Freeon the App StoreAES-256 · On-device encryption · No account
Hiding a photoisn’t locking it.Hidlet locks it.
Your photos go into a vault that only your pattern opens.
Encrypted on your iPhone. No sign-up, no email, no ads.
Hidlet is a photo vault app for iPhone that encrypts photos, videos and documents with AES-256 on the device. A pattern you draw creates the encryption key, so the files cannot be read without it, and the app needs no account.
Free·No account·Your files never leave the phone unencrypted
Encrypted, not just hidden
Most photo lockers put a PIN screen in front of ordinary files. Hidlet scrambles the files themselves, on your phone, before they are saved.
Pattern lock
Your pattern is the key. It is never stored, so it cannot be leaked.Learn more →Recovery phrase
A backup way in, if you ever forget your pattern.Learn more →Hidden vaults
Each pattern opens its own vault, and the app never lists them.Learn more →Decoy vault
Hidlet ProA harmless vault to open under pressure, plus a duress pattern on Pro.Learn more →Encrypted iCloud backup
Free + ProGet a new phone without losing your photos. Free, and on by default.Learn more →Shared vaults
Share one vault with someone you trust. Your others stay yours.Learn more →Secure camera
Shoot straight into the vault. Nothing touches your camera roll.Learn more →Alternate app icons
Hidlet ProSwap the icon for something that does not look like a vault.Learn more →How it works
Three steps, about a minute.
Draw a pattern
Pick a shape on the 5×5 grid. Hidlet turns it into your encryption key on the spot and never saves it.
Add your photos
Import from Photos or Files, or shoot with the built-in camera. Everything is encrypted the moment it lands in the vault.
Lock and go
Leave the app and the vault locks itself. The key is gone from memory until you draw your pattern again.
Built so we can’t look
Privacy you don’t have to take on trust. The design leaves us nothing to hand over.
- AES-256-GCM for every file, name and thumbnail
- Key from your pattern, created on the device
- No accounts, and no copy of your key anywhere
- Encrypted before upload to your own iCloud
// where your data lives pattern → stays on your iPhone key → derived on device, never saved files → AES-256-GCM before saving icloud → encrypted before upload servers → receive nothing // only your pattern or phrase decrypts
Someone takes your phone. Then what?
A locked folder tells people there is something to find. A fake calculator icon fools nobody who is actually looking.
Hidlet never shows a list of vaults. Each pattern opens its own vault, so you can open a harmless one and nothing on screen hints at the rest. With Pro, a duress pattern also removes this phone’s access to your other vaults.
Show them a vault. Not your vaults.
Download HidletHow Hidlet compares
Real encryption and separate vaults, not a PIN screen or a calculator disguise.
| Feature | Hidlet | Hidden album | PIN-lock apps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Files are encrypted, not just hidden | ✓Yes | –No | –No |
| Your iPhone passcode can’t open it | ✓Yes | –No | ✓Yes |
| Separate vaults that are never listed | ✓Yes | –No | –No |
| No account or email needed | ✓Yes | ✓Yes | –No |
| No ads | ✓Yes | ✓Yes | –No |
Frequently asked questions
Is Hidlet free?
Yes. The free plan includes up to 3 vaults, 100 photos and 10 videos, plus encrypted iCloud backup. Hidlet Pro removes the limits and adds the duress vault, device sync and alternate icons.
Does Hidlet need an account?
No. There is no sign-up, email or password. Your pattern is the only way in.
Can you see my photos?
No. Files are encrypted on your iPhone before they are saved, and the key never leaves your device. Karawya LLC has no copy of it.
What happens if I forget my pattern?
Open the vault with its recovery phrase and draw a new pattern. If both the pattern and the phrase are lost, nobody can open that vault, including us.
Will I lose my photos if I get a new iPhone?
Not with backup on, which is the default. Install Hidlet on the new phone, draw your pattern and the vault comes back.
How is this different from the Hidden album?
The Hidden album opens with your iPhone passcode, so anyone who knows it can see inside. Hidlet uses its own pattern and its own encryption key.