Is a Duress Vault legal to use?
It depends on where you are, who is asking and why. This is not legal advice, and we cannot tell you what is lawful for you. In some places, destroying data when an authority asks you to unlock a device can be treated as an offence. In others, you may have a right to refuse. Know your local rules before you rely on it.
Why
A Duress Vault is a Pro feature. When you open it with its own pattern or passphrase, StrongRoom erases every other Vault on the phone, and nothing on screen says so. That is a deliberate act of deletion, and law treats deletion differently depending on the setting: a private threat, a border check, a court order, an investigation under way. We are a software team, not lawyers, and rules differ between countries, regions and situations, and they change. Nothing here describes the law of any particular place.
What to do
- Ask a qualified lawyer where you live, or where you will travel, if there is any chance you will be asked to unlock your phone by an authority.
- Think about what you accept if a Duress Vault is opened: the other Vaults are gone for good, with no undo.
- Make an Export Package first if you would want the data back later, and keep it somewhere other than the phone.
- Do not set it up in a hurry or as a joke. Opening the Duress Vault by mistake erases every other Vault, so give it a credential you will not type by accident.
- Do not use it to hide anything that you are required by law to preserve.
What this does not cover
This page does not say the feature is lawful or unlawful anywhere. It also does not cover physical safety; see the limits.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Duress Vault leave a record?
The app is built not to show that anything was erased, but we do not promise that no one could suspect it. It cannot prove or hide what happened.
Is the Duress Vault free?
No. It is part of Pro.
Sources
No platform facts are stated on this page.