Deniability
Hidden photo vaults, with no stored vault list or count.
A different PIN opens a different vault. Sealby stores no list or count of vaults. The app, visible content or copies elsewhere can still reveal clues.
Deniability, at a glance
- A different PIN opens a different, fully separate vault
- No list or count of vaults is stored anywhere, not on the device and not in the cloud
- A vault you haven’t opened is stored as identical encrypted blocks
- An optional duress PIN (Premium) removes your other vaults from this device when entered
- No stored vault list or count does not mean no clues. Visible content and copies elsewhere remain outside this protection.
- 2·9·4·1·0·6Decoy vaultthe dog, the holiday, the recipes
- 8·3·5·2·9·1Hidden vaultprivate photos, passwords, what matters
- 6·0·7·3·4·8Work vaultcontracts, client files, nothing personal
- 4·9·1·6·2·7Duress PINopens the decoy and removes the others (Premium)
- any other PINAn empty vaultan empty vault, with no list of other vaults
No list, no count. Nothing records how many vaults exist.
Deniability is built in. It is not a setting.
- 1
Create as many vaults as you like
Each vault is fully separate, with its own PIN, pattern or passphrase and its own contents. There is no main vault that knows about the others.
- 2
A PIN doesn’t unlock the app. It opens one vault.
Your PIN, combined with a key kept in your device’s Secure Enclave, opens one specific vault. It does not show a list or count of other vaults.
- 3
Everything else looks the same
A vault you haven’t opened is stored as identical encrypted blocks, like every other vault. There is no list and no count of vaults stored anywhere.
- 4
Open one vault. Keep the others locked.
An ordinary decoy opens a vault containing everyday material and leaves other vaults locked. The app or what you show may still draw attention. A decoy cannot guarantee personal safety.
- 5
Or set a duress PIN (Premium)
A duress PIN opens a harmless decoy vault and removes your other vaults from this device. With backups completed beforehand, restore the backed-up vaults later using their recovery phrases. Unbacked-up changes are lost.
For moments when “just unlock it” isn’t safe.
Crossing borders
Keep fewer sensitive files on the phone. Encrypted vaults have no stored list or count, but cannot guarantee the outcome of a device search.
Journalists & sources
Encrypt reporting files and lock the vault. Earlier viewing, external copies and an unlocked vault remain outside this protection.
At-risk situations
The app, visible content or missing data may draw attention. Neither a decoy nor a duress PIN can guarantee personal safety.
What deniability does, and what it doesn’t
Sealby stores no list or count of vaults. That limits what the app directly reveals about whether another vault exists; it does not rule out other clues. Already-open content, someone watching your PIN, and copies elsewhere remain risks. Neither a decoy nor a duress PIN guarantees personal safety. Recovery needs an available encrypted copy and that vault’s recovery phrase.
Common questions
What is a deniable (hidden) vault?
A separate vault that opens only with its own PIN. Vaults are stored as identical encrypted blocks, and no list of them is kept, so nothing records how many vaults you have or that a hidden one exists at all.
Can someone tell how many vaults I have?
No. Sealby keeps no list or count of vaults anywhere, and vaults you haven’t opened are stored as identical encrypted blocks.
What is a duress PIN?
An optional PIN, available with Premium, that opens a harmless decoy vault and removes your other vaults from this device. Restore data backed up beforehand with each vault’s recovery phrase; unbacked-up changes are lost. You choose whether to set one.
Related: the security model ·crossing borders ·staying safe at home
Keep what matters out of sight.
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iPhone & iPad · iOS 17+ · Free