How to transfer a photo vault to a new iPhone (without losing anything)

Why vault apps are the tricky part of a phone switch

Apple's Quick Start moves your data to a new iPhone held next to the old one. You can let the new phone download apps and data from iCloud in the background, or transfer straight from the old device, in which case both phones are out of action until it finishes. Apple asks that the old phone runs iOS 11 or later, has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on, and that both phones stay close together and plugged in.

For most apps that's the whole story. Photo vaults are different because many of them encrypt files with a key that lives on the device, in the app maker's cloud, or in your head. A normal device transfer may bring the encrypted files across without the key that opens them, or bring nothing at all. That's why the checks below happen before you erase anything.

Step 1: Find out how your vault stores photos

Open your vault's settings and look for words like Backup, Sync, Cloud or Recovery. Most apps fall into one of four groups:

If the app's help pages don't say clearly which group it's in, treat it as local-only until you've confirmed otherwise. Assuming files will "just come across" is how photos get lost.

Step 2: Make a complete, current copy

Whatever the group, the goal is the same: a copy of every file that you know you can open on another device.

• Account-based vaults. Turn on the app's cloud backup and wait until it reports that everything is uploaded. Keepsafe, for example, tells users to log into the same account on the new phone, turn on cloud backup on both devices, confirm every item is backed up and keep the app open until syncing finishes. Its help page notes that the cloud needs room for all items and that Premium raises the limit to 10,000 files (100,000 on Lifetime).
• Encrypted iCloud backup. Check that the backup is switched on and shows a recent date or an "up to date" status. Leave the old phone on Wi-Fi with the app open for a while if it says it's still uploading.
• Local-only vaults. Export the files you want to keep. Be aware that exporting usually means saving them back to Photos or Files, unencrypted, so plan to clean those copies up in Step 5.

For extra safety, also make an encrypted backup of the whole iPhone on a computer. In Finder on a Mac, or the Apple Devices app on Windows, connect the phone, select it, and tick Encrypt local backup under Backups. Apple notes that an encrypted backup also includes saved passwords, Wi-Fi settings, website history, Health data and call history, which unencrypted ones leave out. Write the backup password down: if you forget it, that backup can't be used.

Step 3: Gather the key that opens the vault

A backup is useless without the thing that unlocks it. Before you switch, confirm you have:

1. The vault's own password, PIN or pattern (not just Face ID, which won't carry over to a new phone).
2. The account login and access to its recovery email, if the app uses an account.
3. The written recovery phrase or recovery key, if the app uses one. Store it somewhere other than the phone you're about to erase.

If you can't find one of these, sort it out now while the old phone still opens the vault. Many apps let you view or reset recovery options only from inside an unlocked vault.

Step 4: Move to the new iPhone and open the vault

1. Turn on the new iPhone and place it next to the unlocked old one. Follow the Quick Start prompts and set up Face ID or Touch ID.
2. Choose to download from iCloud or transfer directly, and keep both phones plugged in until it's done.
3. Make sure you're signed in to the same Apple Account, then open the vault app (reinstall it from the App Store if it didn't come across).
4. Sign in, enter your password, or use the app's recovery option, depending on the group from Step 1.
5. Check the result: compare item counts with the old phone, open a few full-size photos, play a couple of long videos and look inside every album or folder.

Moving a Hushkeeper vault

Hushkeeper falls into the "encrypted backup in your own iCloud" group. Encrypted iCloud backup is free and on by default, and only ciphertext leaves the phone. On the new iPhone, sign in to the same iCloud account, open Hushkeeper, tap Use recovery phrase, enter your phrase and draw a pattern. The pattern alone isn't enough on a new device: it's combined with a secret salt from the old phone's Keychain, so the recovery phrase is what opens the backup elsewhere. Before you switch, check in the app that Encrypted backup is on and shows "Up to date". If you lose both the pattern and the phrase, nobody can recover the files, including us. Hushkeeper is coming soon to the App Store.

Step 5: Clean up, then erase the old iPhone

Once the new phone shows everything, finish the job on the old one:

• Delete any exported copies you made for the move from Photos, then empty Recently Deleted. If iCloud Photos is on, those copies were also uploaded, so they need deleting there too. Our guide to permanently deleting photos from iPhone walks through every place a copy can hide.
• Keep the old phone untouched for a few days if you can. It's your fallback if something turns out to be missing.
• When you're sure, sign out, erase and remove it from your Apple Account in the order in our checklist for selling or trading in an iPhone.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Erasing first, checking later. Trade-in deals often encourage wiping the old phone on the spot. Don't, until the vault opens on the new one.
• Relying on Face ID. Biometrics are set up fresh on the new phone. You need the vault's real password or recovery key.
• Hitting a cloud limit. If your plan caps the number of backed-up files, the extras stay on the old phone only. Check the count before you switch.
• Forgetting exported copies. Files exported for the move sit unencrypted in your library until you delete them.
• Assuming iCloud Photos is private. Without Advanced Data Protection it isn't end-to-end encrypted; see whether iCloud Photos is private.

Choosing a vault that moves easily next time

If this switch was painful, it's worth picking a vault whose backup and recovery you understand in one sentence. Our roundup of the best private photo vault apps for iPhone compares how the main options store, encrypt and restore your files. And before moving photos you might share later into any vault, you can strip their location and camera details with our free photo metadata remover.

Sources

• Apple Support: Use Quick Start to transfer data to a new iPhone or iPad
• Apple Support: What does iCloud back up?
• Apple Support: About encrypted backups on your iPhone or iPad
• Apple Support: Hide photos with the Hidden album
• Keepsafe Help Center: How do I transfer photos to a new phone?