This policy explains what information Digital Choice ("we", "us") handles when you use the VaultBe iPhone app ("the app") and the vaultbe.app website ("the website"). The short version: the app is designed so that we never receive your content, your patterns or your keys, and it contains no analytics, advertising or tracking code.
At a glance
| Data | Where it lives | Can we read it? |
|---|---|---|
| Photos, videos, documents, notes, folder and file names | Encrypted on your device; optionally encrypted in your iCloud | No |
| Patterns, recovery phrases, share phrases, encryption keys | Only on your device and in your memory | No |
| Shared folders | Encrypted in VaultBe's public iCloud database | No (ciphertext only) |
| App preferences | On your device | No |
| Subscription purchases | Apple | We see aggregated sales reports only |
| Support messages | Our email inbox | Yes, to answer you |
The VaultBe app
No account, no tracking
VaultBe has no sign-up and no user accounts. The app does not include analytics, advertising, attribution or crash-reporting software from us or from third parties, does not use the advertising identifier, and does not track you across apps or websites.
Your vault content
Everything you add to a vault, including file names and folder structure, is encrypted on your device before it is written to storage. The keys are derived from your pattern and recovery phrase, which never leave your device. We have no copy of them and no technical means to decrypt your vaults.
iCloud Backup and Device Sync
If you turn on iCloud Backup or Device Sync, the app stores your vaults, already encrypted, in the private iCloud database of your own Apple Account. Only your Apple Account can access that database, and only your pattern or recovery phrase can decrypt what is in it. Neither Apple nor we can read it. Apple's handling of iCloud data is governed by Apple's Privacy Policy. Deleting a vault, or all vaults, in the app also deletes the matching backups.
Secure Sharing
When you share a folder, the app encrypts it on your device and uploads it to VaultBe's public iCloud database, which Apple operates for us. The record's location and its decryption key are both derived from the share phrase, so a share can only be found and opened by someone who has that phrase. We can see that encrypted records exist and how large they are, but not what they contain, who they belong to, or who opened them.
- Creating a share requires an iCloud account; opening one does not.
- Apple associates records with an anonymous, app-specific identifier, not with your name or Apple Account details, and does not share that identifier with us in any identifiable form.
- Revoking a share deletes its records. An expired share can no longer be opened, and its records are removed the next time your app is online.
Purchases
VaultBe Pro is sold through the App Store. Apple processes the payment; we do not receive your name, email address, Apple Account or payment details. The app checks your subscription status with Apple on your device. Apple gives us aggregated, non-identifying sales and subscription reports.
Diagnostics shared by Apple
If you have chosen in iOS to share analytics with app developers, Apple may give us anonymous, aggregated crash and usage statistics. You control this in Settings → Privacy & Security → Analytics & Improvements.
Device permissions
- Camera and microphone: used only while you take photos or record video with the in-app camera. Captures go straight into your encrypted vault, never to your photo library.
- Photos and Files: the app uses Apple's system pickers, so it receives only the items you select and has no access to the rest of your library.
- Face ID: used only if you turn on device authentication for Disguise Mode. Biometric data is handled entirely by iOS and is never available to the app.
Clipboard
When you copy a share phrase, the app marks it as local-only, so it is not synced to your other devices through Universal Clipboard, and it is cleared from the clipboard after two minutes.
Deleting your data
You can delete individual items, a vault, or all vaults from within the app, and deleting the app removes its local data. Because we hold no copy of your content, there is nothing for us to delete on our side. Backups in your iCloud can also be removed in Settings → [your name] → iCloud → Manage Account Storage.
The website
Cookies and analytics
If you allow it, the website uses Google Analytics, loaded through Google Tag Manager, to understand how many people visit and which pages they read. We ask first: until you choose "Allow analytics" in the cookie banner, Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics are not loaded and nothing is sent to Google. Once you allow it, Google Analytics sets cookies and receives information such as your IP address, browser and device type, the pages you view and the page that referred you. We use this only in aggregate to improve the website, and never for advertising. This applies to the website only: the VaultBe app contains no analytics.
The website remembers your choice in a cookie named vb_consent for six months. You can change your mind at any time with Cookie settings at the bottom of every page; declining removes the Google Analytics cookies from your browser. You can also use Google's Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.
Server logs
Like most websites, our hosting provider records standard request logs (IP address, browser type, page requested, referring page and time). These are used only to keep the website secure and working, and are deleted after a limited period, normally within 30 days.
Support form and email
When you contact us, we receive the name, email address and message you send, plus the topic you pick and any optional device details, such as your iPhone model and iOS version. We use this only to answer you. The support form sets one strictly necessary session cookie to protect against automated abuse; it expires when you close your browser. We keep support correspondence for as long as needed to resolve your request and for up to two years afterwards, unless you ask us to delete it sooner.
Never send us your pattern, recovery phrase or share phrases. We will never ask for them, and no one at VaultBe needs them to help you.
Legal basis
Where the EU or UK General Data Protection Regulation applies, Digital Choice is the controller of the limited personal data described above. We process support correspondence to respond to your request (our legitimate interest, or steps taken at your request), and server logs to keep the website secure (our legitimate interest). We use Google Analytics only with your consent, which you can withdraw at any time through Cookie settings.
Who we share data with
We do not sell, rent or share personal data for advertising. The only service providers that process data on our behalf are:
- Apple, which operates iCloud, the App Store and subscription billing.
- Our website host, which serves the website and keeps server logs.
- Google, which provides Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics for the website.
- Our email provider, which delivers and stores support messages.
Some of these providers may process data outside your country, including outside the European Economic Area. Where they do, we rely on safeguards recognised by law, such as the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses or adequacy decisions. We may also disclose information if required by law, but because the app is end-to-end encrypted, we have no vault content, keys or phrases to disclose.
Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, restrict or object to the processing of your personal data, and to receive a copy of it. In practice, the only personal data we hold is support correspondence. To make a request, email support@vaultbe.app. We will respond within one month.
If you are in the EU or UK and believe we have not handled your data properly, you can complain to your local data protection authority.
California residents: we do not sell or share personal information as those terms are defined under California law.
Security
The app's encryption design is described on the Security page. No system is perfectly secure, and your vaults are only as safe as your pattern, your recovery phrase and your device passcode.
Children
VaultBe is not directed at children under 13 (or the minimum age in your country), and we do not knowingly collect personal data from them. If you believe a child has sent us personal data through the support form, contact us and we will delete it.
Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we will update this page and the date at the top. If a change materially affects how the app handles your data, we will also say so in the app's release notes.
Contact
Digital Choice · support@vaultbe.app · Support form