What is the Private Vault & App Lock?
How vault PIN, App Lock, Album lock, and optional encryption work together for private storage.
What it is
The Private Vault is how FWDLink helps you keep sensitive albums private on your account. App Lock is the account-level gate: a vault PIN (and Face ID / fingerprint when available) before opening the app after you leave. Album lock adds per-album Require unlock to open and optional Encrypted / Locked album. App Lock alone is local access control — not encryption. Encryption is optional and per album.
Why it helps
You can lock the whole app when you step away, lock specific albums so they stay hidden until the PIN is entered, and encrypt albums you never want stored in plain form on the server.
How to use it
- 1
Go to Account Settings → App Lock and turn on Enable App Lock with a 4–6 digit PIN.
- 2
Optionally enable Face ID / fingerprint for faster unlock on this device.
- 3
Open an album → Album lock → turn on Require unlock to open and/or Encrypted / Locked album as needed.
- 4
Use Lock now in App Lock settings when you want to lock immediately.
Details
Layers at a glance
1) App Lock — PIN (and biometrics) to open FWDLink after you leave. 2) Require unlock to open — PIN again before that album’s photos show in the app. 3) Encrypted / Locked album — AES-256 on device before upload; private storage only. You can use (1) alone, (1)+(2), or add (3) for the strongest private storage.
Troubleshooting
- Is App Lock the same as encryption?
- No. App Lock body copy says it plainly: local access control only — not encryption. Encryption is the separate Encrypted / Locked album option.
Related guides
- How Album lock worksRequire unlock to open, Encrypted / Locked album, and Open full lock settings — what each control does.
- Set up App Lock (PIN & biometrics)Enable App Lock, set a 4–6 digit vault PIN, choose Lock after leaving, and turn on Face ID / fingerprint.
- Encrypted albums: Maximum privacy vs RecoverableAES-256 on device, what each security level means, recovery, and Remove encryption…
- Privacy & content rules for vault usersPractical rules: vault is private storage; public/shared explicit content is not allowed platform-wide.
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