Recovery phrase · Free
Twelve words that only you hold.
A phrase derives the key; it cannot recreate files that no longer exist. Full recovery needs both the phrase and an encrypted copy of the vault: on another device, in Premium iCloud backup, or in a free encrypted export file.
Free on every tier
How do I recover a photo vault if I forget the PIN?
In Sealby you use the vault’s 12-word recovery phrase. It restores the vault from an encrypted copy, whether an iCloud backup, a synced device or an exported backup file, and then you set a new PIN. There is no email reset and no support override, which is exactly why nobody else can get in either.
At a glance
- One 12-word phrase per vault; no master key across vaults
- Generated on your iPhone and shown only to you
- Phrase + backup restores the vault on any iPhone
- Lose both the PIN and the phrase, and nobody can open the vault
Record it once, properly.
- 1
Save your first item
A vault becomes real the moment you save something into it. That is when its recovery phrase appears.
- 2
Write every word, in order
Copy all twelve words onto paper before you confirm “I have written down all 12 words”. The phrase is not shown again.
- 3
Check the paper against the screen
One wrong word makes a phrase useless. Compare them line by line.
- 4
Store it apart from the phone
A phrase kept on the same phone is lost with the phone. Keep it somewhere safe and separate.
Your PIN is a shortcut. The phrase is the key.
A phrase derives the key; it cannot recreate files that no longer exist. Full recovery needs both the phrase and an encrypted copy of the vault: on another device, in Premium iCloud backup, or in a free encrypted export file.
One phrase per vault, by design
There is no single seed that opens everything. Each vault has its own recovery keypair: the twelve words encode the private half, and the public half seals a copy of the vault key. A phrase opens exactly one vault. Other vaults and decoys simply fail to open with it, so revealing one phrase never exposes the rest.
The phrase is a 12-word BIP39 phrase encoding 128 random bits from your iPhone’s random sources. That is far beyond guessing.
The phrase needs a copy of the data
A phrase derives the key; it cannot recreate files that no longer exist. Full recovery needs both the phrase and an encrypted copy of the vault: on another device, in Premium iCloud backup, or in a free encrypted export file.
Recovery in Sealby versus a typical vault app
The trade-off, stated plainly
Because only you hold the phrase, only you can recover the vault. If you lose both the everyday unlock and the phrase, the vault is permanently unreadable, even if an encrypted backup still exists. Sealby, Apple and support cannot reset it.
Common questions
Can Sealby reset my vault if I lose the phrase?
No. There is no account and no master key, so there is nothing for anyone to reset. That is what keeps your vault private.
I still know my PIN but lost the phrase. What should I do?
Move the contents into a new vault, record that vault’s new phrase, and make a backup. The old phrase cannot be shown again.
Does one phrase open all my vaults?
No. Every vault has its own phrase, and a phrase opens only its own vault.
Is the recovery phrase free?
Yes. Every vault on every tier has one.
Related: Encrypted export · Encrypted iCloud backup & sync · Help: your recovery phrase · Recovery phrase trainer
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iPhone & iPad · iOS 17+ · Free