The short answer
A photo vault app can only upload what you let it, but several are built around uploading. If the listing talks about a private cloud, cloud vault, cloud sync or restore from another device, the photos leave the phone for the developer's servers. If it says files are stored only on the device, they stay.
Three questions to ask the listing
- Is there a cloud feature, and whose cloud is it? The developer's, or your own iCloud Drive?
- Are files encrypted on the phone before upload, and with what?
- Does the privacy label list User Content (Photos or Videos) as linked to you?
App by app
| App | Cloud in the listing | Whose servers | Encrypted before upload |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kryptis | Encrypted backup file; automatic backup on Premium | Your own iCloud Drive | Yes, AES-256-GCM on the phone |
| Private Photo Vault | Cloud Vault, Premium | Developer's cloud | "Encrypted with your password" |
| Keepsafe | Private Cloud, sync, Safe Send | Keepsafe's servers | Not stated |
| Privault | None | None | Not applicable |
| SPV | None; "not on any server" | None | Not applicable |
| Secret Photo Album | Unlimited cloud storage, Premium | Developer's servers | Not stated |
| PV | Cloud Sync and cloud backup, paid | Developer's service | Not stated |
| Calculator# | Backup to iCloud, Dropbox, Drive, OneDrive | Yours | Not stated |
| Hide it Pro | Cloud storage subscription | Not stated | Not stated |
| Safe Lock | Export to Dropbox, Drive, iCloud, Box | Yours | Not stated |
| Locker | None; "never on our servers" | None | Not applicable |
Every row is from that developer's App Store listing on the date above. Full reviews.
Why the difference matters
A copy on the developer's servers is a copy the developer can be asked for, breached out of, or locked behind a lapsed subscription. A copy in your own iCloud Drive that was encrypted before it left the phone is a file nobody but you can open. Kryptis only ever makes the second kind. Encrypted backup.
What about the privacy label?
Private Photo Vault and Secret Photo Album list User Content (Photos or Videos) under Data Linked to You. That is the developer telling you that photos are associated with your identity in their systems. Kryptis lists nothing. Are photo vault apps safe?
