Auto-lock and guess protection

Free for iPhone. Pro is optional.

Locks when you leave

By default the Vault locks as soon as StrongRoom leaves the screen: you switch apps, press the side button or the phone locks. In Settings, "When I leave the app" can be Immediately (the default), After 15 seconds or After 1 minute, if you want a short grace. The keys leave memory and the viewer closes. Coming back asks for your pattern or passphrase again.

Idle lock

While the app is open, the Vault locks after it has sat untouched for 30 seconds, 1 minute or 5 minutes, whichever you choose in Settings. A slideshow counts as being watched and does not lock.

A blank app switcher

When you open the iOS app switcher, StrongRoom shows a blank screen instead of a snapshot of your Vault.

The guess limit (Throttle)

Every unlock attempt counts, right or wrong, and nothing on screen tells you which was which. Ten attempts within five minutes run freely. After that, each further attempt must wait twice as long as the last, starting at 30 seconds and going up to an hour. It counts a well-formed Recovery Phrase or Recovery PIN tried from "Forgot?", and it counts creating another Vault with a credential that already opens one. A mistyped phrase or a PIN that breaks the rules tests no key and does not count. The timer is based on the phone's clock in a way that changing the date does not defeat.

The attempt log

Inside an unlocked Vault, Settings shows the last 20 times a credential or phrase opened nothing, as moments in time only. It never records an attempt that opened a Vault and never records what was tried. A Duress wipe clears it.

Limits

The guess limit slows an attacker who has your phone; it does not stop an attacker who can copy the files and attack them somewhere else, though the key also needs your phone's Secure Enclave. A short pattern is still easier to guess than a long passphrase. There is no wipe-after-N-attempts and no break-in photo, by design. Auto-lock does not stop someone who takes the phone while the Vault is open and in use.

Frequently asked questions