When it comes to protecting one’s privacy and personal information on mobile devices, the use of decoy apps has become increasingly popular. These apps are designed to provide a layer of security by disguising sensitive data, such as contacts, messages, and photos, within a seemingly innocuous app. With hundreds of options available on both Android and iOS platforms, finding the best decoy app can be a daunting task. This article aims to provide an overview of some of the top decoy apps for Android and iOS.
We have compiled a list of 9 Best Decoy Apps For Android & iOS for your consideration, which have undergone rigorous testing and evaluation by our team of experts.
Table of Contents
- 9 Best Decoy Apps For Android & iOS
- 1. KYMS – Keep your media safe
- 2. Vault – Hide Pics & Videos, App Lock, Free Backup
- 3. Private Photo Vault – Hide Private Photos & Videos
- 4. GalleryVault -Hide Photo Video by Think Yeah
- 5. Hide Photos, Video and App Lock – Hide it Pro
- 6. Keepsafe Photo Vault: Hide Private Photos & Videos
- 7. Gallery Lock – Lock Photos & Hide Videos
- 8. Hide Photos in Photo Locker by Handy Apps
- 9. Gallery Lock (Hide pictures) by Morrison Software
9 Best Decoy Apps For Android & iOS
1. KYMS – Keep your media safe
Kyms is a calculator app that doubles as a secure vault for multimedia and text files. The app uses military-grade AES encryption for added security. Furthermore, it has a built-in browser with automatic download capabilities for user convenience. Kyms is unique in that it decrypts files in real-time, allowing for immediate access. Users can import photos, videos, and text files from local device files, device camera, and computers through WiFi.
Kyms’ integrated browser features include a multi-tab fast internet browser, ultra-simple video download feature, and private bookmarks and history. Additionally, the app has added security features such as login with a 4-digit pin and alphanumeric password, and a panic gesture that logs out immediately when a device equipped with a proximity sensor detects a close hand or smart cover.
With Kyms, users can securely hide, encrypt, and protect their files with ease.
2. Vault – Hide Pics & Videos, App Lock, Free Backup
Vault is a mobile application that allows users to safeguard private photos and videos on their phone. It currently has over 100 million users worldwide who use the app for free. Vault provides a variety of features such as App Lock, Private Bookmark, Incognito Browser, and Cloud Backup.
One of the top features of Vault is the ability to hide and protect photos and videos by requiring a password for access. Additionally, users can backup their content to Cloud Space for extra protection. Another feature is Call Reminder, which allows users to search for incoming phone numbers through the inquiry box.
App Lock is another feature that is used to secure social, photo, call logs, and telephone apps to prevent privacy leaks. Private Browser ensures that internet activity leaves no traces behind, and the feature even includes Private Bookmark. Users can also backup their photos and videos using the Cloud Backup feature, which allows for cross-device synchronization during data transfer. Password recovery options are available for those who worry about forgetting their password.
Advanced features of Vault include Multiple Vault & Fake Vault for storing multiple photos and videos with varying passwords, Stealth Mode which makes the Vault icon disappear from the home screen, and Break-in Alerts which secretly takes a photo of anyone attempting to access the app with the wrong password.
In case of a forgotten password, Vault provides a “Forgot Password” entrance if a security email has been set up beforehand. Alternatively, if data has been backed up to Cloud Space, the data can be recovered by reinstalling the app. Users are advised to avoid deleting Vault’s data folder and subfolders (mnt/sdcard/SystemAndroid) when using cleaning or free storage apps to prevent data loss.
Vault’s Facebook Page and Messenger can be found under the handle @nqvaultapp. The app uses the Device Administrator permission.
3. Private Photo Vault – Hide Private Photos & Videos
Private Photo Vault® is a photo storage application that provides password protection for private pictures and videos. The app is available for both iOS and Android devices.
To keep private photos and videos hidden from view, Private Photo Vault® requires a password to access them. The app allows users to password-protect the entire application, as well as individual photo albums, providing double-layer password security.
To lock private photos and videos, users must set up an account and create a new pin. Then, they can use the app’s plus button to add photos to the first photo album that is created for them. These private photos and videos are removed from the user’s gallery and locked within Private Photo Vault®.
Private Photo Vault® offers several features to keep users’ private photos and videos secure. These include password-protected app entry, pin lock, password-protected photo albums, break-in reports, and a decoy password feature.
In addition to protecting photos and videos, Private Photo Vault® also provides photo management features, such as the ability to create secret photo albums within the app, import/export from the normal gallery, email photos, text message photos, and custom album covers.
The app also offers photo viewing features, including a fully functioning image gallery with zooming, rotation, and panning, as well as a photo slideshow. Private Photo Vault® supports video import/export from the normal gallery and allows users to watch videos within the app.
Private Photo Vault® provides more privacy features, such as being hidden from the recently used apps list, keeping photos safe and secure, and creating a video vault for private videos.
The app allows users to export their locked photos by hitting the export button. There is no limit to the number of photos or videos that can be password-protected, as long as there is available space on the user’s device. Private Photo Vault® stores photos securely on the user’s device and does not upload them to servers.
Users can send feedback to support@privatephotovault.
4. GalleryVault -Hide Photo Video by Think Yeah
GalleryVault is a privacy protection application designed to encrypt and hide various files including photos and videos. This app can hide its icon and keep the user’s privacy secure. Users can import private images and videos into the secure vault and nobody else can access them. Additionally, the app boasts an attractive design and offers a smooth media browsing experience.
GalleryVault provides several features such as hiding photos, videos, and other file types, encrypted hidden files, support for hiding icons, and hiding files in SD cards. The application also integrates with a private web browser and offers a beautiful, smooth, and elegant user experience. Other features include shake to close GalleryVault quickly, support for hiding and playing GIF images, break-in alerts, fake passcodes, and fingerprint and pattern unlock. The app also offers a dark mode to relieve eye fatigue.
GalleryVault ensures that the user’s privacy is well protected. The app uses the Device Administrator permission to prevent data loss by uninstalling, but it will never make any changes to the device. Users are advised to back up all hidden files before transferring to a new device or factory reset.
The app does not store hidden files online; users should ensure that they back up all data before transferring to a new device or factory reset. If GalleryVault is hidden, users can launch it by using the device’s built-in browser or tapping the “Manage Space” button in System App Detail Info page of Gallery Vault. If users forget their passcode, they can follow the steps in the email sent by the app to reset their passcode or send another email to GalleryVault.
GalleryVault supports various languages including English, Russian, Spanish, French, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, German, Vietnamese, Italian, Thai, Arabic, Hindi, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese. For any issues or suggestions, users can send an email to GalleryVault@thinkyeah.com or visit the website.
5. Hide Photos, Video and App Lock – Hide it Pro
The “Hide It Pro” app allows users to hide photos, videos, apps, messages, and calls on their phone, completely free and unlimited. Users can access hidden photos and videos using a secret PIN code, ensuring privacy when sharing their phone with others. The app is disguised as “Audio Manager” in the App Drawer, which can be used to adjust volume. However, long pressing on the Audio Manager title will launch the actual Hide It Pro app, acting as a secret vault for private files.
Features of the app include the ability to categorize media into hidden folders of choice, with free cloud backup for files. The app disappears from recent apps lists and cannot be tracked, with options for pin, password, pattern, and fingerprint unlocking. Other features include secret chatting, private messaging/calls, private browsing, locking apps, and the ability to hide the app icon from the phone’s app drawer.
Users can contact support via email, Twitter, Facebook, and the app’s website. The app is available for download on PC/Mac and iPhone/iPad. Additional features include custom slideshows, batch delete, sharing, unhide, moving data between albums, and sorting files and folders. If the app does not install properly, a reinstall can solve most issues.
6. Keepsafe Photo Vault: Hide Private Photos & Videos
Keepsafe is a photo vault and album locker app available on Android that has been downloaded by over 50 million users who have entrusted Keepsafe with over a billion pictures. Keepsafe secures personal photos and videos with PIN protection, fingerprint authentication, and military-grade encryption. Users can use Keepsafe to preserve special memories, store family photos, protect copies of their driver’s license, ID cards, and credit cards, organize important documents, and PIN protect their photo gallery.
To import photos and videos into Keepsafe, users can simply look through their phone’s photo gallery and tap the desired items. Once imported, users can easily delete the photos from their phone’s public photo gallery while still being able to view them in Keepsafe. Keepsafe also offers features such as syncing photos or videos across devices with encrypted private cloud, backing up photos and videos for easy recovery, and face-down auto lock.
Keepsafe Basic offers free secure private cloud storage and a free test drive of Keepsafe Premium. Keepsafe Premium offers exclusive features such as album lock, break-in alerts, and fake PIN. Users can also manage photos with private cloud, space saver, and trash recovery, and personalize Keepsafe with ad-free viewing and custom album covers.
Keepsafe’s focus is on making simple to use, secure apps and services that improve users’ digital lives. Users can find FAQs in the Help & Support tab within Photo Vault or contact support at support@getkeepsafe.com. Keepsafe’s terms of service and privacy policy can be found at https://www.getkeepsafe.com/policies/#terms and https://www.getkeepsafe.com/policies/#privacy, respectively.
7. Gallery Lock – Lock Photos & Hide Videos
Gallery Lock – Hide Pictures & Videos is a privacy protection app that allows users to hide and encrypt their pictures and videos with a password. This app offers users the ability to lock all of their images and videos, ensuring that their gallery remains safe and secure. With Gallery Lock-Hide Pictures & Videos, users can import their private images and videos into a secure gallery vault picture/video lock.
The highlights of Gallery Lock-Hide Pictures & Videos include the ability to secure private pictures and videos with a PIN or pattern lock, as well as the use of a private photo vault to encrypt and hide photos and videos. A secret locker can be used to view the private gallery lock vault, and a break-in-alert feature takes intruder selfies when someone tries to break into the user’s privacy by entering the wrong password. Additionally, a duplicate photo cleaner allows users to scan and clean duplicate junk photos on their device, freeing up storage space for Android.
A private camera feature allows users to take photos or record videos that will be instantly encrypted or hidden inside the gallery vault, ensuring that no one can peep at their privacy. The app also offers a fake cover feature, which opens the Gallery Lock-Hide Pictures & Videos app only by secret code and functions as a simple calculator, confusing intruders who try to snoop around the user’s private photo vault. A privacy browser allows users to surf the internet using a safe browser and even download photos that will be stored secretly inside the app.
Other features of Gallery Lock-Hide Pictures & Videos include the ability to create a fake vault with a different password for storing fake photos and videos, as well as a face-down auto lock feature that automatically locks Keepsafe when the user’s device faces downward. The app also offers support for a calculator fake cover, allowing users to keep the existence of the gallery vault hidden from others.
8. Hide Photos in Photo Locker by Handy Apps
The Photo Locker app is designed to provide secure and convenient storage for sensitive photos on Android devices. The app allows users to keep their photos locked away and accessible only via a secret PIN code.
One of the key features of Photo Locker is encryption. Hidden pictures are not only moved to a secret location on the phone but are also encrypted using advanced 128 bit AES encryption. This ensures that even if someone steals the SD card and copies the hidden picture files, they will be unable to view the locked photos.
The app is user-friendly and allows for easy hiding of photos via the default gallery or within the app itself. It also features fast bulk hide, allowing users to keep hundreds of photos safe quickly. Folder level locking is available, which enables users to show only one hidden photo album without exposing the others.
Additional features include zoom in and out of hidden photos with multi-touch, rotate hidden pictures left and right, and slideshow viewing mode with customizable delay setting. Photo Locker App will not appear in the recent apps list, and it will lockout as soon as the phone goes to sleep mode.
Photo Locker’s UI has been designed with tablets in mind as well, providing a pleasing viewing experience on both Android smartphones and tablets. With the optional PIN recovery feature, users won’t lose their precious files even if they forget their PIN code. The app will email the PIN to the user in the event of a forgotten PIN code. Un-hiding photos is just as easy as hiding them, and users can decide where the un-hidden photos go.
Premium features include Stealth Mode, allowing users to hide the app itself. The app will disappear from the app drawer and only be accessible via an innocent-looking calculator widget. Fingerprint log-in, ad-free viewing experience, and the option to get two apps for the price of one are also included in the premium version. To enjoy this promotion, both Photo Locker and Video Locker must remain installed on the device.
9. Gallery Lock (Hide pictures) by Morrison Software
The “Gallery Lock” app has been selected as the App of the Year by Times Magazine. It is designed to protect personal privacy by hiding pictures and videos. The app is popular, with over 10 million downloads on Google Play. Users can use the app’s features to hide photos and videos, enable stealth mode, and set up a watchdog function that takes a photo of attackers after the third failed password attempt. The app also includes cloud backup support, folders, and a variety of viewing modes.
The free version of the app is ad-supported. Before uninstalling the Lite version, users must undo the hide function of the photos and videos, or risk losing them. It is recommended that users test the Lite version before purchasing the full version. Permissions are required for the app’s features, such as call permission for stealth mode and take picture permission for the watchdog function. The app also uses the Device Administrator permission.
If the app fails to run, recovery can be made by uninstalling and reinstalling Gallery Lock, then using the “Find/Recover Missing files” menu in the app’s settings. If stealth mode doesn’t work, users can install the apk from a provided link and tap the Stealth Mode Enabler icon.
For any questions, users are encouraged to send an email to the app developer as they are not authorized to reply to comments.