Setting up a private photo vault takes a few minutes. Here's the process from start to finish, using Lockilee's Photo Vault as the example — the same general steps apply to most vault apps.

1

Install the app and set your PIN

Your PIN does double duty: it's what unlocks the vault, and it's used to derive the encryption key that protects your files on-device.

2

Turn on biometric unlock (optional but recommended)

If your device supports fingerprint or face unlock, enabling it means you don't have to type your PIN every single time — while keeping the PIN as a fallback.

3

Import your first photos

Select the photos you want protected from your gallery. Once imported, they're encrypted and the originals are removed from your public gallery.

4

Organize into folders

Group related photos together, and consider a separate PIN on your most sensitive folder if the vault supports folder-level locks.

5

Use the Private Camera for anything new

For future photos you want to keep private from the moment they're taken, shoot with the Private Camera instead of your default camera app — it saves straight into the vault, skipping your gallery entirely.

A few things to double-check afterward

  • Confirm the original photos were actually removed from your public gallery after import, not just duplicated.
  • Check whether the vault app you're using uploads anything to a server — with Lockilee, nothing does.
  • If you share your phone occasionally, consider whether a disguise mode like Calculator Disguise makes sense for your situation.
Takes longer than expected: the setup itself is quick, but sorting through your existing gallery to decide what belongs in the vault is usually the slower part — budget more time for that than for the app setup.

Set up your vault now

Lockilee is free to start, with 10 slots across files and locked apps.

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