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Is Photo Vault Darkbox Safe?

Photo Vault Darkbox privacy label · by 璐 江 · checked November 2026

  • Tracks you
App Privacy label Developer-reported · checked November 1, 2026
Used to track you
1type
Linked to you
0types

None declared

Not linked to you
1type
Short answer

It depends on how you feel about tracking: Photo Vault Darkbox declares data used to track you. None of it falls in Apple's most sensitive categories (health, financial, location, contacts or your own content). In total the label lists 1 data type; 46% of photo vaults we checked declare tracking.

At a glance

Photo Vault Darkbox privacy in one look

Data exposure on the label
Used to track you
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4

Built only from the developer's App Store label. It describes disclosure, not tested behaviour.

Verdict from the label
Tracks you

Photo Vault Darkbox's developer reports using diagnostics to track you across other companies' apps and websites.

Try it

Did Photo Vault Darkbox ask for something?

Pick the permission prompt you saw. We compare it with what Photo Vault Darkbox's developer declared.

It asked me for access to…
Tap a prompt to compare it with the label.
Not on the label

Location is not on Photo Vault Darkbox's label. That can be fine: data used only on your iPhone does not have to be declared. If the data would need to leave the phone for the feature to work, ask why it is missing.

Not on the label

User Content is not on Photo Vault Darkbox's label. That can be fine: data used only on your iPhone does not have to be declared. If the data would need to leave the phone for the feature to work, ask why it is missing.

Not on the label

Contacts is not on Photo Vault Darkbox's label. That can be fine: data used only on your iPhone does not have to be declared. If the data would need to leave the phone for the feature to work, ask why it is missing.

Expected — and you can decline

Photo Vault Darkbox declares data used to track you, so expect the “Allow to track?” prompt. Tap Ask App Not to Track; the app must keep working without it.

Not on the label

Health & Fitness is not on Photo Vault Darkbox's label. That can be fine: data used only on your iPhone does not have to be declared. If the data would need to leave the phone for the feature to work, ask why it is missing.

A permission is what the app can reach on your iPhone; the label is what the developer says leaves it. They answer different questions.

Line by line

What Photo Vault Darkbox collects, explained

Data typeWhat it coversWhere to limit it
DiagnosticsUsed to track youNot linked to you Crash logs, launch times, hang rates and energy use. Settings › Privacy & Security › Analytics & Improvements › Share With App Developers controls what Apple passes on; the app's own crash reporting is separate.
Reading the label

What Photo Vault Darkbox's label means for you

Photo Vault Darkbox's label has 1 type under “Data Used to Track You”, 1 type under “Data Not Linked to You”. A data type can appear in more than one section when it is used for different purposes — for example, identifiers used for both analytics and advertising.

Tracking is the declaration that most separates apps. It means diagnostics from Photo Vault Darkbox can be combined with data from other companies to target or measure ads, or shared with data brokers. On iOS 14.5 and later, the app must ask your permission before tracking you through the advertising identifier; answering “Ask App Not to Track” blocks that identifier and tells the developer you have declined.

None of the data types fall into the categories most people consider sensitive: health, financial information, precise location, contacts, browsing history or the content you create.

A photo vault holds the pictures you least want seen, so the questions that matter are where the files live, whether they are encrypted, and what happens if you forget the PIN or change phones. Import a harmless test photo, then confirm the original in Photos is deleted or kept as you expect, and try the app's backup and restore before trusting it with anything important.

Among the 167 photo vaults in our snapshot with a label, 46% declare tracking, 54% collect data linked to you and 28% say they collect nothing. Photo Vault Darkbox lists 1 data type, fewer than the average of 2.5 for this group.

Photo and video apps usually request access to your photo library. iOS lets you share only selected photos, which keeps the rest of the library — and its location metadata — away from the app.

On your iPhone

Settings to check for Photo Vault Darkbox

  1. 1

    Tracking

    Settings › Privacy & Security › Tracking. If “Allow Apps to Request to Track” is off, apps cannot ask, and they are told to treat you as having declined. You can also turn it off for this app alone.

  2. 2

    Photos

    Settings › Privacy & Security › Photos. Limited Access lets you pick exactly which pictures the app can see; Add Photos Only lets it save without reading your library.

  3. 3

    Lock the app

    On iOS 18 and later, touch and hold the icon and choose Require Face ID. Anyone who picks up your unlocked phone then needs your face, fingerprint or passcode to open it.

  4. 4

    Notifications

    Settings › Notifications › Photo Vault Darkbox › Show Previews: When Unlocked keeps message and account details off the Lock Screen.

Cross-app tracking

Does Photo Vault Darkbox track you?

Yes — 1 data type

Diagnostics. Apple defines tracking as linking data from this app with data from other companies' apps, websites or offline sources for targeted advertising or ad measurement, or sharing it with a data broker.

Does Photo Vault Darkbox track you? Full answer and how to stop it →

iOS 18 and later

Lock Photo Vault Darkbox behind Face ID

  1. Find Photo Vault Darkbox on your Home Screen or in App Library.
  2. Touch and hold the icon until the quick-actions menu opens.
  3. Tap Require Face ID (or Require Touch ID / Require Passcode, depending on your iPhone).
  4. Tap Require Face ID again to confirm. Photo Vault Darkbox now asks for authentication every time it opens.

The lock is an iPhone feature, so it works whether or not Photo Vault Darkbox has a passcode of its own. It does not change what the app sends to its developer.

Lock or hide Photo Vault Darkbox: step-by-step guide →

From the App Store record

About Photo Vault Darkbox

Developer璐 江
App Store categoryPhoto & Video (also Utilities)
Latest version2.6.5, released December 2025
First releasedJuly 2017
RequiresiOS 12.0 or later
Size245 MB
Age rating4+
Languages22 (DA, NL, EN, FI, FR, DE, EL, ID…)
Bundle IDcom.zhong.CalculatorVault

The current version shipped in December 2025. That is recent enough that the label should reflect current practices, but check the App Store page again before relying on it.

Read with care

What the label cannot tell you

  • A label is self-reported. Apple publishes the developer's answers and can reject apps that misrepresent them, but it does not independently verify what Photo Vault Darkbox sends.
  • It does not say where data is stored, how long it is kept, whether it is encrypted, or which companies receive it. The privacy policy covers those points.
  • Optional data counts: if a feature lets you add something (a profile photo, a phone number), the type is listed even if you never use the feature.
  • Data handled only on your iPhone is not 'collected', so a no-collection label is compatible with an app that reads your files locally.
  • Third-party sign-in, payment processors and SDKs are supposed to be included, but a label can lag behind a new version.

The question to ask Photo Vault Darkbox's developer: Can I get my photos back on a new iPhone without the old one?

How it compares

Photo Vault Darkbox vs similar photo vaults

Data types listed on each App Store privacy label
Tracks youLinked to youNot linkedCollects nothing

Fewer types is not automatically safer: a cloud backup app has to collect your files to work. Compare like with like.

Checking another app?

Look up any of our apps in seconds, or put two labels side by side.

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All photo vaults → Who tracks you? A–Z → Apps that collect diagnostics → Privacy label decoder →

Do it now

Your Photo Vault Darkbox privacy checklist

Tick what you have done
Tick each step as you do it on your iPhone.

Done. You have applied every control the label points to.

Quick quiz

True or false?

  1. Q1Photo Vault Darkbox's privacy label says it uses data to track you.
    Right.
    Not quite.

    True: it lists diagnostics under Data Used to Track You.

  2. Q2Apple tests every app to confirm its privacy label is accurate.
    Right.
    Not quite.

    Labels are self-reported by developers. Apple can reject or remove apps that misrepresent practices, but it does not audit each label.

  3. Q3Photo Vault Darkbox collects Diagnostics.
    Right.
    Not quite.

    True: Diagnostics appears on its label.

  4. Q4Data “Not Linked to You” is never sent off your iPhone.
    Right.
    Not quite.

    It is collected and sent; the developer says it is de-identified rather than tied to your account or device.

  5. Q5Tapping “Ask App Not to Track” can stop an app from working.
    Right.
    Not quite.

    Apple's rules require apps to work the same whether or not you allow tracking.

Questions people ask

Photo Vault Darkbox privacy FAQ

Is Photo Vault Darkbox safe to use?
Based on its App Store privacy label, photo Vault Darkbox's developer reports using diagnostics to track you across other companies' apps and websites. Whether that is acceptable depends on what you will store in it. The label is developer-reported, not an independent security test.
Does Photo Vault Darkbox track you?
Yes. Its label lists diagnostics under Data Used to Track You. You can decline at the iOS tracking prompt.
What data does Photo Vault Darkbox collect?
Diagnostics. Of these, diagnostics is linked to your identity.
Who makes Photo Vault Darkbox?
璐 江, according to the App Store. It was first released in July 2017 and the current version is 2.6.5.
Can I lock Photo Vault Darkbox with Face ID?
On iOS 18 or later, touch and hold Photo Vault Darkbox's icon and choose Require Face ID (or Touch ID / Passcode). This is an iPhone feature and works for most downloaded apps, whether or not the app has its own lock.
How does Photo Vault Darkbox compare with other photo vaults?
Across 167 photo vaults with labels in our snapshot, 46% declare tracking and 28% say they collect no data. Photo Vault Darkbox lists 1 data type against an average of 2.5.
Can I get my photos back on a new iPhone without the old one?
The privacy label cannot answer that. Look for it in Photo Vault Darkbox's privacy policy or support pages, linked from the App Store listing. Import a harmless test photo, then confirm the original in Photos is deleted or kept as you expect, and try the app's backup and restore before trusting it with anything important.
How do I delete my data from Photo Vault Darkbox?
Apps that let you create an account must also let you start account deletion from inside the app (an App Store rule since June 2022). Deleting the app from your iPhone alone does not delete data already sent to the developer.

For photos and documents you choose to keep apart from your main library, see VaultForYou.

Facts on this page come from Photo Vault Darkbox on the App Store, as reported by the developer. Checked 2026-11-01. How we collect data · Report a correction