Passcodes, biometrics, and recovery
Privara can disguise its lock screen as a fully functional calculator. The calculator works normally for basic math — addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division all produce correct results.
To unlock your vault, simply type your 6-digit passcode and press the equals button. In landscape mode, the calculator shows scientific functions (sin, cos, tan, log, etc.) for added realism. Anyone looking at your phone sees a calculator app, not a vault.
If you prefer a straightforward approach, Privara offers a standard lock screen with a numeric keypad and passcode dots. This screen displays the Vault logo and a clear "Enter Passcode" prompt.
Both the calculator and standard lock screens support the same features: real and decoy passcodes, Escape PIN, biometric unlock, and break-in detection. You can switch between them at any time in Settings.
Privara supports all of Apple's biometric authentication methods through the LocalAuthentication framework. All biometric matching happens in the device's Secure Enclave — Privara never sees, stores, or transmits any biometric data.
The app receives only a pass or fail result from the system. You can enable or disable biometric unlock at any time without affecting your passcodes.
If you forget your passcodes, you can tap the recovery option on the lock screen and enter your 12-character recovery key. This allows you to set new real and decoy passcodes without losing any vault data.
The recovery key also works after a Keychain reset (for example, after restoring your device). If your Keychain is wiped, Privara will prompt you to enter the recovery key or start fresh with a new vault.
Privara tracks failed passcode attempts to protect against brute-force attacks. After multiple incorrect attempts, break-in detection activates to capture evidence of unauthorized access.
The app uses the iOS Keychain and Secure Enclave for key storage, which provides hardware-level protection against extraction attempts. Combined with NSFileProtectionComplete, your data is inaccessible when the device is locked.
You can change both your real vault passcode and decoy passcode at any time from Settings. To change a passcode, you'll need to enter your current passcode first for verification, then set and confirm the new one.
Changing your passcode does not affect your recovery key — the same recovery key continues to work. Your encrypted data is not re-encrypted when you change passcodes, since encryption uses a separate master key stored in the Keychain.