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Is Photo/Message Lock Safe?

Photo/Message Lock privacy label · by Shesek LLC · checked November 2026

  • Not updated in 2+ years
App Privacy label Developer-reported · checked November 1, 2026
Used to track you
0types

None declared

Linked to you
2types
Not linked to you
2types
Short answer

Mostly a question of trust: Photo/Message Lock collects data linked to you but declares no tracking. None of it falls in Apple's most sensitive categories (health, financial, location, contacts or your own content). In total the label lists 4 data types; 14% of secure messengers we checked declare tracking.

At a glance

Photo/Message Lock privacy in one look

Data exposure on the label
Linked to you
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4

Built only from the developer's App Store label. It describes disclosure, not tested behaviour.

Verdict from the label
Linked to you, no tracking

Photo/Message Lock collects 2 data types tied to your identity but declares no tracking.

Try it

Did Photo/Message Lock ask for something?

Pick the permission prompt you saw. We compare it with what Photo/Message Lock's developer declared.

It asked me for access to…
Tap a prompt to compare it with the label.
Not on the label

Location is not on Photo/Message Lock's label. That can be fine: data used only on your iPhone does not have to be declared. If the data would need to leave the phone for the feature to work, ask why it is missing.

Not on the label

User Content is not on Photo/Message Lock's label. That can be fine: data used only on your iPhone does not have to be declared. If the data would need to leave the phone for the feature to work, ask why it is missing.

Not on the label

Contacts is not on Photo/Message Lock's label. That can be fine: data used only on your iPhone does not have to be declared. If the data would need to leave the phone for the feature to work, ask why it is missing.

Not declared on the label

Photo/Message Lock declares no tracking, so a tracking prompt would contradict its label. Decline it, and consider reporting the mismatch to Apple.

Not on the label

Health & Fitness is not on Photo/Message Lock's label. That can be fine: data used only on your iPhone does not have to be declared. If the data would need to leave the phone for the feature to work, ask why it is missing.

A permission is what the app can reach on your iPhone; the label is what the developer says leaves it. They answer different questions.

Line by line

What Photo/Message Lock collects, explained

Data typeWhat it coversWhere to limit it
Contact InfoLinked to you Your name, email address, phone number or postal address. Use Sign in with Apple with Hide My Email where offered, and check the app's account and marketing preferences.
IdentifiersLinked to you An account ID, screen name, customer number or a device-level ID such as the advertising identifier. Settings › Privacy & Security › Tracking: turn off Allow Apps to Request to Track, or tap Ask App Not to Track when prompted.
Usage DataNot linked to you What you tap, open and view inside the app, plus which ads you have seen. There is no single iOS switch. Look for an analytics or personalised-ads toggle in the app's own settings.
DiagnosticsNot linked to you Crash logs, launch times, hang rates and energy use. Settings › Privacy & Security › Analytics & Improvements › Share With App Developers controls what Apple passes on; the app's own crash reporting is separate.
Reading the label

What Photo/Message Lock's label means for you

Photo/Message Lock's label has 2 types under “Data Linked to You”, 2 types under “Data Not Linked to You”. A data type can appear in more than one section when it is used for different purposes — for example, identifiers used for both analytics and advertising.

Photo/Message Lock declares no tracking, which means the developer says it does not combine your data with other companies' data for advertising or sell it to data brokers. The data linked to you — contact info and identifiers — is still tied to your identity, typically through an account, and is covered by the developer's privacy policy and retention rules.

None of the data types fall into the categories most people consider sensitive: health, financial information, precise location, contacts, browsing history or the content you create.

Messengers see who you talk to as well as what you say. Even with end-to-end encrypted content, contact lists and metadata can be collected and linked to you. Check whether contact upload is optional, whether backups are encrypted too, and whether disappearing messages exist.

Among the 172 secure messengers in our snapshot with a label, 14% declare tracking, 54% collect data linked to you and 29% say they collect nothing. Photo/Message Lock lists 4 data types, more than the average of 2.8 for this group.

Utilities range from calculators to VPNs, so their labels vary more than any other category. A simple tool that collects identifiers and usage data for tracking is a sign of advertising SDKs.

On your iPhone

Settings to check for Photo/Message Lock

  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

    Contacts

    Settings › Privacy & Security › Contacts. Limited Access shares only the people you select instead of your whole address book.

  3. 3

    Microphone & camera

    Settings › Privacy & Security › Microphone and Camera. The orange and green dots in the status bar show when either is in use.

  4. 4

    Sign-in

    When creating an account, Sign in with Apple can give the app a relay address from Hide My Email instead of your real one.

  5. 5

    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.

  6. 6

    Notifications

    Settings › Notifications › Photo/Message Lock › Show Previews: When Unlocked keeps message and account details off the Lock Screen.

Cross-app tracking

Does Photo/Message Lock track you?

No tracking declared

There is no “Data Used to Track You” section on Photo/Message Lock's label.

Does Photo/Message Lock track you? Full answer and how to stop it →

iOS 18 and later

Lock Photo/Message Lock behind Face ID

  1. Find Photo/Message Lock 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/Message Lock now asks for authentication every time it opens.

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

Lock or hide Photo/Message Lock: step-by-step guide →

From the App Store record

About Photo/Message Lock

DeveloperShesek LLC
App Store categoryUtilities (also Social Networking)
Latest version1.0.75, released June 2024
First releasedFebruary 2018
RequiresiOS 15.0 or later
Size54 MB
Age rating4+
Languages11 (AR, EN, FR, DE, IT, JA, RU, ZH…)
Bundle IDco.shesek.safecloud

The current version shipped in June 2024, 2 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.

Read with care

What the label cannot tell you

  • 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/Message Lock 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/Message Lock's developer: Is the message content end-to-end encrypted by default, including backups?

How it compares

Photo/Message Lock vs similar secure messengers

Data types listed on each App Store privacy label
Tracks youLinked to youNot linkedCollects nothing

Fewer types is not automatically safer: a cloud backup app has to collect your files to work. Compare like with like.

Checking another app?

Look up any of our apps in seconds, or put two labels side by side.

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All utilities → Who tracks you? A–Z → Apps that collect contact info → Privacy label decoder →

Do it now

Your Photo/Message Lock privacy checklist

Tick what you have done
Tick each step as you do it on your iPhone.

Done. You have applied every control the label points to.

Quick quiz

True or false?

  1. Q1Photo/Message Lock's privacy label says it uses data to track you.
    Right.
    Not quite.

    False: there is no Data Used to Track You section on Photo/Message Lock's label.

  2. Q2Apple tests every app to confirm its privacy label is accurate.
    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/Message Lock collects Contact Info.
    Right.
    Not quite.

    True: Contact Info appears on its label.

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

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

Questions people ask

Photo/Message Lock privacy FAQ

Is Photo/Message Lock safe to use?
Based on its App Store privacy label, photo/Message Lock collects 2 data types tied to your identity but declares no tracking. Whether that is acceptable depends on what you will store in it. The label is developer-reported, not an independent security test.
Does Photo/Message Lock track you?
No. Photo/Message Lock's label has no Data Used to Track You section.
What data does Photo/Message Lock collect?
Contact info, identifiers, usage data and diagnostics. Of these, contact info and identifiers are linked to your identity.
Who makes Photo/Message Lock?
Shesek LLC, according to the App Store. It was first released in February 2018 and the current version is 1.0.75.
Can I lock Photo/Message Lock with Face ID?
On iOS 18 or later, touch and hold Photo/Message Lock's icon and choose Require Face ID (or Touch ID / Passcode). This is an iPhone feature and works for most downloaded apps, whether or not the app has its own lock.
How does Photo/Message Lock compare with other secure messengers?
Across 172 secure messengers with labels in our snapshot, 14% declare tracking and 29% say they collect no data. Photo/Message Lock lists 4 data types against an average of 2.8.
Is the message content end-to-end encrypted by default, including backups?
The privacy label cannot answer that. Look for it in Photo/Message Lock's privacy policy or support pages, linked from the App Store listing. Check whether contact upload is optional, whether backups are encrypted too, and whether disappearing messages exist.
How do I delete my data from Photo/Message Lock?
Apps that let you create an account must also let you start account deletion from inside the app (an App Store rule since June 2022). Deleting the app from your iPhone alone does not delete data already sent to the developer.
Facts on this page come from Photo/Message Lock on the App Store, as reported by the developer. Checked 2026-11-01. How we collect data · Report a correction