Match the iPhone alternative to the content
For photos and videos inside Photos, follow the Hidden album steps. For a small attachment, consider a locked note. For private photos, videos, files and notes under an independent credential, NullVault for iPhone provides encrypted content vaults.
NullVault does not clone other apps or reproduce Samsung’s whole private workspace. Its pattern-addressed vaults separate content. If private copies of messaging or browser apps are the requirement, this is a different problem from choosing a photo vault.
No, and the workarounds differ by content type
iPhone does not provide a Samsung-style user container that holds separate copies of apps and files under a second credential. That specific concept does not exist in iOS.
What exists instead is a set of narrower mechanisms, each with a different boundary. Which one applies depends on whether you are protecting a photo, a document, a note, or an entire app.
What iOS actually offers
- The locked Hidden and Recently Deleted collections, for photos and videos within Photos.
- App locking or hiding on supported releases, which gates an app rather than isolating its data.
- Locked notes, for text and a small number of attachments.
- Platform data protection, which encrypts the device rather than separating spaces within it.
Locking an app is not isolating its data
App-level locking requires authentication to open an application. It does not create a second copy of that app, give it separate storage, or place its data under a different credential.
Someone who reaches the data another way — through a backup, a file share, or another app with access — is not affected by the lock at all.
Choosing the right mechanism
- Define whether the item is a photo, document, note, or a whole application.
- Establish which credential unlocks the chosen method, and who knows it.
- Confirm whether content remains in Photos, Files, iCloud, or an app-managed container.
- Where you need an independent credential and separate encrypted storage, that requires a dedicated vault app.
Two confusions
- Assuming a hidden or locked app creates a Samsung-style container.
- Treating a folder name or album name as a form of encryption.
A fictional example
Jonas starts with a non-sensitive test: “Define whether the protected item is a photo, document, note, or whole app.” Next, Jonas follows the second check: “Check which credential unlocks the chosen method.” This fictional scenario demonstrates the decision process; it is not a report of product testing.
Common mistakes
- Assuming a hidden app creates a Samsung-style container
- Treating a folder name as encryption
What this workflow does not change
- A content vault does not create private installations of other apps.
- Locking an app does not remove copies already stored or shared elsewhere.
Questions people ask
Is NullVault the iPhone Secure Folder?
NullVault is a separate App Store app with pattern-addressed encrypted vaults; it is not an Apple system container equivalent to Samsung Secure Folder.