What PV is
PV is listed as PV - Secret Photo Album, published by Haibin Jiao, on the App Store since May 2014. It has a 4.7 rating from about 30,000 ratings, a 157 MB download and a 4+ age rating. The description promises passcode protection, Touch ID and data encryption, free unlimited local storage, and in-app cloud services.
How it protects your photos
A passcode or Face ID opens the app. A fake password opens a decoy. The Emergency Switch jumps to another app when the phone is turned face down, and the app icon can be customised. The listing says data encryption without naming an algorithm. There is no break-in log or self-destruct described.
Where your photos go
Locally by default, with a trash folder for deleted items. Cloud Sync is a Super membership feature and third-party cloud backup is a Pro feature, both on the developer's service. Nearby Drop moves photos between phones, and Wi-Fi Transfer on Pro moves them from a computer.
If you forget the passcode, the listing tells you to set a recovery email in Settings. That is convenient, and it also means the developer can send a way in.
What it costs
The US listing shows PV Pro at $3.99 a month or $17.99 a year, a PV Permanent Membership at $41.99, Super Member Yearly at $29.99 for 20 GB or $79.99 for 100 GB, and Auto Cloud Backup at $12.99 for 20 GB or $49.99 for 100 GB a year.
What the privacy label says
Identifiers and Usage Data are listed under Data Used to Track You. Contact Info (Email Address) and Identifiers (User ID) are under Data Linked to You. Device ID, Usage Data including Advertising Data, and Diagnostics are under Data Not Linked to You.
What the listing does not mention
The sources do not mention a named algorithm, a self-destruct passcode, intruder alerts, a private camera, face blur, downloading from a link, an encrypted backup in your own iCloud, a recovery key you hold, burner email, private contacts, or sub-albums. See Kryptis vs PV.
Who PV suits
It suits someone who wants a decoy, a custom icon and a facedown switch, and is comfortable with a recovery email and a paid cloud on the developer's servers. It is a capable lock. It is not a vault that promises no one else can get in.
Kryptis instead
Kryptis is built for the people these listings leave out: anyone who wants the vault to stay on the phone and stay unreadable. Every photo, video and file is encrypted with AES-256-GCM on the device before it is stored, along with its metadata. There is no account and no server. A second passcode opens a decoy vault with its own albums, a third erases everything, and failed unlocks are recorded. Backup goes to your own iCloud, already encrypted, and the only way back in after a lost passcode is the BIP39 recovery phrase you were given at setup.
