Cold vaults · Free
Maximum security for what matters most.
Cold Vaults provide highest possible security. A PIN, pattern, password or passphrase can be attacked by trying guesses. A cold vault removes that everyday secret from this device. Only its 12-word recovery phrase can open it — a 128-bit secret that would take millions of years to brute-force.
Free on every tier
Why is a Cold Vault Sealby’s strongest protection?
There is no PIN, pattern, password or passphrase left on this device for an attacker to guess. The only way back in is the vault’s 12-word recovery phrase. That makes a Cold Vault the strongest place for your most sensitive information, with one deliberate trade-off: opening it takes longer because you must enter all 12 words.
At a glance
- Sealby’s strongest protection for your most sensitive information
- No PIN, pattern or passphrase to brute-force on this device
- Only the 12-word recovery phrase opens it
- Maximum security in exchange for slower access
What changes when a vault goes cold.
- 1
The everyday unlock is removed
This device forgets the vault’s PIN, pattern or passphrase. There is no short daily secret left to guess.
- 2
The 12-word phrase becomes the only way in
The recovery phrase represents 128 random bits. Trying every possible phrase would take millions of years, even with extraordinary computing power.
- 3
Access becomes deliberately slower
To open the vault again, enter all 12 words and wait while Sealby finds it. This is for information you value more than quick access.
Why a recovery phrase is stronger
A PIN has relatively few combinations. A pattern or password can be stronger, but it can still be attacked with guesses — especially if it is short or predictable. Sealby slows those guesses with Argon2id and ties normal unlocking to the Secure Enclave, but an everyday secret is still designed to be entered quickly.
A Cold Vault removes that attack path from this device. Its 12-word recovery phrase is generated from 128 bits of randomness. The number of possible phrases is so large that brute-forcing one is not practical: it would take millions of years. The phrase is also something you can keep on paper, away from the phone.
For the information you rarely need but cannot expose
Use a Cold Vault for your most sensitive archive, evidence, source material, recovery keys or documents you only need occasionally. Use an everyday vault when fast access matters more. Cold storage is the strongest option because it deliberately gives up convenience.
How to make a vault cold
Open the vault’s Settings and choose “Make this a cold vault”. Type that vault’s 12-word recovery phrase so Sealby can verify it, then confirm. Sealby removes the PIN, pattern or passphrase from this device and closes the vault. A duress vault cannot be made cold because its PIN is the duress trigger.
Getting back in
On Sealby’s lock screen, tap “Recover a vault”, enter the 12-word recovery phrase and wait while Sealby finds it. Set a new PIN and the vault opens normally on this device again. Make it cold again when you are finished.
Only this device changes
If the vault also exists on an iPad or another iPhone, those devices keep their own PIN, pattern or passphrase until you make the change on each one.
A Cold Vault versus an everyday vault
The trade-off is real
A Cold Vault is harder for you to open too. It adds no extra encryption layer; its strength comes from removing the shorter everyday unlock from this device. Keep the recovery phrase safe. Without it, or another copy of the vault you can still open, nobody — including Sealby — can recover the vault. It cannot restore deleted data, and a copy of this device made before the change is not protected by the change.
Common questions
Can a Cold Vault be brute-forced?
Not in any practical amount of time. Its 12-word recovery phrase represents 128 random bits. Trying every possible phrase would take millions of years, even with extraordinary computing power.
Why is a Cold Vault less convenient?
There is no quick unlock on this device. You must enter all 12 recovery words and wait while Sealby finds the vault, then set a new PIN. That inconvenience is the security trade-off.
Is a Cold Vault free?
Yes. Any eligible vault on any tier can be made cold.
What happens on my other devices?
Nothing changes there. An iPad or another iPhone keeps its PIN, pattern or passphrase until you make that vault cold on that device too.
Can I turn a Cold Vault back into an everyday vault?
Yes. Recover it with its phrase from the lock screen and set a new PIN. It then opens with that PIN on this device.
Why can’t I make my duress vault cold?
Its PIN is what triggers duress protection. Removing it would disable the decoy, so Sealby does not offer the option for that vault.
Related: Recovery phrase · Encrypted export · How hidden vaults work · The security architecture
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iPhone & iPad · iOS 17+ · Free