Step by step
Use more dots than the minimum
Six dots is allowed; nine or more is much stronger. Every extra dot multiplies the number of possibilities.
Avoid letters and simple shapes
L, Z, N, S, a square, a big X: these are the first things anyone tries. If you can name the shape in one word, pick another.
Do not start in a corner
Most people begin top-left. Starting somewhere in the middle of an edge, or inside the grid, puts you outside the obvious guesses.
Change direction several times
One turn is required. Four or five turns, including a diagonal, makes the pattern far less predictable.
Cross your own path
Lines that cross make the order of the dots hard to work out from a glance or from smudges on the glass.
Practise it a few times
Lock and unlock the vault five times on the first day. Muscle memory is what you will rely on later.
Why length matters even more with backup
On your iPhone, VaultBe mixes your pattern with a secret held in the device Keychain, so guesses can only be made on your phone and are throttled. An iCloud backup must be restorable on a new device, so it is protected by the pattern alone, stretched with Argon2id. A longer pattern is the best protection for that copy.
Keep prying eyes off the trail
Turn off Show Drawing Pattern in App Settings if you often unlock in public. And wipe your screen now and then.