Backups & iCloud Sync

Stillock keeps your vault on this device only, unless you turn on iCloud Sync. The vault is left out of iPhone and iPad backups on purpose, because your passcode only works on this device.

WARNING

If your vault is only on this device and you delete Stillock, or the device is lost or replaced, everything in the vault is gone for good. Turn on iCloud Sync, or save a backup somewhere else.

Once your vault has a few items and no recent backup, Stillock shows Your vault is only on this iPhone with a Back Up Now button. In the Media tab you can tap Later to hide it for a week. In Settings it stays until you back up or turn on iCloud Sync, and it comes back when your last backup is more than 30 days old.

Back up your vault

A backup is one encrypted file holding your whole vault: every photo, video, document, note, login and folder, including Recently Deleted. You can keep it in Files, on a computer or on a drive.

1. Open Settings › Vault › Back Up Vault.
2. With iCloud Sync on, Stillock first downloads anything that isn't on this device yet.
3. Choose where to save the file. It's named like Stillock Backup 2026-10-20.sgbackup.

Back Up Vault shows when you last saved a backup from this device.

A backup opens only with your recovery key, not your passcode. It's the vault's encrypted files exactly as stored, with a checksum so a damaged copy is caught before anything is restored. Your lock settings, Face ID and app settings aren't in it.

TIP

Keep backups as safe as the recovery key itself. Anyone with a backup and the recovery key can open it, and an old backup still contains items you've since erased. If you create a new recovery key, older backups still open with the old one.

Restore items from a backup

To get back items that are missing from your vault, for example ones you erased from Recently Deleted:

1. Open Settings › Vault › Restore from Backup.
2. Choose the backup file.

Stillock adds back anything that's missing and never replaces what's already in your vault. It tells you how many items and folders it restored. The backup must be from this same vault. To use a backup from a different vault, erase this vault, then choose Restore from Backup during setup.

Restore a backup on a new device

1. Install Stillock and open it.
2. Tap Restore from Backup and choose the backup file.
3. Tap Enter Recovery Key and type your recovery key.
4. Choose a passcode for this device.

The restored vault stays on this device only. Turn on iCloud Sync if you want it on other devices too.

iCloud Sync

iCloud Sync keeps your vault in your iCloud Drive, so it's on all your devices and survives losing one. Everything is encrypted before it's uploaded. Apple stores encrypted files with random names, plus vault.json, which holds the vault ID, a salt, a date and the vault key wrapped with your recovery key. Nothing derived from your passcode leaves your device. Apple can see how many files there are, their approximate sizes and when they change.

You need to be signed in to iCloud with iCloud Drive turned on.

Turn on iCloud Sync

Turn on iCloud Sync in Settings › Sync, or during setup. Stillock moves your vault to iCloud Drive and shows Moving your vault to iCloud… while it works. Keep Stillock open until it finishes. Everything stays encrypted during the move.

Stillock won't sync if a different Stillock vault is already in your iCloud Drive. Erase that vault from the device that uses it first, with Erase Vault › Erase Everywhere (deletes the iCloud copy), or remove it there with Delete Vault from iCloud.

Add another device

1. On the other iPhone or iPad, sign in to the same Apple Account with iCloud Drive on, then install Stillock.
2. Tap Restore from iCloud. Your encrypted vault downloads.
3. Tap Enter Recovery Key and type your recovery key. It's used on that device only and never sent.
4. Choose a passcode for that device.

Each device has its own passcode, Face ID, lock options and erase limit. Turn on Face ID on the new device in Settings › Security.

While items are still downloading from iCloud, the Media tab shows Downloading 5 from iCloud… and some items may take a moment to open.

Edits on two devices

If the same note or login is changed on two devices while they're apart, Stillock keeps both. The other version appears as a separate item ending in (conflict copy). Review it and delete the one you don't want.

Deleting with iCloud Sync on

Deleting, emptying Recently Deleted and erasing the vault apply to every device that syncs the vault. Erasing because of too many wrong passcodes does too.

Stop syncing

1. Turn off iCloud Sync in Settings › Sync.
2. Tap Stop Syncing.

Stillock downloads the whole vault and keeps it on this device. The copy in iCloud isn't touched, so your other devices keep syncing with it.

To remove it from iCloud as well, tap Delete Vault from iCloud in Settings › Sync and confirm. Every other device that syncs the vault loses it. This device keeps its own copy, so make sure that's backed up.