Is Photo Vault Private Album Safe?

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

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

   Location

   Settings › Privacy & Security › Location Services › Photo Vault Private Album. Choose While Using or Never, and switch off Precise Location if a city-level answer is enough.

3. 3

   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.

4. 4

   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.

5. 5

   Notifications

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

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

1. Find Photo Vault Private Album 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 Private Album now asks for authentication every time it opens.

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

Lock or hide Photo Vault Private Album: step-by-step guide →

The current version shipped in March 2023, 3 years before our snapshot. Apps that are not updated may not support newer iOS privacy controls, and an abandoned app will not get security fixes.

• 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 Private Album 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 Private Album's developer: Are my pictures stored only on this phone, or uploaded?

All private photo apps →· Who tracks you? A–Z →· Apps that collect location →· Privacy label decoder →

1. Q1Photo Vault Private Album's privacy label says it uses data to track you.

   True False
   Right.

   Not quite.

   False: there is no Data Used to Track You section on Photo Vault Private Album's label.

2. Q2Apple tests every app to confirm its privacy label is accurate.

   True False
   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 Private Album collects Location.

   True False
   Right.

   Not quite.

   True: Location appears on its label, in the Not Linked to You section.

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

   True False
   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.

   True False
   Right.

   Not quite.

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