Moving photos into a vault: checks before deleting originals
Check imports, video playback, recovery and other copies before removing photos from your gallery. Avoid confusing encryption with a backup.
Do not start by deleting
Importing into a vault and deleting from the gallery are separate operations. A privacy cleanup can become permanent data loss if the imported copy is incomplete or cannot be recovered. Start with a small selection of non-sensitive test files, keep the originals and learn how your chosen app imports, opens and exports them.
Check the imported content, not just the count
Open the imported photos at a useful size. For video, check playback near the beginning and end and listen to the audio. Check representative formats and larger files rather than relying on a thumbnail or a matching total. In Kofrix, files have their own encryption keys, but encryption does not itself prove that you selected every intended original.
Lock, reopen and try an export
Close the vault, reopen it with the normal unlock method and view the same test files again. Export a non-sensitive sample and verify that it opens outside the app. Remember that an exported copy is outside the vault’s protection. Use disposable test material for this check instead of spreading additional copies of a private document.
Separate recovery from backup
Writing down a recovery phrase protects access to keys; it does not create a second copy of your photos. Before removing the last original, establish how the encrypted data can be restored after losing or replacing the phone. Backup and sync are not yet available in the current version of Kofrix. Do not treat its local vault as your only archive of irreplaceable files.
Check cloud libraries, shared albums and copies
A photo may also exist in a message, download, edited copy, shared album or another device. Review those locations individually. When a photo library synchronizes across devices, deletion may propagate rather than simply free space on one phone. Read the provider’s deletion and recovery rules before acting; a vault cannot control every external copy.
Decide whether hiding is enough
If the immediate goal is preventing accidental display, a built-in hidden or locked album may be sufficient. Apple documents that its Hidden album is locked by default on supported recent systems. Google Photos offers a Locked Folder with optional backup. These options have their own access and recovery rules; do not assume that all hidden albums are unprotected or that all vaults use a separate secret.
Only then clean up the originals
After verifying the imported files and a workable recovery strategy, remove only the copies you actually intend to remove. A recently-deleted area can retain recoverable copies; emptying it is a separate, potentially irreversible step. Do not make that step automatic merely to make the photo count look tidy. If restoration is still uncertain, stop and preserve the originals.
Sources and method
Descriptions of Kofrix are based on its current implementation. Planned features are distinguished from shipped features. This guide is not an independent security audit.