A hidden calculator app looks and works like an ordinary calculator, and a code you type opens a private vault for photos, videos and files. The big difference between them is where your files live: some keep everything on the phone, so deleting the app deletes the files, while others add backup or sync.
People search for these as hidden calculator apps and as calculator vault apps, and they're the same thing: a private store for photos and files that opens from what looks like a calculator. They're handy if you want somewhere for the photos you'd rather didn't pop up when you pass your phone round to show someone a picture.
Every detail below comes from each app's own App Store listing, read as of Nov 2026, and the list is alphabetical and in no particular order. I've stuck to how each app opens and where it keeps your files, in the listings' own words. None of this is a promise about security, so read each listing before you trust it with anything you can't replace.
Calculator vaults compared at a glance
| Tool | Type | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Calculator Lock - Secure Vault (ZipoApps) | Calculator lock for photos and videos | A built-in photo viewer and player |
| Calculator Vault Hide Photos + (Aniqa Safdar) | Vault behind a working calculator | Cloud upload and a private browser |
| Calculator# Hide Photos Videos (NewSoftwares.net) | Calculator-faced vault for files and notes | Files, passwords, notes and contacts |
| Hide photos: fake calculator (Arnas Petrusevicius) | Calculator vault for private photos | An icon that looks like your calculator |
| Photo Vault & App Lock - PicX (Matechmobile) | Photo vault and app lock | A calculator or calendar disguise |
| Photo Vault-Secret Calculator (Echo Data) | Photo and video vault with icon disguises | Backup and trash recovery |
| Private Photos (Calculator%) (Digital Mind) | Private album app with a calculator | Albums, slideshows and photo details |
| Secret Calculator Photo Vault+ (VOIO) | Calculator vault with a private browser | A PIN set with the percent key |
| Secret Calculator Vault Photo (Joao Victor Flores da Costa) | Vault that looks like a calculator | Photos, videos and saved passwords |
| SPV - Secret Photo Vault (Maple Labs) | PIN-locked photo vault | Stored on the device only |
Ten vault apps with a calculator face
Calculator Lock - Secure Vault (ZipoApps)
Best for: Hiding photos and videos behind a calculator lock, with a built-in viewer and video player, plus hidden contacts, notes and a password manager.
Calculator Vault Hide Photos + (Aniqa Safdar)
Best for: Moving photos, videos and files behind a fully functional calculator that opens with your PIN and the equals key, with a private browser and cloud upload.
Calculator# Hide Photos Videos (NewSoftwares.net)
Best for: Keeping photos, videos, documents, passwords, notes, contacts and to-dos behind a calculator face, with Wi-Fi transfer from a computer and cloud backup options.
Hide photos: fake calculator (Arnas Petrusevicius)
Best for: Opening a secret gallery with your own number code and the percent key, with an app icon you can change to look like a regular calculator.
Photo Vault & App Lock - PicX (Matechmobile)
Best for: Putting photos and videos in a vault disguised as a calculator or calendar, with a fake PIN option, an app lock, a private browser and a password manager.
Photo Vault-Secret Calculator (Echo Data)
Best for: Backing up a private photo and video library that syncs between your devices, with trash recovery and separate passwords for individual albums.
Private Photos (Calculator%) (Digital Mind)
Best for: Organising photos and videos into albums with a slideshow, a video player and a photo details viewer, with all data stored on the device.
Secret Calculator Photo Vault+ (VOIO)
Best for: Setting a PIN by picking numbers and pressing the percent key, then storing photos, videos, notes, contacts and passwords, with a browser that keeps no history.
Secret Calculator Vault Photo (Joao Victor Flores da Costa)
Best for: Storing photos, videos and passwords behind a personal passcode, in an app its listing describes as disguised as a simple calculator.
SPV - Secret Photo Vault (Maple Labs)
Best for: Locking photos, videos, contacts and passwords behind a PIN, from a listing that says nothing is kept on a server and deleting the app deletes its contents.
How each app opens behind the calculator
The disguise works in a few different ways. Calculator# says 'It looks like a Calculator but it secretly hides your confidential Photos, Videos, Documents, Passwords, Notes, Contacts and To Dos'. Secret Calculator Photo Vault+ asks you to pick a set of numbers and press '% to confirm' your PIN, and Hide photos: fake calculator works the same way, with your own combination of numbers and the percent key. Calculator Vault Hide Photos + has you enter your PIN on the calculator and tap the equals button.
Others change how the app looks on your home screen. PicX is 'disguised as a calculator or calendar' and lets you 'Set a fake PIN for your app lock'. Hide photos says 'You can easily change the app icon so it looks just like your regular calculator on your home screen', and the Echo Data vault offers 'multiple icon disguises'. Secret Calculator Vault Photo describes itself as 'disguised as a simple calculator', and SPV's store subtitle reads 'Hidden Calculator & Video Safe'.
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On the phone only, or backed up and synced?
This is the difference that matters, and it isn't obvious from the app names. SPV says it 'does not keep your photos or data on any kind of server' and warns 'If you delete the app, your photos & data saved in the app will also be deleted'. Private Photos says 'All data stored locally on your device', and adds that photos imported from your camera roll have to be deleted from the Photos app by hand. Hide photos: fake calculator says much the same about deleting the app or losing your phone, and adds that your secret code 'is the only way to access your files'.
Others add a safety net. Photo Vault-Secret Calculator offers a backup library for 'safely syncing them between your devices', plus a trash that lets you get back recently deleted items. Calculator# lists backup to iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive and OneDrive, and Calculator Vault Hide Photos + names a cloud upload so you can recover your vault if you switch devices.
So three of the ten say in their listings that everything stays on the phone, which means deleting the app, losing the phone or forgetting the code can take the files with it, while three others name backup or sync. If you go for an on-device vault, the listings themselves suggest exporting your photos before you delete the app or change phones.
What else sits inside the vault
- A private browser. PicX, the VOIO vault and Calculator Vault Hide Photos + all list one, and VOIO's listing says its browser 'does not store any history'.
- A password manager. Calculator#, PicX, Calculator Lock and Secret Calculator Vault Photo all name somewhere to keep passwords.
- Notes and contacts. Calculator# adds secure notes, to-dos and a contacts manager, and the VOIO vault stores notes and contacts too.
- File transfer. Calculator# offers 'WiFi Transfer from PC, Mac or other devices' and a built-in browser for downloading files.
- A camera inside the app. Calculator# and the VOIO vault both say you can take photos or launch the camera from inside the app.
- Photo details. Private Photos keeps each photo's Exif data and shows details such as the date, ISO and GPS.
Before you move your photos in
- Keep your code somewhere safe. One listing says that if you lose or forget the code, your pictures 'will be lost without a way to retrieve them'.
- Check where the files live. Look for the listing's line about servers, iCloud or device storage before you start.
- Export before you delete. Two listings ask you to export photos to your gallery before deleting the app or changing phones.
- Tidy up the camera roll. One app says imported photos must be deleted from the Photos app by hand, while Calculator# says it can remove them from your gallery for you, as an option.
- Try it with a few photos first. Move a handful in, close the app, open it again with your code, and only then move the rest.
Do you make a calculator vault app? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
My advice before you trust a calculator vault
Choose on storage first and disguise second. If you want nothing leaving the phone, pick one of the on-device vaults and keep your own copy of anything you can't replace, since those listings are clear that deleting the app deletes the files. If you'd rather have a safety net, pick one that names backup or sync. And whichever you choose, don't lose the code. Prefer something that doesn't pose as a calculator? The plainer photo vault apps are compared as well.
WhatsApp is often how private photos end up in your camera roll in the first place. My guide on does WhatsApp automatically save photos? explains why it happens, and how to delete iPhone photos in bulk helps with clearing the camera roll copies once you're sure the vault has them.
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Frequently asked questions
What is a hidden calculator app?
It's a vault app that looks and works like a calculator. Typing your code, often followed by the percent or equals key, opens a private space for photos, videos and files.
Is a hidden calculator app the same as a calculator vault?
Yes. People search for both names, and they describe the same kind of app: a private vault behind a working calculator.
What happens to my photos if I delete the app?
It depends on the app. Some listings say they keep everything on the device, not on a server, so deleting the app deletes the photos. Export anything you want to keep first, or pick an app that names backup or sync.
What if I forget my code?
Check the listing before you start. One says your secret code is the only way in, and that if you lose or forget it your pictures can't be retrieved. Another lists password recovery by email.
Can I back up a calculator vault?
Some say you can. One offers a backup library that syncs between your devices, another lists iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive and OneDrive, and another names a cloud upload. Others keep everything on the phone.
Do calculator vault apps still work as calculators?
Several say so. One describes itself as a fully functional calculator, another has a basic calculator with big buttons and a percent key, and another says it works well as your usual calculator.
