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Is Private Photo Vault & AppLock Safe?

Private Photo Vault & AppLock privacy label · by Gordon Jones · checked November 2026

  • Tracks you
App Privacy label Developer-reported · checked November 1, 2026
Used to track you
1type
Linked to you
0types

None declared

Not linked to you
2types
Short answer

It depends on how you feel about tracking: Private Photo Vault & AppLock declares data used to track you. None of it falls in Apple's most sensitive categories (health, financial, location, contacts or your own content). In total the label lists 2 data types; 46% of photo vaults we checked declare tracking.

At a glance

Private Photo Vault & AppLock privacy in one look

Data exposure on the label
Used to track 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
Tracks you

Private Photo Vault & AppLock's developer reports using identifiers to track you across other companies' apps and websites.

Try it

Did Private Photo Vault & AppLock ask for something?

Pick the permission prompt you saw. We compare it with what Private Photo Vault & AppLock'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 Private Photo Vault & AppLock'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 Private Photo Vault & AppLock'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 Private Photo Vault & AppLock'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.

Expected — and you can decline

Private Photo Vault & AppLock declares data used to track you, so expect the “Allow to track?” prompt. Tap Ask App Not to Track; the app must keep working without it.

Not on the label

Health & Fitness is not on Private Photo Vault & AppLock'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 Private Photo Vault & AppLock collects, explained

Data typeWhat it coversWhere to limit it
IdentifiersUsed to track youNot linked 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.
Reading the label

What Private Photo Vault & AppLock's label means for you

Private Photo Vault & AppLock's label has 1 type under “Data Used to Track 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.

Tracking is the declaration that most separates apps. It means identifiers from Private Photo Vault & AppLock can be combined with data from other companies to target or measure ads, or shared with data brokers. On iOS 14.5 and later, the app must ask your permission before tracking you through the advertising identifier; answering “Ask App Not to Track” blocks that identifier and tells the developer you have declined.

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.

A photo vault holds the pictures you least want seen, so the questions that matter are where the files live, whether they are encrypted, and what happens if you forget the PIN or change phones. Import a harmless test photo, then confirm the original in Photos is deleted or kept as you expect, and try the app's backup and restore before trusting it with anything important.

Among the 167 photo vaults in our snapshot with a label, 46% declare tracking, 54% collect data linked to you and 28% say they collect nothing. Private Photo Vault & AppLock lists 2 data types, about the same as the average of 2.5 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 Private Photo Vault & AppLock

  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

    Photos

    Settings › Privacy & Security › Photos. Limited Access lets you pick exactly which pictures the app can see; Add Photos Only lets it save without reading your library.

  3. 3

    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.

  4. 4

    Notifications

    Settings › Notifications › Private Photo Vault & AppLock › Show Previews: When Unlocked keeps message and account details off the Lock Screen.

Cross-app tracking

Does Private Photo Vault & AppLock track you?

Yes — 1 data type

Identifiers. Apple defines tracking as linking data from this app with data from other companies' apps, websites or offline sources for targeted advertising or ad measurement, or sharing it with a data broker.

Does Private Photo Vault & AppLock track you? Full answer and how to stop it →

iOS 18 and later

Lock Private Photo Vault & AppLock behind Face ID

  1. Find Private Photo Vault & AppLock 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. Private Photo Vault & AppLock now asks for authentication every time it opens.

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

Lock or hide Private Photo Vault & AppLock: step-by-step guide →

From the App Store record

About Private Photo Vault & AppLock

DeveloperGordon Jones
App Store categoryUtilities (also Lifestyle)
Latest version1.0.7, released October 2025
First releasedOctober 2025
RequiresiOS 15.1 or later
Size52 MB
Age rating17+
Languages1 (EN)
Bundle IDcom.ssavl.photovault.com

The current version shipped in October 2025. That is recent enough that the label should reflect current practices, but check the App Store page again before relying on it.

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 Private Photo Vault & AppLock 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 Private Photo Vault & AppLock's developer: Can I get my photos back on a new iPhone without the old one?

How it compares

Private Photo Vault & AppLock vs similar photo vaults

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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Keep exploring

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Secret Photo Vault Pripho
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Secret Photo Vault Keep Hide
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All photo vaults → Who tracks you? A–Z → Apps that collect identifiers → Privacy label decoder →

Do it now

Your Private Photo Vault & AppLock 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. Q1Private Photo Vault & AppLock's privacy label says it uses data to track you.
    Right.
    Not quite.

    True: it lists identifiers under Data Used to Track You.

  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. Q3Private Photo Vault & AppLock collects Identifiers.
    Right.
    Not quite.

    True: Identifiers 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

Private Photo Vault & AppLock privacy FAQ

Is Private Photo Vault & AppLock safe to use?
Based on its App Store privacy label, private Photo Vault & AppLock's developer reports using identifiers to track you across other companies' apps and websites. Whether that is acceptable depends on what you will store in it. The label is developer-reported, not an independent security test.
Does Private Photo Vault & AppLock track you?
Yes. Its label lists identifiers under Data Used to Track You. You can decline at the iOS tracking prompt.
What data does Private Photo Vault & AppLock collect?
Identifiers and usage data. Of these, identifiers is linked to your identity.
Who makes Private Photo Vault & AppLock?
Gordon Jones, according to the App Store. It was first released in October 2025 and the current version is 1.0.7.
Can I lock Private Photo Vault & AppLock with Face ID?
On iOS 18 or later, touch and hold Private Photo Vault & AppLock'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 Private Photo Vault & AppLock compare with other photo vaults?
Across 167 photo vaults with labels in our snapshot, 46% declare tracking and 28% say they collect no data. Private Photo Vault & AppLock lists 2 data types against an average of 2.5.
Can I get my photos back on a new iPhone without the old one?
The privacy label cannot answer that. Look for it in Private Photo Vault & AppLock's privacy policy or support pages, linked from the App Store listing. Import a harmless test photo, then confirm the original in Photos is deleted or kept as you expect, and try the app's backup and restore before trusting it with anything important.
How do I delete my data from Private Photo Vault & AppLock?
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.

For photos and documents you choose to keep apart from your main library, see VaultForYou.

Facts on this page come from Private Photo Vault & AppLock on the App Store, as reported by the developer. Checked 2026-11-01. How we collect data · Report a correction