# Your photos, encrypted. Not just hidden.

> SecretGrid is an encrypted photo vault for Android. A pattern you draw is the key: every photo, video, note and file is encrypted with AES-256 on your phone. No account, and hidden vaults that no one can prove exist.

Canonical: https://trysecretgrid.com
Last updated: 2026-11-06

SecretGrid locks photos, videos, notes and files behind a pattern that *is* the key. Everything is encrypted on your phone before it’s saved. No account, no sign-up, and hidden vaults no one can prove exist.

Security at a glance: AES-256-GCM, Argon2id, No account, Works offline.

## Everything a vault should do, and a few things none do

Real encryption first. Then the protections that matter when someone else is holding your phone.

- [Your pattern is the key](https://trysecretgrid.com/features#pattern-key): The pattern you draw is stretched with Argon2id into the key that unlocks your files. It isn't a lock screen in front of plain files.
- [Hidden vaults](https://trysecretgrid.com/features#hidden-vaults): Every pattern opens its own vault. A wrong pattern looks exactly like an empty one, so no one can tell how many you have.
- [Duress pattern](https://trysecretgrid.com/features#duress) (Pro): A second pattern that opens a harmless vault and quietly deletes the others from the phone.
- [Shake to decoy](https://trysecretgrid.com/features#shake-to-decoy): Shake the phone in any vault to switch straight to your decoy. Turn it face down to lock instantly.
- [Disguise as a calculator](https://trysecretgrid.com/features#disguise) (Pro): Change the app's icon and name to Calculator, Notes or Clock. The calculator really works; your code reveals the vault.
- [Encrypted Drive backup](https://trysecretgrid.com/features#backup): Back up to your own Google Drive, encrypted on your phone first. Free, and off until you turn it on.
- [Sync between phones](https://trysecretgrid.com/features#sync) (Pro): Keep a vault in step across your Android phones through your own Drive. Edits merge; deletions follow.
- [Share a vault](https://trysecretgrid.com/features#share) (Pro): Send a vault as one encrypted file that opens with a 9-word phrase. It can even hide inside an ordinary photo.
- [Disappearing items](https://trysecretgrid.com/features#disappearing): Set a photo or folder to delete itself after 24 hours, 7 days or 30 days.
- [Secure cards](https://trysecretgrid.com/features#cards): Keep IDs, bank cards, logins and Wi-Fi passwords as tidy encrypted cards, with secret fields masked.
- [Folder PIN lock](https://trysecretgrid.com/features#folder-lock): Give one folder its own PIN on top of the vault, for when you hand someone your phone.
- [Location removed](https://trysecretgrid.com/features#location): GPS coordinates are stripped from photos and videos (JPEG, HEIC, MP4, MOV) as they come in.

[See all features](https://trysecretgrid.com/features)

## Three steps, then it stays out of the way

1. **Draw a pattern.** Connect at least 6 dots on the 5×5 grid, with one change of direction. That pattern becomes the key, and you get a 9-word recovery phrase to keep somewhere safe.
2. **Add your files.** Pick photos and videos, scan documents, write notes or save cards. Each item is encrypted on your phone, and location data is stripped as it comes in.
3. **Leave, and it locks.** Switching to another app locks the vault and wipes its keys from memory. Shake the phone or turn it face down to lock it instantly.

## Built so that we couldn't open your vault even if we wanted to

No servers hold your files. No account links them to you. The only key is the pattern in your head.

- **Every file has its own key.** Random AES-256-GCM keys per photo, video and thumbnail, sealed in chunks so large videos are protected all the way through.
- **Your pattern, stretched.** Argon2id turns the pattern into a key, tuned to each phone so guessing patterns stays slow on any hardware.
- **Nothing to count.** Files have random names, and decoy files pad the storage, so a copy of the phone doesn't reveal how many vaults it holds.
- **Encrypted before backup.** Drive receives the same ciphertext that's on your phone. Your pattern and phrase never leave it.

**vault.config**

```text
cipher         AES-256-GCM, a fresh key per file
kdf            Argon2id, tuned per device
pattern        5×5 grid, 6+ dots, 1+ turn
recovery       9-word phrase
locator        HKDF(pattern) → random file name
wrong pattern  indistinguishable from empty
vault count    padded with decoy files
backup         ciphertext only, your own Drive
account        none
```

[Read the security design](https://trysecretgrid.com/security)

## Open a vault. Just not that one.

A locked folder announces that something is inside. SecretGrid gives you vaults that look ordinary when opened, and ways out that look like nothing at all.

- **Decoy vault.** Draw a different pattern and show a vault full of holiday photos.
- **Duress pattern.** Opens the decoy and silently deletes the other vaults from the phone (Pro).
- **Shake to decoy.** One shake in any vault switches to the decoy, with nothing to draw.
- **A calculator that works.** The app can look and behave like a calculator. Your code reveals the vault (Pro).

## Hidden isn't the same as encrypted

Most vault apps put a PIN screen in front of ordinary files. Here's how the common approaches compare.

|  | SecretGrid | Built-in private folders | PIN and calculator vault apps | Cloud vault apps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Files encrypted with a key only you hold | Yes | Varies | Varies | Varies |
| No account or email needed | Yes | Yes | Varies | No |
| Hidden vaults no one can count | Yes | No | No | No |
| Duress code that removes the real vaults | Yes | No | Varies | No |
| Backup encrypted before it leaves the phone | Yes | Varies | No | Varies |
| Recovery without anyone else's server | Yes | No | No | No |

A dash means it varies by app. Categories, not specific products.

[Full comparison](https://trysecretgrid.com/compare)

## Generous for free. Everything with Pro.

Encryption and backup are never behind a paywall. Pro adds the extra protections and removes ads.

### Free: $0 forever

- 3 vaults, 200 items in each
- AES-256 encryption for everything
- Encrypted Google Drive backup
- Recycle bin, secure cards, folder PINs
- Panic lock and shake to decoy
- Occasional ads, never inside your files

### Pro: $19.99 yearly, $4.99 monthly, $39.99 lifetime

7-day free trial on the yearly plan. Everything in Free, plus:

- Unlimited vaults and items
- No ads
- Duress pattern
- Disguise icons and a working calculator front
- Sync between your phones
- Share a vault with a phrase
- Document scanner

US prices shown. Google Play charges in your local currency, and you can cancel any time in Play Store subscriptions.

## Questions, answered

### What is SecretGrid?

An encrypted vault for photos, videos, notes, cards and files on Android. You open it by drawing a pattern, and that pattern is the encryption key: nothing on the phone can open your files without it.

### Is SecretGrid really encrypted, or does it just hide files?

Encrypted. Each file gets its own random AES-256-GCM key before it is written to storage, and your pattern is stretched with Argon2id into the key that protects those keys. A copy of the phone's storage shows only random-looking data.

### What happens if I forget my pattern?

Use the 9-word recovery phrase you saved when you created the vault, then set a new pattern. Nobody, including us, can reset a pattern or recover a vault without the phrase.

### Do I need an account?

No. There is no SecretGrid account, no email and no sign-in. Your vaults live on your phone, and backup goes to your own Google Drive, encrypted.

### Can someone tell how many vaults I have?

No. Every pattern opens its own vault, a wrong pattern looks exactly like an unused one, and SecretGrid keeps decoy files on disk so storage doesn't reveal how many real vaults exist.

### What if someone forces me to open the app?

Give them a decoy vault. With Pro you can also set a duress pattern: it opens a harmless vault and quietly deletes the others from the phone. Shaking the phone in any vault can also switch straight to your decoy.

### Is my backup safe on Google Drive?

Yes. Files are encrypted on your phone before upload and stay encrypted in Drive's hidden app folder. Google sees file sizes, not contents. Backup is free and off until you turn it on.

### Can SecretGrid see my photos?

No. We never receive your files, patterns or recovery phrase. Encryption and decryption happen only on your phone.

### Does the free plan have ads?

Yes, an occasional full-screen ad at a natural pause, such as closing a photo. Never in the first day, never more than one per unlock, and ads never see what's in your vault. Pro removes them.

### Is there an iPhone version?

Not yet. SecretGrid is available for Android on Google Play.

Draw a pattern. That’s your vault. Free on Google Play. No account, nothing to set up first. [Get SecretGrid on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.robindevstudios.secretgrid)

## Related

- [Features](https://trysecretgrid.com/features)
- [Security design](https://trysecretgrid.com/security)
- [Compare](https://trysecretgrid.com/compare)
- [Free private tools](https://trysecretgrid.com/tools)
- [Google Play listing](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.robindevstudios.secretgrid)