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SPECIFICTION
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Privately

getprivately.app

From $3.33/mo Free plan iOS
Visit getprivately.app
Spec score 7.8 #12 of 32 in Photo Vault Apps

What it is

Privately is an iPhone vault for photos and videos, with media encrypted on the device. It splits files into 1 MB blocks protected by AES-256-GCM, while the user’s PIN wraps a master key stored in the iPhone Secure Enclave. Albums can have separate passwords, and their locked photos disappear from the timeline, search, and favorites; Face ID unlocking is optional. On-device Smart Search can find text in photos in 18 languages without sending the photos off the iPhone. Users can export a.privately backup and restore it on a new device with their PIN; the maker says backups can be kept in iCloud Drive or elsewhere. The maker says it has no accounts or servers holding photos, file names, or thumbnails. The Free plan costs nothing, with no sign-up required. Pro Yearly costs $39.99 a year and includes locked albums and encrypted backups. The yearly subscription has a 7-day free trial; the weekly subscription has no free trial. The app is only for iPhone and requires iOS 18.0 or later. The maker says forgotten PIN access or losing a device without a backup can mean permanent content loss.

Spec sheet

Product
Privately is an on-device photo and video vault for iPhone.Read 8 Oct 2026 · getprivately.app
Support
Support is available by email at [email protected], and the maker says a real person reads every email.Read 8 Oct 2026 · getprivately.app
Backups
Users can export a .privately backup and restore it on a new device with their PIN; the maker says backups can be stored in iCloud Drive or elsewhere.Read 8 Oct 2026 · getprivately.app
Billing integration
Apple processes subscriptions through the App Store, with RevenueCat used to verify entitlements over StoreKit.Read 8 Oct 2026 · getprivately.app
Data handling
The maker says it does not sell, rent, or share personal data and collects limited data for subscriptions and support.Read 8 Oct 2026 · getprivately.app
Encryption
Photos and videos are split into 1 MB blocks and encrypted with AES-256-GCM.Read 8 Oct 2026 · getprivately.app
Key storage
The master key is wrapped by the user’s PIN and stored in the iPhone Secure Enclave.Read 8 Oct 2026 · getprivately.app
Locked albums
Albums can have their own password, and locked photos disappear from the timeline, search, and favorites; Face ID unlock is optional.Read 8 Oct 2026 · getprivately.app
No account or content servers
The maker says it has no user accounts or servers holding users’ photos, file names, or thumbnails.Read 8 Oct 2026 · getprivately.app
Platform availability
The App Store listing says the app is only for iPhone and requires iOS 18.0 or later.Read 8 Oct 2026 · apps.apple.com
Recovery limitation
The maker says it cannot recover content if the user loses their device without a backup, and forgotten PIN access can result in permanent loss.Read 8 Oct 2026 · getprivately.app
Security transport
Receipt and entitlement metadata sent off-device is protected with TLS 1.2 or later, according to the privacy policy.Read 8 Oct 2026 · getprivately.app
Smart Search
On-device Smart Search can find text in photos in 18 languages without sending photos off the iPhone.Read 8 Oct 2026 · getprivately.app
Trial terms
The App Store listing states the yearly subscription has a 7-day free trial and the weekly subscription has no free trial.Read 8 Oct 2026 · apps.apple.com

Plans and prices

Free Free Free to use · no sign-up required Read 8 Oct 2026 · getprivately.app
Pro Yearly $39.99 a year Billed yearly; cancel anytime Locked albums · Encrypted backups · more Read 8 Oct 2026 · getprivately.app

Every Privately plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Encrypts media with AES-256-GCM.
  • Locked photos leave timeline, search, and favorites.
  • Searches photo text in 18 languages on-device.
  • No sign-up is required for the Free plan.

Limits

  • Only for iPhone; requires iOS 18.0 or later.
  • Forgotten PIN access can mean permanent loss.
  • Lost device without backup means content cannot be recovered.
  • Weekly subscription has no free trial.

Who it suits

Privately suits iPhone users who want an encrypted local vault, password-protected albums, and on-device text search. It is for users prepared to keep and manage their own backups and PIN.

Verdict

Privately keeps its vault and photo text search on the iPhone, with exportable backups for restoration. Its recovery limitation makes keeping a backup and remembering the PIN important.

Where Specifiction places it

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