Auto-lock: the vault closes when you leave

The most common way private photos get seen is not a hack. It is a phone left on a table, or handed to someone with an app still open. Auto-lock exists for exactly that moment: as soon as you leave Velcrypt, the vault closes behind you.

How auto-lock works

Auto-lock is a feature that closes the open vault when the app is no longer in the foreground. In Velcrypt it triggers whenever the app moves to the background, for example when you:

• go to the Home Screen,
• switch to another app,
• answer a call or open a notification,
• lock your iPhone with the side button, or let the screen turn off.

After the delay you have chosen, the vault locks. The next time you open Velcrypt, the pattern grid appears and you need to draw your pattern again. Because every pattern is its own hidden vault, the pattern you draw decides which vault opens next.

A delay you can configure

The auto-lock delay is the time Velcrypt waits after going to the background before it locks. You set it in the app's settings.

Delay	Best for	Trade-off
Immediately	Maximum privacy	You draw your pattern every time you return
Short delay	Quickly copying something from another app and coming back	A brief window in which the vault can be reopened without a pattern
Longer delay	Convenience during long sessions	More time for someone else to pick up the phone

For most people, immediate or a short delay is the right choice. If you mainly use Velcrypt at home and alone, a slightly longer delay may feel more comfortable; if you carry sensitive files while travelling, keep it short.

Hidden in the app switcher

When you swipe up to switch apps, iOS shows a snapshot of each open app. Without protection, that snapshot could show the photo or document you were last viewing, even after the vault itself has locked.

Velcrypt hides vault content in the app switcher. The preview does not reveal what you were looking at, so someone flicking through your open apps does not see it.

Why locking matters more with a pattern

Velcrypt deliberately has no Face ID or Touch ID, so reopening a locked vault always means drawing your pattern. That can feel like friction, and it is tempting to pick a long delay to avoid it. Resist that a little: the pattern only protects the vault while the vault is locked. A short delay, combined with a pattern you can draw quickly by feel, gives you both privacy and comfort.

Practical tips

• Lock before you hand over the phone. Auto-lock starts when the app leaves the foreground, not when someone else picks up the phone. If you need to pass your iPhone to someone, leave Velcrypt first.
• Show one photo, not your whole library. If you want to show someone a single picture from your camera roll, iOS Guided Access can pin the screen to one app. The guide on showing one photo with Guided Access explains how.
• Use a strong device passcode too. Auto-lock protects Velcrypt; your device passcode protects everything else, including the Photos app and its Recently Deleted album.
• Shield your pattern in public. Locking often means drawing your pattern often. Tilt the screen away from onlookers.
• Think about who else uses your phone. Children, partners and repair shops all get hands-on time with phones. The sharing your phone with kids and partner scrolling your camera roll use cases show how auto-lock fits into a wider setup.

What auto-lock cannot do

Auto-lock closes the vault when you leave the app. It cannot stop someone from looking over your shoulder while the vault is open, photographing the screen with another device, or using the phone while you are still in Velcrypt. Those limits, and others, are described on the security page.