Locked

Some photos are only yours.

Noxium is a private, encrypted vault for photos, videos and notes on iPhone and iPad. Draw your pattern. Everything else stays locked.

Private beta on TestFlight · 1 month of Pro free for testers

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Opens in Apple TestFlight · No spam, ever · Privacy policy

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Try it. Draw any shape.

Through six or more bolts

Noxium is a private photo, video and note vault for iPhone and iPad. Everything is encrypted on your device and opens only with the pattern you draw.

The difference

Hidden is not the same as private.

Your iPhone can tuck photos into a Hidden album. Noxium seals them: every photo, video and note is encrypted on your device and opens only with your pattern.
Is the Hidden album private? →

A Hidden album

Opens with your iPhone passcode

Placeholder for a photo of a cat under a blanket
Placeholder for a photo of a dog on a beach
Placeholder for a photo of a puppy
Placeholder for a photo of northern lights
Placeholder for a photo of a city tram
Placeholder for a photo of a flower

A Noxium vault

Locked

Decoy vaults

If someone asks to see it, show them.

Set a second pattern that opens a second vault. It looks like an ordinary Noxium, with its own photos, and nothing on screen suggests anything else exists.

Decoy vaultIts own pattern, its own photos. Free includes one.
Emergency erase patternOpens a harmless vault and erases the others. PRO

Noxium never shows a list of vaults. Face ID only opens your main vault, and emergency erase removes the other vaults from this iPhone while your iCloud backup can stay safe.

What is a decoy vault? →

Your pattern

Your other pattern

How the lock works

Locked by a shape only you know.

No accounts to break into, no jargon to trust. Three things happen, all of them on your iPhone.

  1. You draw a pattern.

    Twenty-five bolts, any shape through six or more. Face ID can open your main vault too.

  2. Everything is sealed on your iPhone.

    Photos, videos and notes are encrypted before they’re saved, and stay encrypted in your iCloud backup. Names, dates and places too.

  3. Without it, there’s nothing to see.

    Not for someone holding your phone, and not for us. What’s stored is noise until your pattern opens it.

Forget your pattern?

Your recovery phrase opens the vault instead. Write it down when you make it and keep it somewhere safe. It’s also an easy way to unlock with VoiceOver. Nobody can reset a pattern: not us, not Apple.

Example only.

For the curious: the cryptography

Keys inside keys. None of them leave your iPhone unwrapped.

Your pattern never encrypts files directly. It derives an Argon2id wrapping key that unlocks your room header, which unwraps a random 256-bit vault key, which unwraps a unique 256-bit key for every individual photo, video, thumbnail, and note.

A pattern through at least 6 of 25 bolts has far more possible combinations than a 4-digit code, and every guess is made deliberately slow.

  • Argon2id (64 MiB RAM, 3 passes, 1 lane) resists GPU and ASIC cracking far better than legacy PBKDF2-SHA512 or bare PIN hashes
  • AES-256-GCM via Apple CryptoKit authenticates every file chunk, SQLite metadata column, capture timestamp, and thumbnail
  • DRK1 1 MiB chunked format binds header magic, chunk index, and final-chunk marker into GCM Additional Authenticated Data (AAD) so reordering or truncation is caught immediately
  • Portable room header + Keychain rate-limiter stores the 256-bit Argon2id salt in the room header so you can restore from CloudKit on a new iPhone using only your pattern
  • One-way public-key Share Extension lets “Send to Noxium” encrypt imports into an ephemeral Curve25519 envelope without holding your vault key

How encrypted photo vaults work →

VaultCrypto · DRK1 Key HierarchyAES-256-GCM
// 1. Stretch the pattern or recovery phrase in memory
patternKey = Argon2id(
  secret: canonicalBoltPath,
  salt:   roomHeader.salt256, // 32-byte per-room random salt
  memory: 64_MiB, passes: 3
)

// 2. Unwrap the room's master key (1 header per room)
vaultKey   = AES_256_GCM.open(roomHeader.sealedKey, using: patternKey)
// Wrong pattern? GCM tag fails -> 0 rooms revealed

// 3. Unwrap per-frame key & stream 1 MiB chunks
fileKey    = AES_256_GCM.open(frameMeta, using: vaultKey)
chunk[i]   = AES_256_GCM.open(
  ciphertextChunk[i],
  key:   fileKey,
  nonce: baseNonce ^ counter(i),
  aad:   "DRK1" || uint32(i) || isLastChunk
)

// Change pattern? Only roomHeader.sealedKey is re-wrapped.

Everything else

The rest, done properly.

Photos, videos, Live Photos and notes.

HEIC, ProRAW, Live Photos, videos and notes sit side by side, and the built-in camera saves straight into the vault, so new shots never land in your Camera Roll.

Albums with their own lock PRO

Albums, albums inside albums, and albums with their own pattern, each with your own cover photo and colour. A locked album’s cover stays plain, never a photo.

Backed up, quietly

Encrypted backups to your own iCloud, on by default and free for everyone. On a new iPhone, draw your pattern and the vault restores.

From any app

Save from the share sheet in any app, or bring photos across from your library, and Noxium offers to remove the originals from your Camera Roll. Export in full quality with original dates.

Lock it with a word

Ask Siri, or add it to a Shortcut. Noxium locks immediately, just as it does when you close the app.

Sharing and sync PRO

Share a vault with someone you trust, and keep yours in sync between iPhone and iPad. Anything deleted on another device goes to Recently Deleted first.

Covered when you switch apps.

Vault content is hidden in the app switcher and during screen recording. With Pro, the icon can pass for a Calculator, Notes or Weather app.

Plus Recently Deleted, which keeps items for 30 days, so mistakes are easy to undo.

Privacy

The app collects nothing.

No ads, no accounts, no analytics. The App Store privacy label reads Data Not Collected.

  • Only you can see your photos

    Your pattern is never saved or sent anywhere. Without it, your vault can’t be opened. Not by us, and not by Apple.

  • Unreadable in iCloud

    Your backup is encrypted before it leaves your phone, so neither we nor Apple can look at it.

  • Never lose a photo

    Updates, interruptions and restores are tested on real libraries. A built-in check can look over every photo and fix problems from your backup.

  • Easy to get photos out

    Save thousands of photos, or whole albums, back to Photos or Files in one go. Full quality, original dates, no paywall.

  • Backups that really restore

    Your vault is backed up to your own iCloud, encrypted. Get a new iPhone, draw your pattern, and everything comes back.

  • Fair pricing

    150 photos and 10 videos free, with no ads. If you ever stop paying for Pro, you can still view, export and back up everything.

  • Fast, even with big libraries

    Videos are encrypted in small chunks, so even long 4K videos start playing without decrypting the whole file first.

  • What Noxium protects

    Your photos stay private if someone picks up your unlocked iPhone, looks through its files, or gets hold of your iCloud data. A decoy vault helps if someone asks you to open the app.

  • Good to know

    Someone who watches you draw your pattern could copy it, so draw it out of sight. Face ID opens your main vault, so if that worries you, turn it off and use your pattern.

  • Open to review

    We plan to have the encryption code independently reviewed at version 1.0.

  • Made by Inertia Projects

    A small independent studio making private, easy-to-use apps for iPhone. No investors, no trackers, and no servers holding your files. business@inertiaprojects.info · More about who makes Noxium →

The facts, plainly.

Noxium 1.0 is brand new, so there are no reviews to point to yet. Here is exactly what it does, with nothing rounded up. The same list is on our About page.

What it is
An iPhone and iPad app that hides photos, videos and notes in encrypted vaults.
How you open it
Draw a pattern across at least 6 bolts on a 5×5 plate of 25 bolts. Face ID can open the main vault.
Encryption
Everything is encrypted on the device. Keys come from your pattern through Argon2id (libsodium); files are sealed with AES-256-GCM (Apple CryptoKit). Names, dates and places are encrypted too. The pattern is never stored.
Backup
An encrypted backup goes to your own private iCloud (CloudKit). On a new iPhone, draw your pattern and the vault restores. Only encrypted data leaves the device.
Forgot your pattern
You write down a recovery phrase at setup, and it opens your vault. Nobody can reset a pattern: not the developer, not Apple.
Decoy vault
A second pattern opens a separate, harmless vault. The free plan includes 1.
Emergency erase (Pro)
A third pattern opens a harmless vault and erases the others.
Hiding the app
Change the app icon to a Calculator, Notes or Weather lookalike (Pro). Vault content is hidden in the app switcher and during screen recording.
Organizing
Albums, albums inside albums, and albums with their own pattern (Pro). Encrypted notes. Recently Deleted keeps items for 30 days.
Import and export
Imports HEIC, ProRAW and Live Photos. Built-in camera. "Send to Noxium" from the share sheet. Exports in full quality with original dates.
Privacy
No ads, no accounts, no analytics. App Store privacy label: Data Not Collected.
Free plan
150 photos, 10 videos, unlimited notes, 1 decoy vault, full iCloud backup and restore.
Noxium Pro
$2.99 a month, $19.99 a year (1-week free trial) or $44.99 once. Adds unlimited items, emergency erase, iPhone and iPad sync, custom icons, album patterns and shared vaults.
If Pro ends
You keep full access to view, export and back up everything already in your vault.
Requirements
iOS 17 or iPadOS 17 and later.
Made by
Inertia Projects, an independent developer. Contact: business@inertiaprojects.info.
Status
Version 1.0 was submitted to App Store review in October 2026. It is not on the App Store yet.

Compared

Noxium next to the others.

How Noxium lines up against five popular alternatives, using each app’s own website, help pages and App Store listing as of October 2026. Every ✗ links to its source.

Noxium compared with popular photo vault apps, as of October 2026
Feature Noxium Apple Hidden Album Keepsafe Private Photo Vault Vaultaire Encamera
Its own lock Separate from your iPhone passcode ✓ 25-dot pattern ✗ Uses your iPhone’s Face ID, Touch ID or passcode1 ✓ App PIN3 ✓ PIN or pattern6 ✓ Pattern7 ✓ App PIN or Face ID10
Encrypts your photos Inside the app, not just hidden ✓ Yes ~ Hidden in Photos, no separate vault1 ✓ AES-2563 — Not documented ✓ AES-256-GCM7 ✓ On your device, core code open source9
No account or email Works straight away ✓ Never asks for email ✓ Built into iOS ✗ Signs you in with an email account4 — Not documented ✓ No account7 — Not documented
Decoy vault A second code opens a different vault ✓ 1 on the free plan, unlimited on Pro ✗ Not offered1 ~ Premium only (fake PIN)5 ✓ Decoy password6 — Not documented — Not documented
Emergency erase A special code removes your real vault ✓ Pro ✗ Not offered1 — Not documented — Not documented ✓ Pro (duress pattern)8 — Not documented
Backup Where your copy lives ✓ Your own iCloud, encrypted, on the free plan ~ iCloud Photos, end-to-end only with Advanced Data Protection2 ~ Keepsafe’s own cloud, first 200 items free3 — Not documented ✓ Encrypted iCloud, Free and Pro11 ✓ Your own iCloud10

✓ yes  ·  ~ partly, or only on a paid plan  ·  ✗ no  ·  — we couldn’t confirm it from the app’s own website, help pages or App Store listing.

Also in Noxium

  • A recovery phrase that works with VoiceOver
  • Face ID only ever opens your main vault, never a decoy
  • Albums inside albums, with optional album locks
  • Photos kept at full quality, with their original dates
  • Big videos start playing straight away
  • A check that finds damaged files and repairs them from iCloud
  • Recently Deleted keeps photos for 30 days, still encrypted
  • No ads and no tracking, and you keep your photos if you stop paying for Pro

Head to head

Five popular vault apps, compared

As of October 2026, based on each app’s own website, help pages and App Store listing.

Noxium vs Apple Hidden Album

Built into iOS

Free and built in. Since iOS 16 the Hidden album locks with Face ID, Touch ID or your iPhone passcode, so anyone who knows your passcode can open it.1

✓ Noxium has its own pattern, separate from your passcode, plus a decoy vault and emergency erase.

Noxium vs Keepsafe

Account-based

Encrypts files with AES-256 and offers a fake PIN on Premium. You sign in with an email account, and backups go to Keepsafe’s own cloud, with the free plan covering your first 200 items.3, 4, 5

✓ Noxium needs no account and backs up to your own iCloud, encrypted, on the free plan.

Noxium vs Private Photo Vault

PIN or pattern

Locks with a PIN or pattern, has a decoy password that opens a fake vault, and takes a photo of anyone who enters the wrong code.6

✓ Noxium includes encrypted iCloud backup and a decoy vault on the free plan.

Noxium vs Vaultaire

Also uses a pattern

Also pattern-locked, with AES-256-GCM encryption, no account, and encrypted iCloud backup on Free and Pro. Pro adds a duress pattern that permanently deletes the vault.7, 8, 11

✓ Noxium’s free plan holds 150 photos and 10 videos; Vaultaire’s holds 100 photos and 10 videos.11

Noxium vs Encamera

Open source

Encrypts photos and videos on your device and keeps them on your iPhone or in your own iCloud. Its core encryption code is open source on GitHub, so anyone can check it.9, 10

✓ Noxium also has a 25-dot pattern lock, decoy vaults and emergency erase.

Sources

  1. Apple Support, Hide photos with the Hidden album
  2. Apple Support, iCloud data security overview
  3. Keepsafe Help Center, How does Keepsafe protect my data?
  4. Keepsafe Help Center, I lost access to my Keepsafe email address
  5. Keepsafe Help Center, Keepsafe Subscriptions
  6. App Store, Private Photo Vault – Pic Safe
  7. Vaultaire, plans and features (vaultaire.app)
  8. Vaultaire, Terms of Service
  9. GitHub, EncameraCore
  10. App Store, Encamera Encrypted Photo Vault
  11. App Store, Photo Vault – Vaultaire (description checked 22 October 2026)

Apps change. If anything here is out of date, email business@inertiaprojects.info and we’ll fix it. App names are trademarks of their owners and are used only to identify their apps.

See all 17 apps →

Pricing

Start free. Upgrade for room.

Free

For the photos that matter most

Free

  • Encrypted vault, pattern and Face ID
  • 150 photos, 10 videos, unlimited notes
  • 1 decoy vault
  • Full iCloud backup and restore
Join the beta

Pro PRO

For everything you keep

$19.99 a year, with a 1-week free trial

or $2.99 a month, or $44.99 once

  • Unlimited photos and videos
  • Emergency erase pattern
  • iPhone and iPad sync, shared vaults
  • Album patterns and custom app icons
Join the beta

Your photos are never held hostage. If Pro ends, you keep full access to view, export and back up everything already in your vault.

Questions

Answered plainly.

Anything else? Write to business@inertiaprojects.info. A person replies.

01What is Noxium and how does it work?

Noxium is an iPhone and iPad app that keeps your private photos, videos and notes in a locked vault. You open it by drawing a pattern on a grid of 25 dots. Everything inside is encrypted, so without your pattern it can’t be read. You can also set up a second pattern that opens a separate decoy vault.

02What if I forget my pattern?

Nobody can reset it, not us and not Apple. That’s what keeps your vault private. You save a recovery phrase when you set up Noxium. If you forget your pattern, tap “Forgot your pattern?” on the lock screen and enter it. You can make a new phrase any time in Settings › Recovery phrase, and the old one stops working. If you lose both your pattern and your phrase, your photos can’t be recovered.

03Can you or Apple see my photos in iCloud?

No. Everything is encrypted on your iPhone before it’s backed up, so iCloud only ever stores scrambled data. Neither Apple nor we ever have your pattern.

04Do I need an account or email address?

No. Noxium works straight away with no sign-up and no email. Backups go to the iCloud you already have.

05Do you shrink my photos or Live Photos?

Never. Noxium keeps your originals at full quality, including Live Photos, RAW photos and 4K video. Dates, names and locations are kept too, and come back with your photos when you export them.

06What happens when I get a new iPhone?

Sign in to the same Apple Account on your new iPhone, install Noxium, and draw your pattern on the “Restore your vault” screen. Small previews appear first so you can browse right away, and full-size photos keep downloading in the background. Decoy vaults stay in iCloud until you draw their pattern.

07Do you support folders and albums?

Yes. You can make albums, put albums inside albums, and pick a cover photo and colour for each. With Noxium Pro, an album can also have its own pattern.

08Can Face ID give away my decoy vault?

No. Face ID is optional and only ever opens your main vault. Other vaults always need their own pattern, so Face ID never hints that they exist.

09What happens if my Pro subscription ends?

You can still view, play, export and back up everything already in your vault, for good. We never lock your photos behind a paywall. Only Pro features, and adding more than the free plan’s 150 photos and 10 videos, stop.

10How do I get my photos back out of Noxium?

Select as many photos as you like, or a whole album, tap Export, and choose Save to Photos or Save to Files. They keep their full quality and the date they were taken.

11Are there any ads or tracking?

No ads and no tracking. Noxium has no analytics of its own. Apple only sends us crash reports if you’ve turned that on in your iPhone’s settings, and they never include your photos.

12Is Noxium the app that used to be called Darkroom?

Yes. Noxium was called Darkroom until October 2026. Only the name changed: the app, your pattern and your vault are the same. It is not related to the Darkroom photo editor by Bergen Co.

Draw your line.

Noxium for iPhone and iPad. Free to start.

For iPhone and iPad

Install Noxium

Scan the QR code with your iPhone or iPad camera, or copy the direct link. Noxium is free for 150 photos and 10 videos, with a decoy vault and iCloud backup included.

Needs iOS 17 or iPadOS 17, or later.

Data Not Collected

Join the beta