A hidden vault for confidentiality
Vault is a relatively straightforward app in that its only function is to hide things on your phone that you don’t want others to see. Like Snapchat’s ‘my eyes only’ section, the purpose is to keep apps on your phone secure by allowing only access to you.
Snapchat’s ‘my eyes only’ feature is an excellent alternative for those only looking to use an app like this for images and videos. Gallery Vault and Secret Calculator Vault also provide similar functionality.
Keep your files hidden and secure
Vault keeps your files secure behind an account-specific password. When using Vault for the first time, you will need to set this password and remember it to gain access in the future. Users can use Vault to store a wide range of files from photos, videos, contacts, text messages, call logs, and even Facebook messages.
Vault also provides the ability to encrypt messages sent to Facebook through the private Facebook chat feature, which prevents your Facebook chat history from being saved. Further functionality includes the ability to lock apps behind your password, ensuring only you can access the app, and premium users can activate a camouflage App lock, which creates a fake crash if someone else tries to use the app.
Premium users of the app get a plethora of helpful functionality to complement the camouflage lock. This includes the ability to hide individual contacts, break-in alerts that inform you when someone tries to enter the app with the wrong password, and a hide vault icon mode which completely removes the app’s icon off the screen.
Free or premium?
Vault is an easy-to-use app that clearly outlines how to access the various areas. Fortunately for users, importing images, videos, and other files is easy while selecting what areas to hide is also simple to do.
Free users get access to standard functionality, which includes keeping your files confidential within the Vault app. However, they do not get access to any of the intuitive features mentioned above, nor can they access a private cloud storage space with a 5 GB limit. The cloud space also encrypts data to ensure no one can access it via an attack, similar to how a VPN works.
For most users, the free functionalities are sufficient unless there is a significant amount of data to be moved across and be secured. In that instance, having a secured external server with a higher data limit will prove to be invaluable.
Technical Information about Vault
Vault is available on Android devices running OS 4.4 and up. The developers of Vault are regularly updating the app, with numerous updates arriving each month. Additionally, other in-app purchases offer additional functionality and support where needed.
Customer service and in-app issues
Every app comes with its share of road bumps, and unfortunately for Vault, there are constant and consistent problems that users face. One consistent issue is that photos and videos suddenly disappear after an update, or with some users finding that their files are lost upon resetting their phones.
This particular issue is most troubling as the primary function of the app is to keep said files secure. Users have also noted that their pictures and videos also disappeared after renewing the premium subscription.
Most notably, however, is a consensus of unhelpful customer support or lack of any help in general. Many users claim they never received responses to their queries or that customer support is actively ignoring any request or feedback which isn’t positive.
Keep your files secure with caution
Vault provides great functionality around its core offering of keeping files secure and away from prying eyes. While premium users have access to much more functionality than free users, the free version is fit for general use.
However, given the issues experienced by Vault’s users from disappearing data to unhelpful or non-existent customer service, it is hard to recommend this app. To make matters worse, users have expressed that requesting refunds for the app is also difficult. If you decide to give this app a go, it’s recommended to try the free version first, and if you decide to purchase the premium version, be extra cautious.
