Encrypt photos, videos, documents, and audio with a key derived from a pattern you draw. AES-256-GCM encryption on your device. Add Face ID, PIN, or YubiKey NFC as a second factor. The encryption is open source. No account, no server, no ads.
This page is designed to help you find out whether ArkWarden.app is good and if it is the right choice for you.
ArkWarden is an on-device encrypted vault for iPhone that stores photos, videos, documents, and audio.
Most vault apps hide files behind a lock screen without actually encrypting them, or ask you to trust closed-source claims about how their encryption works. ArkWarden takes a different approach. You draw a pattern on a grid instead of typing a password, and that pattern derives the key that unlocks your encryption key. It is part of the encryption itself, not just a way to open the app.
Every file is encrypted individually using AES-256-GCM through Apple's CryptoKit, with keys derived using PBKDF2-SHA256 at 600,000 iterations and a random salt generated per vault. Vault metadata is encrypted separately using ChaCha20-Poly1305. The encryption code that protects your files is open source and published on GitHub, so these claims can be checked against the implementation rather than taken on trust.
You can add a second factor: Face ID, a 6-digit PIN, or a YubiKey hardware security key over NFC, a combination uncommon among iOS vault apps. A recovery phrase from the BIP-39 wordlist, shown once during setup and stored only by you, restores access if you ever forget your pattern.
Files can be organized into folders within each category, and captured directly into the vault using the built-in camera so they never touch your camera roll. An encrypted backup to iCloud or as an exported file is available, off by default, encrypted with your recovery phrase before it ever leaves your device.
There is no account, no email address, and no ArkWarden server. Nothing about your vault is visible to anyone but you.
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Real encryption
Every file is encrypted individually using AES-256-GCM through Apple's CryptoKit. Without your pattern or recovery phrase, the data is unreadable. No one can access your files without one of them.
Pattern unlock
Draw a pattern instead of typing a password. Your pattern is part of the encryption itself, not just a way to open the app.
Two-factor authentication
Add another authentication step with Face ID, a 6-digit PIN, or a YubiKey over NFC.
Wing: a second vault with a second pattern
A different pattern opens a different vault with its own files and appearance. Keep your main vault hidden when you need to give someone your unlocked phone.
Recovery phrase
A recovery phrase from the BIP-39 wordlist, 12 or 24 words, helps you regain access if you forget your pattern. It is shown once and stored only by you.
On-device privacy
No account. No server. No cloud sync. No file analytics. Your files stay on your device and under your control.
Backup & Restore
Back up your vault to iCloud or export it as a file. Every backup is encrypted with your recovery phrase before it leaves your phone. Off by default.
Folders and categories
Create folders within each category. Drag files into folders or import them directly into folders, and keep your vault organized as it grows.
ArkWarden is a consumer app for individual use, not a business tool with named accounts. Its users are people who care about their privacy and want their files encrypted on their own device rather than trusted to a company.
ArkWarden is an on-device encrypted vault for photos, videos, documents, and audio. Your pattern derives the key that unlocks your encryption key. There is no account and no ArkWarden server. The encryption path is open source. You also get Face ID, PIN and YubiKey over NFC as optional 2FA and unlimited folders to organise your files.
Most vault apps hide files behind a lock screen without encrypting them, or ask you to trust closed-source claims about encryption. ArkWarden encrypts every file on your device with a key derived from the pattern you draw, and the encryption code is public so you can verify it.
Privacy-minded iPhone users who keep sensitive personal or work files on their phone and do not trust cloud vaults or "hidden" albums. That includes people who share a device, travel, handle client documents, or simply want private media and documents encrypted and offline by default.
I wanted a vault for myself: private files encrypted on my own device, not sitting in a cloud behind an account I could not inspect. Existing options asked me to trust a server and a business that had reasons to access data. So I built the opposite: pattern-derived keys, no account, no server, funded only by subscription or lifetime purchase, with no ads and no data selling.
Native iOS. Apple CryptoKit and Secure Enclave-backed Keychain. AES-256-GCM and ChaCha20-Poly1305 for encryption. PBKDF2 (NIST SP 800-132, 600,000 iterations) for key derivation. The BIP-39 wordlist for the recovery phrase. FIDO2 / WebAuthn for YubiKey over NFC. Fully on-device architecture, with optional backup only as ciphertext you control. Encryption-related code is published open source on GitHub.
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