Vaultumi

Is a photo vault safe if you forget the passcode or lose Face ID?

By Vaultumi. Published .

A vault that nobody can break into is also a vault you can lock yourself out of. Here is an honest account of what happens in each case with Vaultumi: Face ID not working, a forgotten PIN, a lost recovery code and the worst case where everything is gone.

Key takeaways

  • Face ID is a shortcut. If it fails, your PIN still works.
  • A forgotten PIN is fixed with the recovery code. Your photos stay exactly as they were.
  • No PIN, no recovery code and no usable backup means the vault cannot be opened by anyone, including us.
  • Support cannot reset anything, so the time to prepare is before you need it.

What “safe” means here

“Safe” covers two opposite things. One is that nobody else can get in. The other is that you can always get back in. A design with no server and no account is very good at the first and puts the second on you. That is not a flaw we are hiding. It is the trade: if someone could reset your access, they could reset it for an attacker too.

Vaultumi does not delete data because of failed unlocks, so a forgotten PIN is a delay and a procedure, not a disaster. The disaster only happens when every way back in is lost.

It also helps to separate the three secrets. The PIN is for daily use. The recovery code is the spare key. The backup passphrase protects a file you can restore anywhere. Losing one is an inconvenience; losing all of them is the only case with no way out.

Case 1: Face ID stops working

Face ID only releases a key that is stored behind the system check. It is switched off for the app if you add or remove a face or remove your device passcode, which is deliberate. You are not locked out:

  1. Type your PIN.
  2. Open the app’s settings and turn Face ID on again.

A cancelled Face ID prompt is not counted as a wrong PIN. If you forget your PIN and Face ID is also off, move to the next case. The Face ID guide explains what it does and does not protect.

Case 2: you forget the PIN

Use Forgot PIN on the lock screen, enter the recovery code and choose a new PIN. Your media is not touched. Face ID needs to be turned on again afterwards.

The recovery code is 32 letters and digits in 8 groups. It was shown once when you created the vault and Vaultumi did not keep it, so nobody can show it to you again.

If you keep entering the wrong PIN while you try to remember, expect waits. The first four wrong tries have no delay, then waits start at 30 seconds and grow to an hour per attempt. Changing the date does not shorten them, and restarting the phone restarts the current wait. Nothing is erased.

Case 3: you forget the recovery code but know the PIN

Unlock with the PIN, open Settings > Privacy & Security and generate a new recovery code. Write it on paper. The old code then stops working. If you use the Legacy Kit, remember that making one also replaces the old code.

Case 4: PIN and recovery code are both gone

This is where preparation counts.

You still haveResult
A .vaultumibackup file and its passphraseCreate a new vault on any iPhone and restore the file.
A Legacy Kit with enough cardsCombine the cards to rebuild the recovery code, then use Forgot PIN.
Only an iPhone backupThe encrypted files are there but cannot be opened.
NothingThe vault cannot be recovered.

Restoring adds items to the new vault and never deletes or replaces anything. It is never limited by the free plan.

A new or restored iPhone

If you set up a new phone from an iCloud or computer backup, the encrypted vault files come across but the device-bound part of the PIN protection does not. Your PIN will not open it. This is expected. Use Forgot PIN with the recovery code, or restore a backup file. The decoy vault has no recovery code, so create it again.

Why support cannot help

You can write to [email protected] for help with the app, but we cannot unlock, reset or recover a vault. We hold no copy of your PIN, recovery code or backup passphrase, so there is nothing to look up. Please never send us those secrets or your photos. See the backup and recovery guide for the full procedure.

What about your iPhone passcode?

That is separate. If you forget your device passcode, the recovery routes come from Apple, and in many cases they require erasing the phone, so follow Apple’s instructions for your iOS version. After an erase, only a Vaultumi backup file with its passphrase, or an iPhone backup together with your recovery code, will bring your vault back.

Five minutes of preparation

  1. Write the recovery code on paper and keep it away from the phone, not in a note on the same iPhone.
  2. Make an encrypted backup file and keep its passphrase in a different place.
  3. Run the free Backup safety check on that file.
  4. Choose a PIN you can remember without writing it beside the phone.
  5. Consider a Legacy Kit if you want trusted people to be able to help. It has no timer and releases nothing after a delay.

None of this makes a vault perfect. It has not been independently reviewed, and screenshots, malware and coercion remain outside what it can stop. The security page lists the limits.

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