Does deleting a vault app delete your photos?
Usually yes, for anything kept only on the phone. What happens for local and cloud vaults, and what Backroom does when you delete and reinstall it.
Apple says deleting an app removes it and its data from your iPhone. A vault that keeps files only on the device loses them. A vault with its own cloud may still hold a copy. With Backroom, deleting the app deletes your vaults from the phone, and only a device backup made earlier can bring them back, with your recovery phrase.
The rule
Apple says it directly: deleting an app removes it and its data from your iPhone. Data an app stored in iCloud stays. So the answer depends on where your vault keeps things.
On the device only. The photos go with the app.
In the app’s own cloud. They may be there when you sign back in. Check with the developer before you rely on this.
A vault that claims to be a calculator or a hidden folder is no different. Check each app’s own help pages.
In Backroom
Your vaults live on your iPhone. Deleting Backroom deletes them, and reinstalling gives you an empty start. If you made a device backup while the vault existed, restoring the phone from that backup brings back the encrypted files, and your recovery phrase opens them.
Before you delete
- Move out what you want, using Get photos out of a vault.
- Check the copies.
- Then delete.
If you want a vault gone on purpose, Backroom’s Settings has Delete vault, which asks you to type DELETE and removes that vault and its pattern and phrase. It leaves other vaults alone.
Frequently asked questions
Can Apple restore a vault after I delete the app?
Only if you have a device backup from before the deletion and restore the iPhone from it. Reinstalling the app alone brings back nothing.
Could someone delete my vault to get at me?
Anyone with your unlocked phone can delete apps. They would not see your files, but they could destroy them. Keep a second copy of what you cannot lose.
Do I get my purchase back?
Purchases belong to your Apple Account, and Restore in the app brings back a plan you already paid for. It has nothing to do with your files.