ArkWarden encrypts your files on your iPhone. You unlock with a pattern backed by the Secure Enclave. There is no account, no ArkWarden server, and no personal identifier. Without your pattern or recovery phrase, the files are unreadable.
How encryption works
Each file is encrypted on the iPhone with AES-256-GCM under a random 256-bit master key created when you set up the vault. Vault metadata is protected with ChaCha20-Poly1305. To unlock the master key, you draw a pattern on a 5×5 grid. ArkWarden derives an unlock key from that pattern with PBKDF2 (600,000 iterations and a per-vault salt), then combines it with a separate key that never leaves the Secure Enclave. Because that hardware key stays on the iPhone, a copied vault plus the pattern alone cannot be opened on another device. The pattern is never stored. When you lock or leave the app, the master key is cleared from memory.
Features
Real encryption: Every file is encrypted individually with AES-256-GCM through Apple’s CryptoKit. Without your pattern or recovery phrase, the data is unreadable.
Pattern unlock: Draw a pattern instead of typing a password. Your pattern helps unlock the master key, with Secure Enclave protection on your iPhone.
Two-factor authentication: Optionally add Face ID or Touch ID, a 6-digit PIN, or a YubiKey over NFC after the pattern.
Wing: a second vault with a second pattern: A different pattern opens a separate vault with its own files and look. Hand someone the phone; your main vault stays hidden. The app never shows how many vaults you have.
Recovery phrase: A 12- or 24-word BIP-39 phrase restores access if you forget your pattern. Shown once. Stored only by you.
On-device privacy: No account. No server. No cloud sync required. No file analytics. Files stay on your device.
Backup & Restore: Optional iCloud backup or file export. Backups are encrypted with your recovery phrase before they leave the phone. Off by default.
Folders and categories: Organize photos, videos, documents, and audio into folders. Drag or import directly. Folders are encrypted with everything else.
Intruder Detection: Optional and off by default. After 3, 5, or 10 wrong pattern attempts, ArkWarden takes an encrypted front-camera photo you can review in Settings.
Also
Capture photos and videos straight into the vault so they never land in your camera roll first.
Open-source encryption core on GitHub. You can read the code that unlocks the vault, encrypts files, and stores keys on device.
Unlimited files, limited only by your iPhone storage.
Works fully offline, even in airplane mode.
