Calculator# hides your files with an icon that looks like a calculator. ArkWarden encrypts your files with a key derived from your pattern. A disguised icon and encrypted data solve different problems. This page shows exactly what each approach means in practice.
Calculator#'s app icon looks like a calculator, so someone viewing your home screen has no reason to suspect it holds a vault. Enter the correct code, and the app opens. That is the main mechanism: a disguised entry point.
Calculator#'s own App Store listing describes locking, hiding, and password-protecting your files. It does not name an encryption algorithm anywhere in its description. That does not necessarily mean the files are unprotected on disk, but it means the claim is not made, and cannot be verified from what Calculator# itself states.
ArkWarden takes a different approach entirely. The pattern you draw derives the encryption key through PBKDF2, and that key is what encrypts every file with AES-256-GCM. Even if someone knew exactly what ArkWarden was and opened it directly, without the correct pattern the files remain encrypted data, not files protected only by a lock screen.
Calculator# is a feature-rich disguise: a calculator icon, a Panic Switch, a fake crash screen, and a log of failed unlock attempts. What it does not state is how, or whether, your files are encrypted at rest. ArkWarden encrypts every file individually on your device with a key derived from your pattern, with no account and no server. If knowing exactly how your files are protected, not just that they are hidden, matters to you, the comparison below shows each app row by row.
24 points across five categories. Each row shows what the product actually does in practice.
✓ Yes ✗ No ~ Partial or not stated
Encryption
| Feature | ArkWarden | Calculator# |
|---|---|---|
|
File encryption
Every file is encrypted individually on your device
|
✓
AES-256-GCM + ChaCha20-Poly1305, always on
|
~
Not stated. Marketing describes hiding, locking, and password protection; no encryption algorithm is named.
|
|
Pattern-derived encryption key
Unlock pattern creates the encryption key that protects your files
|
✓
PBKDF2 with 600,000 iterations on every unlock
|
✗
Password/PIN/Pattern is an access gate; not stated as an encryption key source
|
|
Unique encryption per file
Identical files always produce different encrypted output
|
✓
Each file encrypted independently
|
~
Not stated
|
|
Encrypted vault metadata
File names, folder structure, and vault information remain encrypted
|
✓
Metadata encrypted alongside file content
|
~
Not stated
|
|
Device-locked key protection
Keys are protected by the iOS Keychain, encrypted at rest by the Secure Enclave
|
✓
Master key encrypted in Keychain, device-locked
|
~
Not stated
|
Authentication
| Feature | ArkWarden | Calculator# |
|---|---|---|
|
Pattern unlock
Draw a pattern instead of typing a password
|
✓
5x5 grid, pattern is the encryption key source
|
~
Pattern lock available, but does not derive an encryption key
|
|
Biometric unlock
Unlock with Face ID or Touch ID
|
✓
Optional second factor via Apple's Secure Enclave
|
✓
Touch ID / Face ID supported
|
|
PIN unlock
Separate PIN as a second authentication factor
|
✓
6-digit PIN, independent of device passcode
|
✓
PIN available as one of several lock types
|
|
Hardware security key
Physical key as a second authentication factor
|
✓
YubiKey over NFC, FIDO2
|
✗
Not available
|
|
Independent from device passcode
Device passcode does not open the vault
|
✓
Pattern and passcode are completely separate
|
✓
App has its own separate calculator code, PIN, password, or pattern
|
Privacy
| Feature | ArkWarden | Calculator# |
|---|---|---|
|
No account required
No email address, registration, or personal identity required
|
✓
No sign-in of any kind
|
✗
Registered email required for password recovery
|
|
No server dependency
Vault exists only on your device
|
✓
No server at all
|
✗
Password recovery and cloud backup both require a server
|
|
No advertising
No ads, trackers, or advertising network integrations
|
✓
Funded by direct payment only
|
✗
Free version is ad-supported. Ads removed with a paid, ad-free year.
|
|
No personal identifier
No account, no email, no identity attached to your vault
|
✓
No identity, no profile, nothing linked to you
|
✗
Registered email tied to password recovery
|
|
Screenshot protection
Screenshots are blocked throughout the app
|
✓
Blocked throughout the entire app
|
~
Not stated
|
|
Fully offline
All features work without an internet connection
|
✓
No network required for any feature
|
~
Core locking works offline. Cloud backup and password recovery require a connection.
|
|
Open source
The code that protects your files is public and can be reviewed
|
✓
The encryption that protects your files is open source
|
✗
Closed source
|
|
End-to-end encrypted backup
Backup where only you hold the key to decrypt it
|
✓
iCloud or exported file, encrypted on device, only you hold the key
|
~
Backs up to iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive. Encryption of the backup itself is not stated.
|
Vault
| Feature | ArkWarden | Calculator# |
|---|---|---|
|
Alternate vault with a separate pattern
A second fully functional vault, opened by a different pattern
|
✓
Wing: a second vault with its own pattern, name, and files. Nothing in the app indicates it exists.
|
✗
Not stated. Disguise Mode fakes an error screen; it does not describe a second real vault.
|
|
Folder organization
Group files into named folders inside the vault
|
✓
Unlimited folders. Create and drag files between them.
|
~
Secret Gallery organizes locked media; folder structure not stated
|
|
Recovery phrase
Regain access if the pattern is forgotten
|
✓
BIP-39 phrase, 12 or 24 words
|
✗
Recovery via registered email. Requires a server.
|
Files
| Feature | ArkWarden | Calculator# |
|---|---|---|
|
Capture photos and videos in-app
Take a photo or video that goes straight into the vault, never to the camera roll
|
✓
Captured directly into the encrypted vault. Never written to the Photos library.
|
✓
Take secure photos and videos directly in the app
|
|
Documents, PDFs, and audio
Store files beyond photos and videos
|
✓
Any format from the Files app
|
✓
Documents, other files, and audio all supported
|
|
Unlimited storage
No file count or size cap inside the app
|
✓
Device storage is the only limit
|
~
Free version has stated limitations; exact storage limit not specified
|
A disguised icon only helps if nobody ever asks about it or opens it. If someone knows or suspects a calculator-vault app is on your phone and asks you to unlock it, the disguise has already failed, and what happens next depends entirely on what protects the data underneath. Calculator#'s own listing does not state an encryption method. ArkWarden encrypts every file with a key derived from your pattern, regardless of whether anyone already knows the app is there.
Calculator#'s App Store description describes locking, hiding, and password-protecting content, without naming an encryption algorithm. That is not proof the files are unprotected, but it means the claim cannot be verified from what the company itself states. The encryption that protects your files in ArkWarden is open source, so you can read the code that turns your pattern into a key and encrypts your files yourself.
Calculator#'s own listing states that a lost password is retrieved through your registered email, which means an account and an email address exist somewhere for that recovery to work. ArkWarden has no account and no email. Recovery uses a BIP-39 phrase you write down yourself.
Calculator#'s Disguise Mode shows a fake error message or crash notification to confuse someone trying to access the app. That can stop a casual attempt, but it gives a determined person nothing to review, which can itself raise suspicion. ArkWarden's Wing gives them a real vault to see instead: a second, fully functional vault with its own files, opened by a different pattern, while your main vault stays closed.
Calculator#'s own listing states the free version includes ads and limitations, removed with a paid, ad-free year. ArkWarden has no ads at any tier, free trial or paid.
Claims about Calculator# are based on their own App Store listing. Claims about ArkWarden's encryption are based on published standards.
ArkWarden encrypts every file individually with AES-256-GCM. No account, no ads, no server. Your pattern is the key.
