How to move a photo vault to a new iPhone
Updated · By THEORIST LLC, the company that makes Hushtrove
Before you erase or trade in your old iPhone, find out how your vault app backs up. Some vaults keep photos only on the phone, some need their own cloud backup with an account or a separate password, and some keep their data out of iPhone backups, so a normal transfer may not bring it across S1 S2. Make the vault's own backup, restore it on the new iPhone, check that your photos and videos open, and only then erase the old one.
The safe order, for any vault app
- Find the vault's backup method in its settings or help pages. Don't assume Quick Start or an iCloud backup of the iPhone covers it.
- Write down every secret it needs: the vault passcode, any recovery key, a separate cloud password, the account email. Some of these can't be reset by anyone.
- Make the backup and let it finish. Private Photo Vault, for example, says "Only files that have finished uploading are backed up" S2.
- Set up the new iPhone while the old one still has everything. Apple's Quick Start can transfer your apps and data from your current iPhone S3, but the vault's content depends on how the app stores and backs it up.
- Restore inside the vault app on the new iPhone, then open a few photos and at least one video. Compare the item count with the old phone.
- Only then erase the old iPhone.
One more thing to check: iCloud Backup includes app data for downloaded apps S4, but an app can keep its files out of it. That's a deliberate privacy choice in some vaults, Hushtrove included, and the reason step 1 matters.
How the common vault apps move
| App | How it moves, in its own words | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| Keepsafe | Backups in Keepsafe's cloud: first 200 items free, up to 10,000 with Premium. Log in on the new device. S5 | Your account email, to receive an access code. S6 |
| Private Photo Vault | Cloud Vault (Premium) backs up and syncs; the free version doesn't back up. S2 S7 | Premium, an account and your Cloud Vault password, which "is never recoverable". S2 |
| Vaultaire | Encrypted iCloud backup, on by default; multi-device sync with Pro. S8 | Your iCloud account; the restore steps aren't stated on its App Store page. |
| SPV | "does not keep your photos or data on any kind of server"; deleting the app deletes the data. S1 | Export your photos to the gallery before you switch phones. S1 |
| Calculator# | Backup to iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive or OneDrive. S9 | Access to the cloud service you chose. |
| Apple Hidden album | Part of your photo library: it moves with iCloud Photos or with a backup of the iPhone. S10 S4 | Your Apple Account. |
Moving Hushtrove to a new iPhone
Hushtrove, our app, keeps the vault out of iPhone backups on purpose, so a Quick Start transfer or a restored iPhone backup isn't designed to carry it. Its own encrypted iCloud backup is the way across. This is how the feature is designed to work:
- On the old iPhone, turn on iCloud backup in Hushtrove's settings. Everything is encrypted on the iPhone before upload and stored in your own private iCloud, under your Apple Account; we run no servers of our own. Wait until the backup shows it's up to date.
- Find your Recovery Key: the 28 characters shown once when you set up Hushtrove. You'll need it, or your vault passcode.
- On the new iPhone, sign in with the same Apple Account, install Hushtrove, tap Restore from iCloud, and enter your passcode or your Recovery Key.
- Check that your photos, videos and documents open, then restore Pro from the Pro screen if you bought it.
- Only then delete Hushtrove from the old iPhone or erase it.
Two honest limits. The backup counts against your iCloud storage, so make sure there's room. And if you lose both your passcode and your Recovery Key, nobody can open the backup, including us, because we never have either.
If something goes wrong
- Still have the old iPhone? Don't erase it. Export from the vault to Photos or Files as a temporary copy, move it across, then delete those copies and empty Recently Deleted S11.
- Backup incomplete? Keep the old iPhone on Wi-Fi and power with the app open, and check the app's own backup status before trying again.
- Forgot a password the app can't reset? Check whether the app offers a recovery key or email reset; if neither exists, the backup can't be opened.