How to encrypt files on iPhone
A password on one PDF, the code that unlocks your iPhone, and a separate vault are different kinds of protection. Encrypting one copy does not encrypt every copy of that file.
Quick answer: A PDF password protects that document. The Hidden collection and an app lock use Face ID, Touch ID, or the device passcode. Ego stores an imported copy of a photo, video, or file in an encrypted vault with its own six-digit passcode. Importing does not delete the file you started with. A signed physical-device restore has not been verified.
Published by Chreia Labs, the maker of Ego. This page uses Ego's public product pages and the US App Store listing for Ego, checked November 11, 2026. No independent security audit is claimed.
A password on one file is not a vault
On iPhone with iOS 26, Preview can require a password to open a PDF. That password applies to the copy you lock. A duplicate you leave unlocked stays readable without it. See how to password-protect a PDF on iPhone.
A document password and a vault import do different jobs. Ego keeps a separate copy in the vault. It does not change the password on a PDF that remains in Files, Mail, or another app, and it does not remove that source.
Device locks do not encrypt one chosen file
Apple Photos can move pictures to the Hidden collection, and iPhone can require device authentication before an app opens. Both use Face ID, Touch ID, or the iPhone passcode. They do not give a file in Files its own vault passcode. The steps are in how to password-protect photos on iPhone and how to lock or hide an app.
Those controls are not the same as storing a PDF, a download, or another document in a vault. For photos specifically, see what an encrypted photo vault keeps separate.
What a vault copy changes
The App Store listing describes Ego as separate encrypted vaults for photos, videos, and files. Each vault has a name and its own six-digit passcode. Unlocking opens only that vault. The listing says content, vault names, and file details are protected at rest. Ego has no account, advertising, or analytics. Ego is free on the App Store for iPhone with iOS 26 or later. The first vault is free, with no artificial item limit beyond available device storage.
On the product pages, names, file details, and thumbnails are encrypted at rest, and local access needs the original iPhone. Opening one vault does not open the others, and Ego locks in the background. The free vault includes encryption, access to original files, basic filename and folder search, export, local recovery, and manual encrypted backups. Alter Ego adds unlimited vaults, optional encrypted iCloud backup, and Secure Smart Search.
Importing adds a copy inside the vault. It does not delete the file in Files, the photo in Photos, a message attachment, or another backup. Read what happens to the original after import.
Check the vault copy before you remove anything
- Wait until the import finishes, then open the file from inside the vault you chose.
- Confirm that it opens as you expect. Keep the source until you have another copy you trust.
- Only then decide whether to delete a copy in Files, Photos, or somewhere else. Ego does not delete it for you.
In Files, Copy, Move, Share, and Delete act on the location you select. Moving a file there is not the same as importing it into Ego. A shared iCloud Drive link is also separate: it can leave a hosted copy and can expose the filename. See how to share files from iCloud Drive.
A copy you send leaves the vault
Saving or sharing a file from an unlocked vault leaves that copy outside the vault. The App Store listing says a copy saved or shared outside Ego leaves its encryption and may sync or be backed up elsewhere, while the encrypted original stays in the vault. Someone you send the file to can keep their copy. Locking Ego does not protect a copy already saved outside it.
Recovery is a separate choice
Local recovery and manual encrypted exports stay on the original iPhone. Optional encrypted iCloud backup is separate. A signed physical-device restore has not been verified, so do not treat it as your only copy. Chreia Labs cannot reset a passcode or decrypt a backup. The limits are in iCloud backup versus manual recovery and on Ego's product details.
Never send a passcode, recovery key, or private file to support. Questions can go through Ego support.