Backroom vs Secret Photo Album

Secret Album by BP Mobile offers unlimited cloud storage, a decoy PIN and a private browser. Backroom has no cloud, account, ads or analytics.

Secret Album, from BP Mobile, stores files in encrypted, PIN-protected storage and offers Premium cloud storage tied to your email, plus a decoy PIN and a private browser. Backroom, coming soon to the App Store, keeps files on your iPhone behind a pattern, with no email or cloud at all.

Side by side

BackroomSecret Album

AvailabilityComing soon to the App Store. iPhone.On the App Store.

What opens itA pattern of at least 6 dots on a 5 by 5 grid.PIN, Touch ID and Face ID.

EncryptionAES-256-GCM on each file, with a random key for each vault."Encrypted, PIN-protected storage" and encrypted cloud storage, per its listing. No cipher named.

Where files liveOn your iPhone, and in your device backups in encrypted form if you make them. No cloud sync.On the device. Premium adds unlimited cloud storage.

AccountNone.Cloud sync uses an email you register in Settings.

Forgotten codeA 12-word recovery phrase for each vault. Lose the pattern and the phrase, and nobody can open that vault.Its listing describes restoring from the cloud with your email if your device is lost.

If someone pressures youA different pattern opens a different vault, and the app shows no list of vaults. No duress mode.Decoy PIN, break-in alerts with photos, separate PINs for albums, and lockout after 3 wrong PINs.

DisguisePaid plan: alternate icons and a working calculator screen. The name under the icon stays Backroom.A calculator option appears among its purchases.

Ads and dataNo ads and no analytics.Apple label: identifiers, location, purchases and usage data used to track you. Those and user content linked to you.

Code and reviewSource code is unpublished. No outside review has been completed.No published source or audit is mentioned on its listing.

PriceFree: 50 photos and files, 5 videos and 10 notes in each vault. Paid: $1.99 a week, $19.99 a year or $39.99 once.Free app. Premium entries on the listing run $1.99 to $51.99.

Secret Album facts checked October 31, 2026 against its own listing or site, US prices. See Sources below. Apps change, so check before you buy.

What Secret Album does that Backroom does not

Unlimited cloud storage comes with Premium, and it lets you open your album on different devices. Secret Album also has a decoy PIN, break-in alerts with intruder photos, a private browser with an ad blocker, recovery of removed items and Face ID unlock. Backroom has none of these.

Email and cloud, or neither

To sync, Secret Album has you register an email. That is a practical way to get files onto a new phone. Backroom skips it all: no account, no cloud and no email, with files staying on your iPhone. If the phone is gone and you made no backup, so are the files. Decide which risk worries you more.

Data practices

Secret Album’s Apple privacy label includes location, identifiers, purchases and usage data used to track you. Backroom has no analytics or ads.

Encryption detail

Secret Album’s listing describes encrypted storage without naming a cipher. Backroom’s design uses AES-256-GCM and a random key for each vault. It has not had an outside review, so treat that as a description of the design.

Frequently asked questions

Which is better if I lose my phone?

Secret Album, with Premium, since its cloud can restore your files. Backroom relies on your own device backup, if you make one.

Does Backroom lock after wrong attempts?

It does not show an error for a wrong pattern. A wrong pattern leads to the screen for making a new vault, with no sign of the others.

What does Secret Album's label mean for me?

It is what the developer reports to Apple about data collected through the app. Read its privacy policy for the details.