Back up a private vault and recover it if you forget your pattern

A private vault is only as safe as your plan for losing the phone, or forgetting the pattern. VaultMaster gives you two tools for this: a backup file, and a recovery phrase.

Back up a vault

1. Open the vault and go to Settings.
2. Choose to back up this vault.
3. Save the file wherever suits you, such as Files or iCloud Drive.

The backup is one encrypted file for that vault. Everything in it is encrypted, so storing it in iCloud Drive doesn't expose your photos. VaultMaster doesn't back up or sync by itself, so make a new backup after you add things you can't replace.

Get back in if you forget your pattern

1. On the unlock screen, tap Forgot your pattern?
2. Enter your nine-word recovery phrase.
3. Choose a new pattern. Everything is still there.

Restore on a new iPhone

1. Install VaultMaster and copy the backup file onto the phone (Files and iCloud Drive both work).
2. On the unlock screen choose Restore from a backup and pick the file.
3. Enter your recovery phrase. If the vault is already on the phone, VaultMaster tells you.

What's in a backup, and what isn't

A backup is one encrypted file for one vault. It holds what's in that vault. It doesn't hold other vaults, and it doesn't hold your recovery phrase. That's why the phrase has to be kept separately.

Where to keep things

A simple arrangement that survives most accidents:

• The backup file in iCloud Drive, or on a computer, or both.
• The recovery phrase written on paper and kept somewhere safe at home, away from the phone. Don't store it in the same cloud as the backup.
• A reminder in your calendar to refresh the backup every few months, or after you add something you can't replace.

Test it before you need it

The most useful thing you can do is practise once. Make a backup, then restore it on the phone and check the vault says it's already there. You'll know where the file is, and you'll know the steps, which is a lot calmer than finding out after losing a phone.

What if you lose both?

We never receive your pattern, your phrase or your keys, so if you lose both your pattern and your recovery phrase, nobody can recover your vault, including us. That's the price of a vault no one else can open, and it's why we ask you to write the phrase down when you create it.

Keep the phrase somewhere safe and separate from your phone. The backup and restore page has the short version.