Prive › Deleting a vault app
What happens to your photos if you delete a photo vault app?
Short answer: Deleting a vault app usually deletes the photos stored inside it, unless the app backed them up somewhere. With Prive, deleting the app removes the vault from that iPhone. If iCloud Backup was on, your encrypted photos stay in your own iCloud and come back when you reinstall Prive and unlock with your PIN. If it was off, the photos are gone, so export them first.
Why the photos disappear
iOS gives every app its own private storage. When you delete the app, iOS deletes that storage too. A vault keeps its encrypted photos there, so they go with it, unless they were also backed up elsewhere.
What happens with Prive
| Situation | After you delete Prive | How to get your photos back |
|---|---|---|
| iCloud Backup on | The vault on this iPhone is deleted. Your encrypted backup stays in your private iCloud database. | Reinstall Prive, unlock with your original PIN, then tap Restore from iCloud (or turn on iCloud Backup in Settings). |
| iCloud Backup off | The vault and its photos are deleted from this iPhone. | They can't be recovered. The developer has no copy. |
| New iPhone | Nothing changes on the old phone until you delete it there. | Sign in with the same Apple Account with iCloud Keychain on, install Prive and tap Restore from iCloud. |
Your encryption key and PIN hash are kept in iCloud Keychain, so a reinstalled Prive asks for your original PIN. If iCloud Keychain was reset, your 24-word Recovery Key recreates the key.
Before you delete any vault app
- Export what you want to keep. In Prive, select items and export them back to your Photos library. There is no lock-in.
- Or confirm the backup. Check that iCloud Backup is on and finished uploading, and that you have your Recovery Key on paper.
- Remove the iCloud copy if you are leaving for good. In Prive Settings, turn off iCloud Backup and choose Delete iCloud Copy, or use Delete All iCloud Data.
Does this apply to other vault apps?
The first part does: deleting any app deletes its local storage. What survives depends on where the app backs up. Vaults that sync to the developer's own servers keep a copy there, tied to your account. Prive keeps the only backup in your own Apple Account.
Read more: what Prive stores in iCloud.
Frequently asked questions
If I delete a vault app, do I lose my photos?
Usually, yes, unless the app backed them up. With Prive, photos survive only if iCloud Backup was on; reinstall Prive, unlock with your PIN and restore from iCloud.
Can the developer recover my Prive photos?
No. Prive has no servers and never receives your photos or key. The only backup is the encrypted copy in your own iCloud.
Will reinstalling Prive ask for my old PIN?
Yes. Your PIN hash and key are kept in iCloud Keychain, so a reinstalled Prive opens to the lock screen and asks for your original PIN. You can reset it with your Recovery Key.
How do I delete my Prive data from iCloud?
In Prive Settings, turn off iCloud Backup and choose Delete iCloud Copy, or use Delete All iCloud Data. Photos on your current iPhone are not affected.
