Keep a built-in private album when it meets your authentication and library needs. Consider a separate vault when you need an independent private archive, different spaces, or content types outside the ordinary photo library.
Identify the reason for changing
| Your requirement | A useful next comparison |
|---|---|
| Hide pictures from ordinary iPhone library browsing | NullVault and Apple’s Hidden collection |
| Keep Google Photos as the main library | NullVault and Google Photos Locked Folder |
| Protect a workspace on a Galaxy device | NullVault and Samsung Secure Folder |
| Store files through an existing Android file manager | NullVault and Files by Google Safe folder |
| Open independently addressed private spaces | Separate patterns and separate vaults |
When staying put is reasonable
A built-in option may preserve the editing, search and synchronization workflow you already know. If your concern is ordinary browsing and its authentication boundary is sufficient, moving everything to a new app may add recovery work without solving a different problem.
If another person knows the device passcode, evaluate that fact explicitly rather than assuming every private album uses an independent secret. The linked comparisons distinguish the documented access boundaries.
If you choose a separate archive
Test with a non-sensitive image, a document if you need documents, and the intended backup process. Decide what happens to originals, Recently Deleted and cloud copies only after the retained archive is verified. Do not let a migration screen make that decision for you.
NullVault’s import, recovery and export pages explain its side of the workflow. Read the copy audit before treating the new location as the only location.