Consider safe timing, a safer device and preservation needs before changing access or installing a vault on a device another person may control.
A storage change can have consequences outside the screen
If another person monitors your technology, changes to apps, sharing or access may be noticed. Your knowledge of the situation matters. The Safety Net technology-safety plan discusses safer devices, preserving evidence and planning before changing another person's access.
Use local support appropriate to your circumstances where possible. A consumer app cannot judge when a particular change is safe for you.
Understand the choices before using sensitive content
A separate vault can reduce ordinary exposure only within its documented boundary. Automatic lock closes an active session; encrypted storage protects app-managed content while locked; backup and recovery require their own preparation.
A person with control of the operating system may observe what you type or view. Do not assume that installing a vault makes that device trustworthy. Do not send recovery phrases or sensitive files to support or a website claiming to check them.
Retention and destructive controls need separate decisions
Records you may need later should not be used to test irreversible behavior. A duress vault is different from an ordinary decoy and can remove local access to other content. Neither guarantees that pressure will stop.
The unlock-pressure scenario and after-breakup review explain storage boundaries. Read them as product information alongside a personal safety plan, not as a replacement for one.