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How Album lock works

Learn the difference between Require unlock to open (vault PIN in the app) and Encrypted / Locked album (AES-256 on your device), plus where to find Album lock and full lock settings.

5 min read

How Album lock works

Album lock lets you protect a single album in two different ways. You can use one, both, or neither — they do different jobs.

Option What it does Sharing / monetization
Require unlock to open Asks for your vault PIN before showing photos in the app Share links still use their own password or access rules
Encrypted / Locked album AES-256 encryption on your device before upload Private storage only — sharing and monetization are not available

Where to find Album lock

  1. Open the album from your library (Records / albums).
  2. Tap the lock control on the album (Album lock).
  3. The Album lock sheet opens with the options below.

You can also open the full editor: on that sheet, tap Open full lock settings. That goes to album edit with the Album lock section (#album-lock).

Require unlock to open

Label in the app: Require unlock to open

What it means: Ask for your vault PIN before showing photos in the app. Share links still use their own password or access rules.

How to turn it on

  1. Open Album lock on the album.
  2. Turn on Require unlock to open.
  3. If you do not have a vault PIN yet, set one in Account Settings → App Lock.
  4. The next time you open this album in the app, you will be asked for your PIN before photos appear.

Example

You keep personal photos in an album on a shared laptop. With Require unlock to open on, someone else using the app still sees the album in the list, but they cannot view the photos without your vault PIN. A client share link you already created still opens with that link’s own password or access rules — Album lock’s PIN gate is for the app, not a replacement for share-link protection.

Tips

  • This is an access gate in the app, not encryption of the files.
  • Turning it off removes the PIN prompt for that album; it does not change share links.

Encrypted / Locked album

Label in the app: Encrypted / Locked album

What it means: AES-256 encryption on your device before upload. Optional — other albums stay unchanged. Private storage only; sharing and monetization are not available.

How to turn it on

  1. Open Album lock on the album.
  2. Under Encrypted / Locked album, tap Turn on encryption.
  3. Read and accept the security level you choose (Maximum privacy or Recoverable encryption).
  4. Confirm with your vault PIN or a custom passphrase when prompted.
  5. Wait until encryption finishes before leaving the screen.

What changes after encryption

  • New and existing photos in this album are encrypted on your device before they are stored.
  • Other albums are unchanged.
  • Sharing and monetization are not available for this album while it stays encrypted (private storage only).

Example

You want a private backup of sensitive documents. You turn on Encrypted / Locked album, choose your security level, and keep the album for private storage. You do not use share links or monetization on that album while encryption is on.

Tips

  • Encryption is optional and per album.
  • Maximum privacy means FWDLink cannot recover the album if you lose your passphrase or PIN.
  • Recoverable encryption still uses AES-256 on device, but account recovery may be possible with verification — it is not zero-knowledge.
  • Use Open full lock settings. for the full encryption panel (status, remove encryption, and related options).

Open full lock settings

The button Open full lock settings. on the Album lock sheet takes you to the album’s edit screen, scrolled to the Album lock section. Use it when you want more space for encryption details, require-unlock, and related controls than the compact sheet shows.

Quick comparison

  • Use Require unlock to open when you mainly want a PIN gate inside the app and you still need normal share-link behavior.
  • Use Encrypted / Locked album when you want device-side AES-256 and you accept private-storage-only limits (no sharing or monetization on that album).
  • You can enable Require unlock to open alone, encryption alone, or both.

Related guides

Troubleshooting

I don’t see Album lock
Open an album you own, then look for the lock control on the album details screen.

It asks me to set a vault PIN
Go to Account Settings, open App Lock, set a 4–6 digit PIN, then return to Album lock.

Share link still opens without my vault PIN
That is expected with Require unlock to open. Share links use their own password or access rules. Protect the link separately if you need that.

I can’t share or monetize after encryption
Expected while Encrypted / Locked album is on. Private storage only. To share or monetize again, you must remove encryption from full lock settings (and understand photos are no longer device-encrypted the same way).

I forgot my PIN
Use Forgot PIN? on the unlock screen and verify with your account password to set a new vault PIN. For Maximum privacy encrypted albums, losing the passphrase/PIN can mean the photos cannot be recovered.

Need more help?
Browse the Help Center or Contact support.

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