Vaultumi

How to back up a private photo vault on iPhone

By Vaultumi. Published .

A vault with no cloud and no account is private by design. It also means there is no “forgot password” email, so a backup you have actually tested is the thing that keeps your photos safe from accidents.

Three different things people call a backup

  1. The vault on your iPhone. By default the encrypted vault lives inside the app. If you delete the app or erase the phone with no other copy, it is gone.
  2. Your iPhone backup (iCloud or computer). It includes the encrypted vault files on purpose, so a restored phone still has them. It does not include the device-bound key your PIN needs, so on a restored phone the PIN does not open the vault. You need the recovery code.
  3. A Vaultumi backup file (.vaultumibackup). You make it inside the app and save it where you choose. It works on any iPhone with the app and needs only its passphrase. This is the portable copy to rely on.

The three secrets to keep

Vaultumi has no way to reset anything for you, so each secret has a job:

  • PIN (6 digits): your everyday code, kept in your head.
  • Recovery code: 32 letters and digits in 8 groups, shown once when you create the vault and never stored. It resets a forgotten PIN and opens the vault on a restored iPhone. Keep it on paper, away from the phone.
  • Backup passphrase: protects a backup file. Use the one the app generates, or your own with at least 12 characters, long and unique.

How to make a backup file

  1. Open Settings > Backup > Create backup.
  2. Use the secret the app generates, or choose your own passphrase. Very repetitive or trivially common passphrases are rejected.
  3. Pick where to save it: the Files app, iCloud Drive, a computer or a USB drive.
  4. Wait until the app says it is complete. The file is written under a temporary name and only gets its final name when it is finished, so an unfinished file never looks like a good one.

The backup includes everything in the unlocked vault, including items in Recently Deleted. A decoy vault has its own separate backup.

Saving the file to iCloud Drive is your choice, and the file is encrypted with your passphrase before it gets there. Where you store it, and who can reach that place, is up to you. Keep the file and the passphrase in different places.

Test it with the Backup safety check

A backup you have never opened is a guess. The Backup safety check (Settings > Backup & Restore) is free. Choose a backup file, type its secret, and Vaultumi tells you whether it opens, whether anything in it is damaged, and how it compares with your vault today: how many items it covers and how many have been added since.

It changes nothing in your vault. It does not promise a restore on every future iOS version, and it does not check where you keep the secret. Run it after you make a backup and again after you add a lot.

How to restore

  1. Install Vaultumi on the iPhone and create a vault with a new PIN. Write down the new recovery code.
  2. Go to Settings > Backup > Restore, pick the file and enter its passphrase.
  3. Vaultumi validates the whole file first. If anything is wrong, nothing is restored.
  4. Items are added to the vault. Restoring never deletes or replaces anything, skips items that are already there, and can be repeated if it is interrupted.

Restoring is never limited by the free plan and is always free, even if Premium has ended.

What if I lose something?

I lostI still haveResult
My PINThe recovery codeUse Forgot PIN, then set a new PIN. Media is unchanged.
PIN and recovery codeA backup file and its passphraseCreate a new vault and restore the file.
PIN and recovery codeOnly an iPhone backupThe files cannot be opened.
The backup passphraseThe vault itselfMake a new backup with a new passphrase.
EverythingThe data cannot be recovered. There is no back door.

Two extras worth knowing

Legacy Kit. Free in Settings > Backup & Restore, it splits a new recovery code into printed cards so that, for example, any 2 of 3 trusted people can recover your vault together. It has no timer and releases nothing after a delay or after your death, and anyone who holds enough cards plus a copy of your vault files can open the vault, so choose carefully. Making a kit replaces your old recovery code.

Not everything is in a backup. Documents are included, but the searchable text Vaultumi reads from them, the data for Similar photos, files waiting in Vault Drop and Intruder log photos are not. Vaultumi reads your documents again after a restore.

A routine that works

  • Back up now, and after you add a lot of new items.
  • Keep the backup file and its passphrase in different places.
  • Run the Backup safety check on every new file.
  • Keep the recovery code on paper, not in a note on the same phone.

The complete walkthrough is in the backup and recovery guide, and the security page explains how backups relate to the encryption. If you lose your phone, this guide shows what to do first.

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