App Name: Vaulty
Developer: Squid Tooth LLC
Launch Date: 2010
Price: Free ($4.99/mo for Online Backup)
App-Aholic Rating: 4/5
Welcome back, my fellow Android geeks! The velvet ropes have parted, the clouds have opened up, and the light is now shining through to signal my return to the Android App-aholics forum! Ok, ok, maybe none of that stuff actually happened when editorial gave me the green light to start writing these articles again, but a boy can dream, right? So enough nonsense (which I am quite proficient in, by the way), let us get down to business. This week we will be discussing Vaulty, an app that allows you to hide pictures and videos to keep them away from prying eyes. Of course, the importance of privacy with your Smartphone has been at the forefront for quite some time now, so we can all certainly appreciate apps that help you lock down your personals behind a password. The various uses of this app range from wanting to hide risqué pics of yourself that only your significant other should see (we’ve all done it!), to simply wanting to keep private moments, well, private. The app offers online backup ($4.99/mo) just in case if your phone is stolen or gets lost, and it even has an in app private camera for pictures and video. Vaulty gives you the option to lock down your unmentionables with a pin or text password, as well. It also has a pretty cool feature that allows Vaulty to take a “mugshot” of anybody that is attempting to access your hidden material using the wrong password. Hiding pictures and videos is pretty simple too. Just open the app, tap the lock icon at the top of the screen, and you can access your various galleries and select which items you would like to lock down in Vaulty. The app even allows you to create different folders to sort and store your pictures.
Now as of this article, this app has put me in a precarious position. Overall, the app has been flawless in doing what it was built to do. It’s extremely easy to use, the design is sleek, minimalistic, and pretty cool, and the functionality is great. So what’s the problem, you might ask? Well, I say Vaulty put me in a precarious position because up to the last update, I had no difficulties whatsoever in using the app. However, after the update the app simply does not work. It no longer allows me to hide pictures, saying that no items have been selected to hide when clearly I have selected items. Likewise, the in app camera and video function is not working. I’m quite sure this is something that is being worked on to repair, so I have no doubt that Vaulty will be back to its old, flawless self very soon. This recent lack of functionality doesn’t hurt the app’s overall performance. It is sleek, easy to use, and generally does what it is supposed to. That being said, I’m giving this app a 4/5.
Now it’s your turn guys! Give me your opinions or thoughts on this app, or suggestions on what apps you would like me to review in a future Android App-aholics article!