Hidy VaultDecoy vault: what to draw if someone makes you unlock
Mark one vault as the decoy. If someone forces you to unlock Hidy, draw the decoy's pattern. Every other vault on that iPhone is permanently deleted, and the decoy opens as if nothing happened.
- Pro feature. Turn it on from inside the vault you want as the decoy: Settings > Decoy vault.
- Drawing the decoy's pattern permanently deletes every other vault on this iPhone. Then the decoy opens as normal.
- There is no undo. Keep encrypted backups of vaults you can't lose.
What the decoy vault does
Under pressure, "I won't open it" is often not an option. The decoy gives you something real to open. It's an ordinary vault with ordinary-looking files. The difference is what happens when its pattern is drawn: Hidy permanently deletes every other vault on that iPhone first, then opens the decoy normally.
Afterwards, the other vaults aren't hidden. They are gone from the device. There is nothing left on that iPhone for anyone to find or for you to restore locally.
Set it up
- Open the vault you want to use as the decoy. Fill it with believable, harmless photos and notes.
- Go to Settings > Decoy vault and turn it on. Hidy asks you to confirm: "From now on, drawing this vault's pattern permanently deletes all other vaults on this iPhone."
- Make an encrypted backup of every other vault you can't afford to lose. See encrypted iCloud backup.
- Practise the decoy pattern until you can draw it without thinking, and keep it different from your real patterns.
The decoy only helps if it's set up in advance. Hidy Vault is free for 3 vaults; the decoy vault is part of Pro.
When it fits, and when it doesn't
- Fits: someone in your life might demand to see your phone, or you travel through places where devices get searched.
- Doesn't fit: if you'd ever draw the decoy by accident. Muscle memory is real. If your decoy pattern looks like your real one, don't use this feature.
- Doesn't fit: legal situations where destroying data is a problem. Deleting data during an official search can have consequences. This is a safety tool, not legal advice.
Limits
- No undo on the device. Only backups you made earlier can bring a vault back.
- Backups and synced copies are separate. The decoy deletes local vaults on that iPhone. Encrypted iCloud backups, backup files, and copies on other devices you synced or shared with are not touched.
- It can't stop someone who already has your other patterns. It protects vaults; it doesn't protect patterns you've told someone.
Frequently asked questions
Can deleted vaults be recovered after the decoy is used?
Not on that iPhone. If you made an encrypted iCloud backup or a backup file of a vault, you can restore it with that vault's recovery phrase.
How many decoy vaults can I have?
One. Marking a different vault as the decoy replaces the previous choice.
Does the decoy show anything different when opened?
No. It opens like any other vault. Fill it with believable, harmless files so it looks used.
Is the decoy vault free?
No, it's part of Pro, together with sync, sharing and disguised icons.
