VaultSnap Privacy Policy

Last updated: September 16, 2026

Overview

VaultSnap ("the app") is an encrypted photo vault for iOS. Photos and thumbnails are encrypted on your device. Album metadata and settings remain inside the app's sandbox and receive iOS data protection, but are not separately encrypted by VaultSnap. Some later versions may also create encrypted local integrity sidecars and optional verification receipts; those version-specific features are described below. There are no user accounts or vault-data cloud sync. This policy explains what data VaultSnap processes, how it is protected, and what is shared with third-party services.

VaultSnap is developed and operated by TheChosenVictor LLC ("we," "us," "our"). Victor Solano owns TheChosenVictor LLC.

Summary

VaultSnap ships with no advertising of any kind. There are no banner ads, third-party ad SDKs, analytics SDKs, consent management platforms, or advertising identifiers. Vault media stays on your device. The current public US release offers Lifetime Pro as a one-time purchase through Apple StoreKit. A later App Store release may also offer Monthly and Yearly Pro subscriptions while preserving existing Lifetime Pro access. The optional support form sends your category, message, optional email address, and automatic app and device diagnostics only when you tap Send.

Data Processed on Device

VaultSnap processes the following data entirely on your device. None of this data is uploaded, transmitted, or accessible to anyone other than you.

Encrypted Photos

Photos you import are encrypted using AES-256-GCM before being written to disk. The original unencrypted file never persists in the app's storage. Encrypted files are stored in the app's sandboxed container on your device.

Thumbnails

Encrypted thumbnails are generated for gallery display. These are also encrypted at rest using the same AES-256-GCM encryption as full-size media.

Encrypted Integrity Sidecars in Versions That Include Photo Integrity

If the version installed on your device includes Photo Integrity, importing a photo can create a SHA-256 digest of the original imported bytes and record the digest, byte count, seal time, algorithm, and format version in a separate sidecar. The sidecar is encrypted with AES-256-GCM using the same on-device master key as vault media. Integrity sidecars stay in the app sandbox and are not uploaded to us.

When that feature is available and you request a verification, VaultSnap decrypts the media locally, recalculates its SHA-256 digest, and compares it with the stored seal. The result describes whether the bytes match that local seal. It does not prove origin, authorship, capture time, or legal authenticity.

Exported Integrity Receipts in Versions That Include Photo Integrity

If your installed version includes receipt export, after a successful verification you can create a versioned JSON receipt containing the application name, verification status and scope, SHA-256 digest, file size, media type, optional original-date field, seal time, and verification time. The receipt does not contain the vault filename, local file path, PIN, or encryption key. VaultSnap writes it to protected temporary app storage and presents the iOS share sheet. The receipt leaves the app only if you choose a destination. iOS or the chosen destination then controls the shared copy.

Album Metadata

Album names, sort order, and photo-to-album assignments are stored in an on-device database (SwiftData). This metadata is not encrypted separately but resides within the app's sandboxed container, which is protected by iOS data protection.

PIN Hash

If you set a PIN, it is hashed using PBKDF2 with a random salt before storage. The plaintext PIN is never stored. The hash is used only to verify your identity during unlock.

Master Encryption Key

Your master encryption key is stored in the iOS Keychain with the kSecAttrAccessibleWhenUnlockedThisDeviceOnly accessibility class. The key is available only while your device is unlocked, does not sync through iCloud Keychain, and is not migrated to a different device.

Break-In Selfies

When enabled (opt-in, default OFF), VaultSnap captures a photo using the front camera after three consecutive failed PIN attempts without an additional in-app confirmation at that moment. iOS may display its camera-use indicator. These selfies are encrypted and stored on-device with a 90-day automatic expiry. They are never transmitted off your device.

Encryption Details

VaultSnap uses AES-256-GCM encryption via Apple's CryptoKit framework. Each file is encrypted with a unique nonce. The master encryption key is generated on-device and stored in the iOS Keychain with the following attributes:

• Accessibility: kSecAttrAccessibleWhenUnlockedThisDeviceOnly
• iCloud sync: Disabled. The key never leaves your device.
• Device transfer: Disabled. The ThisDeviceOnly accessibility class prevents the key from migrating to another device.

Vault Data Stays on Your Device

VaultSnap does not upload vault media or metadata to an app-operated cloud service. There is no user account system, vault sync, app-owned telemetry, or app-owned crash reporting. The optional support form uses TheChosenVictor.com's support endpoint, but it does not include vault contents.

Tracking and Advertising

VaultSnap ships with no advertising of any kind. The app does not show ads, does not include any advertising SDKs, and does not collect or share advertising identifiers. The app does not present an App Tracking Transparency prompt because it performs no tracking.

The app does not initialize any analytics SDK, crash reporting SDK, or consent management platform.

Photo Library Access

VaultSnap uses Apple's PHPicker to let you import photos from your camera roll. PHPicker runs in a separate process outside the app and only provides VaultSnap with the specific photos you select. VaultSnap never has broad access to your entire photo library.

Camera Access

VaultSnap requests camera access only if you enable Break-In Selfie detection.

When enabled, the front camera is used after three consecutive failed PIN attempts. Captured selfies are encrypted, stored on your device, and automatically expire after 90 days. See the "Break-In Selfies" section above for details.

In-App Purchases

The current public US release offers Lifetime Pro as a one-time non-consumable purchase. A later App Store release may offer monthly and yearly auto-renewable subscriptions for Pro while preserving existing Lifetime Pro entitlements. Apple shows the options and terms that actually apply to your storefront and installed release. VaultSnap does not process payment cards or billing credentials directly. StoreKit purchase validation happens on-device, and StoreKit transaction records are not sent to our servers. You can restore eligible Pro purchases in the app and, if a subscription is available to you, manage or cancel it in your App Store account settings.

Break-In Selfie Disclosure

VaultSnap includes an optional break-in detection feature that is disabled by default. When you enable it:

• After three consecutive failed PIN attempts, the app captures a photo using the front-facing camera without another in-app confirmation at that moment. iOS may show its camera-use indicator.
• The captured selfie is encrypted using the same AES-256-GCM encryption as all other vault content.
• Selfies are stored on-device only and are never transmitted, uploaded, or shared.
• Selfies automatically expire and are deleted after 90 days.
• You can view and manually delete break-in selfies at any time from within the app.

This feature is entirely opt-in. You must explicitly enable it in Settings.

Decoy Vault

VaultSnap offers a decoy vault feature that displays an empty vault with no real albums, photos, settings, trash, or break-in logs exposed when a secondary PIN is entered. No data about which content is hidden, which vault is the "real" vault, or any other decoy-related information ever leaves your device.

Data Stored on Device

VaultSnap stores data locally using the following mechanisms:

All data resides within the app's sandboxed container, which is protected by iOS data protection.

Data We Do Not Collect

Outside information you voluntarily send through Support and Feedback, VaultSnap does not collect or request:

• Your name or phone number
• Your location (precise or approximate)
• Your contacts, calendar, or health data
• Browsing or search history
• Advertising identifiers
• Automatic crash logs, telemetry, or product analytics from the app

VaultSnap has no account system or vault-data cloud sync.

Support and Feedback

If you use the in-app support form, VaultSnap sends the category, message, iOS version, app version, device model, and optional email address to TheChosenVictor.com. The support endpoint adds the app name, submission source, and timestamp, then stores a one-way hash of your IP address with the report. The raw IP address is processed in memory for rate limiting and is not stored in the feedback record. The submission is stored in our support database and delivered to our support inbox through Resend. The support request does not include photos, albums, PINs, or encryption keys. We use this information to respond, investigate problems, and prevent abuse.

Third-Party Services

No advertising, analytics, or tracking SDKs are integrated into VaultSnap.

International Data Transfers

Vault data stays on your device. If you submit a support request, the submitted information may be processed by our hosting and email providers in the countries where they operate.

Data Retention

• On-device vault data and any version-specific integrity sidecars are retained until you explicitly delete the item or all app data, or uninstall the app.
• Break-in selfies automatically expire and are deleted after 90 days.
• StoreKit purchase records are retained by Apple per their policies.
• Support and feedback records are retained while needed to address the request, maintain support history, and prevent abuse. You may request deletion by emailing [email protected] from the address associated with the request.

Data Deletion

You can delete vault data from Settings > Delete All Data. This permanently removes encrypted photos, thumbnails, any version-specific integrity sidecars, album metadata, break-in selfies, and app settings from the device. The master encryption key may remain in the iOS Keychain. This action is irreversible for the deleted vault data. In versions that provide receipt export, protected temporary receipt files are removed by the app during normal cleanup and are removed with the app container on uninstall; copies you shared elsewhere are controlled by their destination.

Uninstalling VaultSnap removes its app-container data from your device. iOS controls Keychain retention, so VaultSnap does not claim that uninstalling the app removes the master key.

Because VaultSnap has no app account or vault-data backend, there is no server-side app account to delete.

Your Rights

For All Users

You may:

• Access your data by viewing your vault content, albums, and settings within the app.
• Delete your data at any time using Settings > Delete All Data, which permanently removes all vault content and metadata from the device.

European Economic Area (GDPR)

If you are located in the EEA, you have the following rights under the General Data Protection Regulation:

• Right to access (Art. 15): request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification (Art. 16): request correction of inaccurate data.
• Right to erasure (Art. 17): request deletion of your data ("right to be forgotten").
• Right to restrict processing (Art. 18): request that we limit how we use your data.
• Right to data portability (Art. 20): request a machine-readable copy of your data.
• Right to object (Art. 21): object to processing of your data for certain purposes.

You control vault data on your device through Settings > Delete All Data. For support records, contact us from the email address associated with the request.

TheChosenVictor LLC acts as the data controller for the VaultSnap app. You may contact us at [email protected] for any GDPR-related requests.

Data Protection Contact: TheChosenVictor LLC handles privacy requests for this app. A separate Data Protection Officer is not designated for the scale and nature of the processing described here. For all data protection inquiries, contact [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days.

California (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act gives you:

• Right to know: what personal information is collected and how it is used.
• Right to delete: request deletion of your personal information.
• Right to opt-out of sale/sharing: opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information.
• Right to non-discrimination: equal service regardless of whether you exercise your privacy rights.

VaultSnap does not sell or share your personal information.

To exercise any CCPA rights, contact us at [email protected].

Children's Privacy

VaultSnap is rated 4+ on the App Store. It is not designed for children, and the optional support form is not intended for a child to submit personal information. If you believe a child has provided personal information through the support form, contact us and we will take steps to delete it.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Contact

For privacy questions, data requests, or concerns:

Data Controller: TheChosenVictor LLC Email: [email protected]

We aim to respond to all privacy-related requests within 30 days.