Getting Started

This page walks you through creating your vault, choosing a passcode and turning on Face ID. You don't need an account.

Create your vault

When you first open Stillock, you see three options:

• Create Vault starts a new, empty vault. Follow the steps below.
• Restore from iCloud appears when a Stillock vault is already in your iCloud Drive, for example one you made on another device. See Add another device.
• Restore from Backup sets this device up from a backup file. See Restore a backup on a new device.

By continuing, you agree to the Odd Omens Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Tap Create Vault. You make your choices first. The vault is created at the last step, when you set your passcode.

1. What will you keep here? Choose Media, Notes, Passwords or any mix. Each one becomes a tab. You can change this later in Settings, and hiding a section never deletes what's in it.
2. When should Stillock lock? Choose Immediately (recommended) or after 1, 5, 10 or 15 minutes away from the app.
3. After wrong passcodes: choose Lock out after 3 wrong (recommended) or Unlimited attempts. With lockouts, 3 wrong tries lock Stillock for 5 minutes, the next 3 for 15 minutes, then 1 hour after every 3 more.
4. Erase after too many tries? Only shown with lockouts. Choose Never erase or erase this device's copy after 10, 15, 20 or 30 wrong attempts in a row (a copy in iCloud is never touched). Read Erase after wrong passcodes before you turn this on.
5. Unlock and sync: turn Unlock with Face ID (or Touch ID) and iCloud Sync on or off. iCloud Sync needs iCloud Drive. See iCloud Sync.
6. Your Recovery Key: Stillock shows a 32-character key in 8 groups. Write it down or keep it in a password manager. Then turn on I've saved my recovery key and tap Continue.
7. Create a Passcode: enter your passcode, then enter it again to confirm.

If you turned on Face ID, iOS asks you to confirm with Face ID. Your vault then opens.

WARNING

Keep your recovery key somewhere safe and outside Stillock. Stillock never stores it. It's the only way back in if you forget your passcode, and the only way to open your vault on another device or from a backup. Don't save it in Photos.

Copy puts the key on the clipboard of this device only (not Universal Clipboard) and clears it after 1 minute.

Choose a passcode

On the passcode screen you can pick the length of a number code, from 4 to 10 digits. Six is the default. Tap Use letters and numbers instead for a passphrase of at least 8 characters.

Stillock refuses number codes that are easy to guess, such as repeated or sequential digits (111111, 123456) and very common codes.

A longer code is safer. Lockouts slow down someone guessing on your device, but on a compromised device a 6-digit code can be guessed in days. See What Stillock can't protect against.

Your passcode works only on the device where you set it. Each device that opens the same vault has its own passcode.

Unlock Stillock

When Stillock is locked, enter your passcode, or tap the Face ID button. Stillock asks for Face ID by itself when you open the app or come back to it, but not right after you lock it with the lock button.

Face ID unlocking is biometrics only. If Face ID fails, enter your passcode. Face ID isn't offered while Stillock is locked out after wrong passcodes.

Forgot your passcode? Tap Forgot Passcode? and enter your recovery key. See Troubleshooting.

Find your way around

The tabs at the bottom are Media, Notes and Passwords (the ones you chose), plus Search and Settings. The lock button in the top-left corner of each tab locks Stillock straight away.

Stillock also locks when you leave the app, or after the time you chose in Auto-Lock. Your device locking counts as leaving the app.

What's next

• Add your first photos and videos.
• Write a note or save a login.
• Make a backup, or turn on iCloud Sync. A vault kept only on this device is lost if the app is deleted or the device is lost.
• Read how Security works and what it doesn't cover.