---
title: On-device encryption: AES-256 on your iPhone
canonical: https://mavaul.com/features/on-device-encryption/
description: Mavaul encrypts every photo and video with AES-256-GCM on your iPhone before it's saved. The key stays on the phone, there's no account, and there's no Mavaul cloud.
format: text/markdown
generator: scripts/generate-llms.js
---
# On-device encryption

Every photo and video you add to Mavaul is encrypted with AES-256-GCM on your iPhone before it's saved. The key stays on the phone. There's no account and no Mavaul cloud, so there's nothing on our side to open, even if we wanted to.

## How it works
1. When you set your passcode, Mavaul makes a random 256-bit key for your vault.
2. Every photo, video and thumbnail, and the vault's album and photo details, is encrypted with that key using AES-256-GCM, with a fresh random IV each time.
3. Your passcode is stretched with PBKDF2 (SHA-512, 210,000 rounds) into a second key that locks the vault key. Your recovery key locks a second copy, so either one can open the vault.
4. The locked vault key is kept in the iPhone's Keychain. Face ID or your passcode opens it in memory, and locking the app clears the decrypted copies used for viewing.

## The details
| Spec | On-device encryption |
| --- | --- |
| Cipher | AES-256-GCM. It's authenticated, so a file that has been changed won't open |
| Vault key | Random 256-bit key, made on the phone |
| Passcode key | PBKDF2 with SHA-512, 210,000 rounds, 256-bit random salt |
| Recovery key | 24 characters, about 120 bits, shown once at setup |
| What's encrypted | Photos, videos, thumbnails, album and photo details |
| Where | On the iPhone. Nothing is uploaded unless you turn on backup |
| Account | None |
| Plan | Free |

## What it doesn't do
- It doesn't hide that the app exists. For that, change the icon and use the calculator lock screen.
- If you lose both your passcode and your recovery key, nobody can open the vault, including us.
- Photos you export back to the Photos app leave the vault and are no longer encrypted by Mavaul.

## Questions
### Can Mavaul see my photos?
No. They're encrypted on your phone and Mavaul has no server that stores them. We never have your keys.

### What does someone get if they copy the app's files?
Encrypted files. Without the vault key they're unreadable, and the key is locked behind your passcode or recovery key.

### Is AES-256-GCM a standard algorithm?
Yes. Mavaul uses standard, public algorithms: AES-256-GCM for files and PBKDF2 for deriving keys from your passcode. Nothing home-made.

### Is encryption free?
Yes. Every plan encrypts every photo and video. The free plan holds up to 20.

## More features
- [Face ID & passcode](/features/face-id-passcode/). Open with a glance or a 4-digit code that isn't your phone's. Locks the moment you leave.
- [Encrypted backup](/features/encrypted-backup/). Back up to Dropbox, Nextcloud or Files, encrypted on the phone first. Mavaul never hosts it.
- [Email recovery](/features/email-recovery/). Email yourself your recovery key, confirmed with a code, so it's there if you forget the passcode.
- [All features](/features/). Everything in Mavaul, free and Premium.

## Try Mavaul
[Download Mavaul on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/pt/app/mavaul-photo-video-vault/id6759567727?l=en-GB)