Private photo vault for iPhone
Keep photos truly private
Arca seals your photos and videos with real AES-256 encryption, right on your iPhone. No account, no cloud, no server. Not hidden behind a password. Actually encrypted.
- AES-256
- per-file encryption
- Zero
- servers & accounts
- 100%
- on your device
- No account to create
- No cloud, no server
- No analytics on your photos
- No lock-in, export anytime
Encryption you can actually verify
Every photo and video is sealed with AES-256-GCM and an Argon2id key derived from your PIN. Thumbnails and metadata are encrypted too, not just hidden behind a password screen.
No account. No cloud. No server.
Nothing leaves your iPhone. There is no login to phish, no database to breach, and no company that can read your library, because there is no server at all.
Never locked out of your own memories
Export originals losslessly any time, and back everything up to a single encrypted file you control. No subscription lapse ever holds your photos hostage.
Honest by design
Most “vaults” hide your photos. Arca encrypts them.
Don't take our word for it
Locked vault
A gallery only you can open
Import photos and videos and they vanish from your Camera Roll into an encrypted vault. Browse, favorite, and organize them in a fast, familiar grid, sealed behind your PIN and Face ID.
- Face ID / Touch ID unlock via the Secure Enclave
- Encrypted thumbnails, so even previews never touch disk in the clear
- Albums, favorites, and full-resolution video playback
Decoy vault
Show a decoy, hide the real one
Set a second PIN that opens a separate, harmless vault. If you're ever pressured to unlock Arca, the decoy appears while your real vault stays hidden and encrypted, indistinguishable from the outside.
- A second PIN opens a second, independent vault
- Your real vault stays sealed and invisible
- Plausible deniability without extra apps
Break-in report
See who tried to get in
After a failed unlock, Arca logs the time and the attempted PIN, and can silently capture a front-camera photo of whoever tried. Evidence is encrypted into your vault and never leaves the device.
- Timestamped log of failed unlock attempts
- Optional silent front-camera capture
- Evidence encrypted in-vault, never uploaded
Encrypted backup
One sealed file, any iPhone
Pack your entire vault (photos, albums, and settings) into a single encrypted .arcavault file. Save it to Files, iCloud Drive, or anywhere you trust. Without your PIN it's just noise; with it, restore to any iPhone.
- Single-file encrypted backup you fully control
- Restore to a new iPhone with just your PIN
- Lossless original export, any time, no lock-in
Pricing
Pay for the app, not for hostages
Annual
Full Premium, billed yearly.
- Unlimited encrypted storage
- Decoy vault & break-in report
- Encrypted .arcavault backups
- Lossless original export
Lifetime
Pay once. Yours forever.
- Everything in Annual
- One payment, no renewals
- All future Premium features
- Never pay-or-lose-access
Free to download and try. A free tier keeps a capped number of items; Premium unlocks unlimited storage, the decoy vault, and encrypted backups.
FAQ
Questions, answered honestly
Is Arca actually encrypted, or does it just hide my photos?
Actually encrypted. Each photo and video is sealed with AES-256-GCM using a key derived from your PIN with Argon2id. Thumbnails and metadata are encrypted too. Many “vault” apps only hide files behind a password screen while the photos stay readable on disk. Security researchers have broken into several of them in minutes. Arca writes no plaintext media to disk, ever.
Does Arca upload my photos to a server or the cloud?
No. Arca has no account and no server. Everything stays on your iPhone. There is nothing to log in to, nothing to breach, and no company (including us) that can read your library.
What happens to my photos if my subscription ends?
You keep full access to everything you've already imported. A lapsed subscription never locks you out of your own memories. You can also export originals losslessly or make an encrypted backup at any time, so you're never trapped.
What is the decoy vault?
A second PIN that opens a separate, harmless vault. If someone forces you to unlock Arca, you can enter the decoy PIN and a believable but empty vault appears, while your real vault stays hidden and encrypted.
What if I forget my PIN?
Because Arca is zero-knowledge, your PIN is the only key, and we cannot reset it or recover your vault for you. That's the tradeoff for true privacy. Keep an encrypted backup and remember your PIN, and consider enabling biometric unlock for daily convenience.
How much does Arca cost?
Arca is free to download. Premium is $29.99/year or a $79.99 one-time lifetime purchase, which unlocks unlimited storage, the decoy vault, and encrypted backups.
Which devices does Arca support?
Arca runs on iPhone with iOS 18 or later.
From the blog
Learn what real privacy takes
Security
Are Photo Vault Apps Actually Safe? What the Research Shows
Most photo vault apps just hide your photos behind a PIN. Security researchers have shown how little that actually protects.
Guides
How to Back Up Private Photos Without Trusting the Cloud
You can keep a real backup of your private photos without handing them to a cloud provider. The trick is to encrypt first, then store anywhere.
Comparisons
The Best Private Photo Vault Apps for iPhone in 2026
A balanced buyer's guide to private photo vault apps for iPhone, with the criteria that actually matter and an honest look at the tradeoffs.
Your photos. Truly private.
Download Arca and lock your first photos away in under a minute. No account, no cloud, no one but you.
Free to download · iPhone · iOS 18+