VaultaryPattern access and vault encryption
Open your private collection with a pattern backed by a device-held secret. Understand the random encryption key behind it and the recovery material to keep beyond your iPhone.
How access reaches encrypted data
Give your private collection access separate from everyday photo browsing. Vaultary combines your chosen pattern with a random device-held Keychain secret. Together they derive a credential key that protects a wrapper around the random vault master key. The master key encrypts vault data; your drawing is the credential you use to reach it.
| Path | What it reaches | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Chosen pattern + device-held Keychain secret | Derived credential key → credential wrapper → random vault master key → encrypted data. | The pattern alone is insufficient to open copied vault files on a different device. |
| Separate recovery token | Recovery credential → recovery-token wrapper → the same random master key. | Keep the token and a usable archive accessible beyond your iPhone. The token supplies a separate way to reach the key. |
| Existing passphrase access | Compatible passphrase access for existing vaults. | Existing vault credentials retain their access path. |
| Optional biometric convenience | Opt-in biometric fast unlock. | Biometrics make access more convenient. Preserve your recovery material even when you use them. |
A random key sits behind your pattern
A random 256-bit master key has 2256 possible values, approximately 1.16 × 1077. Your pattern has its own, smaller set of possibilities. The random key count does not measure pattern strength, predict cracking time or rate the whole system. Read the key-space explanation and its source.
Separate access gives you a credential to remember and recovery material to retain. The separate-password guide helps you weigh that choice against relying on the iPhone’s everyday access.
Keep recovery beyond the original phone
The device-held secret is device-only. Your remembered pattern alone cannot recreate it on a replacement phone. Preserve a usable encrypted archive and the required recovery token somewhere you can reach without the original device. Try restoration with replaceable samples before relying on it. Losing the required secrets and every readable copy can mean permanent loss.
Plan the recovery path before a device is lost. Vaultary does not promise staff-assisted decryption or a company reset key. Resetting or reinstalling the app cannot replace a usable archive and its required secret.
Protect the phone and the copies you make
A compromised device, someone watching your unlocked screen, coercion and exported files remain separate risks. Pattern access and optional biometrics do not settle those threats. Read the security model to understand the full protection boundary.
The website pattern is a fixed public demonstration with fictional files. It does not accept real credentials, encrypt your files or test your personal pattern. Never enter a vault secret into a website sample or send one to support.
Explore your next step
Vaultary is not yet available on the App Store. Join the Vaultary waitlist for availability updates.
Page reviewed November 1, 2026.