ArkWarden

ArkWarden is an encrypted vault for iPhone. It keeps your private photos, videos, documents and audio recordings on your device, and every file is encrypted before it is saved.

What you can store

Photos, videos, documents and audio, each in its own category. Import files from your photo library or the Files app, or use the built-in camera so new photos and videos are saved directly in the vault and never reach your camera roll. Create unlimited folders in each category and import files straight into the folder you want.

How your files are protected

Every file is encrypted individually on your iPhone with AES-256-GCM, using Apple's own cryptography framework. The vault's index is encrypted separately with ChaCha20-Poly1305.

Your files are encrypted with a random 256-bit master key that is created on your iPhone. ArkWarden never receives it. When you lock the app, the unlocked master key is cleared from memory.

How the vault opens

You unlock ArkWarden by drawing a pattern on a 5x5 grid. Your pattern runs through PBKDF2 with 600,000 iterations and a salt unique to your vault, then combines with a key held in your iPhone's Secure Enclave, the security chip inside every supported iPhone. Together they unlock the master key.

Your pattern is never stored. Because the Secure Enclave key cannot be copied off the device, copied vault data on its own cannot complete a pattern unlock on another phone. The vault is separate from your iPhone passcode, so unlocking the phone does not open it.

Two-factor authentication

For extra security, add a second factor after the pattern: Face ID, Touch ID, a 6-digit PIN that is separate from your iPhone passcode, or a YubiKey over NFC. ArkWarden passed Yubico's technical review and is listed in the Works with YubiKey catalog. You can register two YubiKeys, so a spare key works if one is lost.

A second vault

An optional second pattern opens Wing, a separate vault with its own files, folders and appearance. Use it to keep a different set of files for times when someone else is looking through your phone.

Intruder Detection

Turn on Intruder Detection and ArkWarden takes an encrypted front-camera photo after 3, 5 or 10 wrong attempts, so you can see who tried to open your vault.

Backup and recovery

Backup is optional and off by default. When you turn it on, your vault is encrypted on your iPhone before it is saved, either to your own iCloud or as a file you export. Only your recovery phrase can open a backup.

When you set up ArkWarden, you get a 12 or 24 word recovery phrase. It is shown once and kept only by you. If you forget your pattern, the recovery phrase restores access. Together with a backup, it also moves your vault to a new iPhone.

Privacy

There is no account, no sign-up and no email address. ArkWarden runs no server and never receives the key that opens your files, so nobody but you can read what you store. There are no ads.

Open source

The encryption code is open source on GitHub, so anyone can check how files are encrypted, how the master key is protected and how recovery works.

Pricing

ArkWarden is available on the App Store for iPhone as a lifetime purchase or an annual subscription.