Privately
Privately is an iPhone photo and video vault that keeps encryption on the device.
What Privately is
Privately is an iPhone photo and video vault that keeps encryption on the device. Photos and videos are divided into 1 MB blocks and protected with AES-256-GCM. The master key is wrapped by the user’s PIN and stored in the iPhone Secure Enclave. Albums can use separate passwords, and locked photos disappear from the timeline, search and favorites; Face ID unlocking is optional. On-device Smart Search finds text in photos in 18 languages without sending photos off the iPhone. Users can export a .privately backup and restore it on a new device with their PIN, storing backups in iCloud Drive or elsewhere. The maker says there are no accounts or servers holding photos, file names or thumbnails. The app is only for iPhone and requires iOS 18.0 or later. The Free plan costs nothing; Pro Yearly costs $39.99 a year.
Good
- Encrypts media with AES-256-GCM
- Stores the master key in Secure Enclave
- Locked albums hide photos from searches
- Smart Search supports 18 languages
- No sign-up required on Free plan
Watch out
- Only available for iPhone
- Requires iOS 18.0 or later
- No cloud backup
- Lost devices without backups cannot be recovered
Who it suits
Privately suits iPhone users who want an on-device vault with encrypted media, locked albums and local text search. It is intended for devices running iOS 18.0 or later.
Verdict
Privately emphasizes local encryption, hidden albums and on-device search without accounts or photo-hosting servers. Users must protect their PIN and maintain backups because lost access can permanently remove content.
Plans and prices
From Privately's own pricing page, checked 8 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Free to use · no sign-up required |
| Pro Yearly | $39.99 a year | Locked albums · Encrypted backups · more · Billed yearly; cancel anytime |
The facts
Each one read from Privately's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- 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.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Data handling
- The maker says it does not sell, rent, or share personal data and collects limited data for subscriptions and support.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Encryption
- Photos and videos are split into 1 MB blocks and encrypted with AES-256-GCM.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Key storage
- The master key is wrapped by the user’s PIN and stored in the iPhone Secure Enclave.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Locked albums
- Albums can have their own password, and locked photos disappear from the timeline, search, and favorites; Face ID unlock is optional.checked 8 Oct 2026
- No account or content servers
- The maker says it has no user accounts or servers holding users’ photos, file names, or thumbnails.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Product
- Privately is an on-device photo and video vault for iPhone.checked 8 Oct 2026
- 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.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Security transport
- Receipt and entitlement metadata sent off-device is protected with TLS 1.2 or later, according to the privacy policy.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Smart Search
- On-device Smart Search can find text in photos in 18 languages without sending photos off the iPhone.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Support
- Support is available by email at [email protected], and the maker says a real person reads every email.checked 8 Oct 2026
Money
- Billing integration
- Apple processes subscriptions through the App Store, with RevenueCat used to verify entitlements over StoreKit.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Trial terms
- The App Store listing states the yearly subscription has a 7-day free trial and the weekly subscription has no free trial.checked 8 Oct 2026
Where it runs
- Platform availability
- The App Store listing says the app is only for iPhone and requires iOS 18.0 or later.checked 8 Oct 2026
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