Vault apps12 min read
Is a calculator vault app safe? A checklist for any vault app
Many vault apps failed basic security tests in the past. Here's what researchers found, and a checklist you can run on any vault app in ten minutes, ours included.
The Calculator Locker blog
Guides to hiding photos, apps and files on your phone.
What your iPhone and Android can already hide, where the built-in tools fall short, and how to tell a vault app worth trusting from one that just renames your files. Written by the people who make Calculator Locker, checked against Apple and Google's own documentation.
Android10 min read
How to hide pictures on Samsung: 5 ways and what each one hides
Five ways to hide photos on a Galaxy phone, from a hidden Gallery album to Secure Folder, with exact One UI 8 steps and who can still see them afterwards.
Android12 min read
Secure Folder vs Locked Folder vs Private Space: who can open each?
Android's built-in hiding spots sound alike, but only some keep out a person who knows your phone PIN. Here's how they compare, with a vault app alongside.
Privacy11 min read
How to tell if a calculator app is fake on iPhone and Android
Exact checks for a calculator that’s secretly a vault, on iPhone and Android, from people who build one. Plus what finding one does and doesn’t tell you.
Vault apps11 min read
The best free photo vault apps without ads for Android
Six free ways to lock away photos on Android with no ads, judged on criteria you can check yourself. We make one of them, and we say so.
Vault apps12 min read
Does deleting a vault app delete your photos? What survives
Uninstalling a vault app usually takes everything inside it too. What survives on iPhone and Android, why recovery tools rarely help, and the export-first checklist.
Android12 min read
How to transfer hidden photos to a new phone without losing them
Hidden albums, Locked Folder, Secure Folder and vault apps each move differently, and some don't move at all. One checklist per route, plus what to check before you wipe the old phone.
Vault apps12 min read
Forgot your calculator vault password? What actually works
Locked out of your own vault? What to try before you do anything drastic, how each kind of app handles resets, and why no master code will get you back in.
Privacy10 min read
What is a decoy vault? How to set one up that’s believable
A second code that opens a second, harmless vault. How to build a decoy people believe, and the situations where it won’t protect you.
Privacy9 min read
Who tried to unlock my phone? Intruder selfies and other clues
Intruder selfie apps can’t all do what they promise, and on iPhone none can watch the lock screen. What catches attempts, what else gives them away, and what to do next.