with access. Our guide to locking apps on Android covers which phones have one.
Hidden albums
Most gallery apps can hide an album. It's a tidy-up feature: the photos aren't locked, and anyone who knows where the setting is can bring them back. Google Photos Locked Folder and Samsung's Private album go a step further and add your screen lock. See how to lock photos on Android for the differences.
Calculator vaults
A calculator vault is a vault app that looks and works like a calculator until you type a code. The disguise is the selling point. Many are free with ads and broad permissions, so they're worth checking carefully. Our guide to calculator vault apps goes through what to look for.
Which one do you need?
If you want photos out of sight on a phone nobody else uses, a hidden album is enough. If someone else might pick up your phone and knows your PIN, you need a vault with its own lock. If you'd rather nothing private ever touched a server, pick a vault without a cloud.
Last checked 2026-11-04. Phone menus change between Android versions and brands, so labels on your phone may differ slightly.