SPV Photo Vault controls access to your files with a PIN. Its own description never says how, or whether, the files themselves are protected once someone passes that PIN. ArkWarden derives an encryption key from your pattern, so the files are encrypted data, not just files protected by a lock screen. This page shows exactly what each approach means in practice.
SPV Photo Vault's own App Store description describes a single protection mechanism: "a secure and easy-to-create PIN." It also states that Photo Vault does not keep your photos or data on any kind of server, and stores everything using the internal storage of your device only. That is a real, specific claim, and it is accurate to treat it as true.
What the description does not say is what happens to a file after the PIN gate is passed, or what protects that file if someone reaches it another way, such as a device backup or the file system directly. No encryption method or algorithm appears anywhere in SPV's description.
ArkWarden uses your pattern to derive the encryption key through PBKDF2 with 600,000 iterations. That key is what protects every file, not only an access screen. Without the correct pattern, the files are encrypted data, not files protected only by a locked screen that can be reached another way.
SPV Photo Vault is a broad utility app: photos, videos, contacts, passwords, and private browsing controlled by one PIN, stored only on your device. What it does not state matters just as much as what it does: no named encryption method, no recovery beyond exporting files yourself before you delete the app, and no mention of biometrics or a second hidden vault. ArkWarden encrypts every file individually with a key derived from your pattern, and gives you a written recovery phrase instead of a warning to back up manually. The comparison below shows each app row by row, using only what SPV states about itself.
24 points across five categories. Each row shows what the product actually does in practice.
✓ Yes ✗ No ~ Partial
Encryption
| Feature | ArkWarden | SPV Photo Vault |
|---|---|---|
|
File encryption
Every file is encrypted individually on your device
|
✓
AES-256-GCM + ChaCha20-Poly1305, always on
|
~
Not stated. Description names PIN protection only, no encryption method.
|
|
Pattern-derived encryption key
Unlock pattern creates the encryption key that protects your files
|
✓
PBKDF2 with 600,000 iterations on every unlock
|
✗
PIN is described as an access gate, not a 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 | SPV Photo Vault |
|---|---|---|
|
Pattern unlock
Draw a pattern instead of typing a password
|
✓
5x5 grid, pattern is the encryption key source
|
✗
PIN entry only
|
|
Biometric unlock
Unlock with Face ID or Touch ID
|
✓
Optional second factor via Apple's Secure Enclave
|
~
Not stated
|
|
PIN unlock
Separate PIN as a second authentication factor
|
✓
6-digit PIN, independent of device passcode
|
✓
Primary and only stated unlock method
|
|
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 PIN
|
Privacy
| Feature | ArkWarden | SPV Photo Vault |
|---|---|---|
|
No account required
No email address, registration, or personal identity required
|
✓
No sign-in of any kind
|
~
Not stated
|
|
No server dependency
Vault exists only on your device
|
✓
No server at all
|
✓
States it does not keep photos or data on any server
|
|
No advertising
No ads, trackers, or advertising network integrations
|
✓
Funded by direct payment only
|
✗
Free tier with in-app purchases; premium subscriptions remove limits
|
|
No personal identifier
No account, no email, no identity attached to your vault
|
✓
No identity, no profile, nothing linked to you
|
~
Not stated
|
|
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
|
~
Storage is on-device only, but the built-in browser feature requires 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
|
✗
No backup feature stated. Description tells you to manually export files to your Photos gallery before deleting the app.
|
Vault
| Feature | ArkWarden | SPV Photo Vault |
|---|---|---|
|
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 in the app's own description
|
|
Folder organization
Group files into named folders inside the vault
|
✓
Unlimited folders. Create and drag files between them.
|
✓
Photo albums and galleries
|
|
Recovery phrase
Regain access if the pattern is forgotten
|
✓
BIP-39 phrase, 12 or 24 words
|
✗
Not stated. Description says data is deleted with the app and tells users to manually export files first.
|
Files
| Feature | ArkWarden | SPV Photo Vault |
|---|---|---|
|
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.
|
~
Not stated
|
|
Documents, PDFs, and audio
Store files beyond photos and videos
|
✓
Any format from the Files app
|
✗
Photos and videos only. Description separately lists contacts, passwords, and browser data, not documents or audio.
|
|
Unlimited storage
No file count or size cap inside the app
|
✓
Device storage is the only limit
|
~
Not stated
|
SPV's description names one protection mechanism, a PIN, and does not name an encryption method anywhere. That does not mean the files are unencrypted. It means there is no public claim either way. ArkWarden states exactly what protects your files: AES-256-GCM and ChaCha20-Poly1305, with a key derived from your pattern through PBKDF2, and the code that implements it is open source.
SPV's own description warns that your photos and data are deleted along with the app, and instructs you to export them to your device's Photos gallery first. That is a manual, easy-to-forget step. ArkWarden gives you a BIP-39 recovery phrase, generated on your device and written down by you, that works independent of whether the app is still installed.
SPV also stores contacts, saved passwords, and browsing history inside the same PIN-protected app. ArkWarden is built specifically as an encrypted file vault for photos, videos, documents, and audio. It does not manage your contacts, passwords, or browser history, and does not need to.
SPV is offered as a free app with in-app purchases and multiple premium subscription tiers, which typically means the free tier carries ads. ArkWarden has no ads at any tier.
SPV's own description does not mention a decoy or alternate vault. ArkWarden's Wing is a fully functional second vault with its own pattern, name, and files, generated from an independent encryption key. Someone who opens Wing sees a real vault with real content, with no indicator that a second vault exists.
Claims about SPV Photo Vault are based entirely 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.
