Encrypted on your phone
Every file is encrypted before it's saved to the vault, along with its name and the names of your folders.
XChaCha20-Poly1305Argon2idNo account
Your files.
Only yours.
Hiding a photo keeps it out of sight. Sealed encrypts it, on your phone, with a key only your passphrase can open. Nothing is uploaded and there's no account. Not even we can look.
- Encrypted on your phone
- Never uploaded
- Out of iCloud backups
Why encryption
Hidden isn't the same as protected
Most ways to "hide" a photo only move it out of view. The file itself stays readable to anyone, or any app, that gets past the screen in front of it.
Hidden
The photo is still an ordinary photo. It stays in your library, syncs to your other devices when iCloud Photos is on, and opens for anyone who knows your iPhone passcode.
Sealed
The file is encrypted before it's saved, its name too. Without your passphrase it's unreadable noise, on this phone and on any copy of its files. Your iPhone passcode doesn't open it.
Never leaves it
No sign-up, no server, no cloud copy. The vault is kept out of iCloud backups, so it stays on the phone you made it on.
Only you hold the key
Your passphrase is the only way in. We never see it or your keys, so we can't open, read or hand over anything you keep.
Features
Everything private, in one place
Keep anything
- Add photos and videos from your library, or take photos straight into the vault.
- Import any file from the Files app: PDFs, IDs, contracts, records.
- Remove the originals from Photos once they're safely encrypted, if you want.
- Organise into folders, search by name, rename and move.
Your way back in
- A printable 24-word recovery key, if you want one. Keep it somewhere safe and offline.
- Unlock with Face ID or Touch ID, if you turn it on.
- No reset button and no back door. Lose both your passphrase and your recovery key, and no one can open the vault. That's the point.
How the encryption works
Per-file keys, Argon2id, a key tied to this iPhone, and exactly what is and isn't encrypted.
Read more →The recovery key
24 words that open your vault if you forget your passphrase, and how to keep them safe.
Read more →Locking and protection
Auto-lock, Face ID, the app switcher, slowing down guessing, and erasing everything.
Read more →How it works
Three steps, no account
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Choose a passphrase
A few words you'll remember. It never leaves your phone; Sealed turns it into the key that locks your vault.
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Add your files
Photos, videos and documents are encrypted the moment they come in. Remove the originals from Photos if you like.
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Lock and leave
Sealed locks when you leave the app. The keys are cleared from memory until you unlock again.
Security model
Built so we can't look
Sealed doesn't ask you to trust us with your files. It's designed so we never have them.
// Sealed 1.0, on your iPhone files XChaCha20-Poly1305, a random key per file chunks 64 KiB, each one authenticated passphrase Argon2id · 3 passes · 64 MiB device key Keychain, this iPhone only backups vault excluded from iCloud server none analytics none
- Each file has its own random key, locked by your vault's key, which is locked by your passphrase.
- File names, folder names and dates are encrypted with the file. The files on disk have random names.
- The vault's key also depends on a secret in this iPhone's Keychain, so copied vault files can't be attacked on another device.
If your phone ends up in someone else's hands
A lock screen is only as good as what's behind it. Here's what someone holding your iPhone runs into.
- It's already lockedSealed locks as soon as you leave it, or after the delay you chose.
- Your passcode doesn't open itSealed has its own passphrase, separate from your iPhone passcode.
- Guessing gets slowAfter 5 wrong tries, each one waits longer: 30 seconds, then a minute, up to an hour.
- Nothing in the app switcherIt shows the Sealed logo, never your files.
- Copies are uselessFiles pulled off the phone are encrypted and tied to this iPhone's Keychain.
- One step to eraseErase all destroys the keys first, then every file.
Compare
Sealed and the iPhone Hidden album
The Hidden album is free and built in, and fine for keeping a photo out of casual view. Here's where an encrypted vault is different, point by point.
Sealed vs the Hidden album
Encryption, iCloud sync, what your passcode opens, documents, and what you give up.
See the comparison →Pricing
Pay once, or week by week
Weekly
$1.49 / week
Renews automatically until you cancel in your App Store settings.
Lifetime
$49.99 once
One purchase, yours for good. No subscription.
US prices. Your local price is shown in the app. If a plan ends, your files stay readable and exportable.
Android
On Android? Hear when it's ready
Sealed is iPhone-only for now. Leave your email and we'll write once, when Sealed for Android is out.
One email when it launches, then we delete your address. No newsletter, never shared. Privacy.
Questions
Good to know
What if I forget my passphrase?
Use your 24-word recovery key on the lock screen of the same iPhone. If you didn't make one, or lost it, your files can't be recovered by anyone, including us. We never had the keys.
Can you see my files?
No. Your files are encrypted on your phone and never sent to us or to any cloud. There's nothing on our side to look at.
Do I need an account?
No. There's no sign-up, no email and no password to give us. Open the app and choose a passphrase.
Is Sealed the same as the iPhone Hidden album?
No. The Hidden album moves photos out of view; they stay ordinary photos in your library and sync with iCloud Photos. Sealed encrypts each file on the phone with a key only your passphrase opens. Full comparison.
What happens when I get a new phone?
The vault stays on the phone it was made on, and its keys can't leave that phone. Export what you want to keep before you switch, then add it to Sealed on the new phone. See Support for details.
Is Sealed on Android?
Not yet. Sealed is iPhone-only for now. Leave your email and we'll tell you once when the Android version is out.