Duress pattern (coming soon)

Sometimes the risk is not a stolen phone but a person standing in front of you, asking you to open the app. The duress pattern is Velcrypt's planned answer to that moment. It is not available yet: it is a coming-soon feature of the optional Premium upgrade, and this page describes what it is designed to do.

What the duress pattern will do

A duress pattern is a special unlock pattern meant to be used when you are being pressured or coerced. In Velcrypt, it is planned to work like this:

1. In advance, you set a duress pattern and choose which vault it should open, typically a decoy vault with ordinary content.
2. If you are ever forced to unlock the app, you draw the duress pattern instead of your real one.
3. Velcrypt opens the chosen vault as usual.
4. In the background, it silently removes access to your other vaults on that device.

From the outside, nothing unusual happens. There is no alert, no animation and no message saying that something was removed.

How it builds on hidden vaults

Velcrypt already gives you hidden vaults: every pattern opens its own vault, there is no vault list, and an unknown pattern opens an empty vault without an error. That already makes it hard for someone to prove that more vaults exist.

The duress pattern adds a second layer. A decoy relies on the other person believing you. The duress pattern is meant for situations where that may not be enough, for example if you expect to be asked repeatedly or to have your real pattern demanded later. Once it is used, the other vaults are no longer reachable on that phone. The idea behind both features is explained in plausible deniability, explained.

When it could matter

People rarely plan for coercion, but some situations make it more likely:

• An abusive or controlling relationship, where a partner demands to see everything on your phone.
• Journalists and researchers who carry material that could expose sources.
• Travel through places with intrusive device checks, covered in phone privacy at border crossings.
• Theft or robbery, where someone forces you to unlock things on the spot.

In each case, the goal is the same: give you a way to comply on the surface while keeping your most sensitive files out of reach.

Honest limits

A duress pattern is a strong tool, and it comes with equally real limits. It is better to know them now than to discover them later.

It cannot undo copies. It only acts on Velcrypt's own vaults on that device. If a photo is still in your Photos library, in Recently Deleted, in iCloud Photos, in a chat or on someone else's phone, it stays there. Clean up originals after importing; the guide on deleting originals after import shows how.

Treat it as permanent. Vault data is not included in iCloud or computer backups in the first version, so you should assume that access, once removed, cannot be restored. Use it only when you truly accept losing those files.

It does not stop observation. If someone has watched you draw your real pattern, or filmed the screen, the duress pattern does not change what they saw.

Coercion is unpredictable. Some people may react badly if they suspect something has been hidden or removed. Your physical safety matters more than any file. A duress pattern is one option, not an obligation, and you are the best judge of whether using it is safe.

It is not legal advice. Laws on device searches, compelled unlocking and destruction of data differ by country and situation. In some places, removing data during an official inspection can itself be an offence. Velcrypt cannot tell you what is lawful where you are; if the stakes are high, ask a lawyer before you travel or act.

Until it arrives

You can already prepare with features that exist today. Create a believable decoy vault, choose a strong pattern for your real vault, and keep sensitive originals out of your camera roll. When the duress pattern ships, it will slot into that setup.