Units: Ruler & Vault
Units · ruler & vault for iPhone

The vault app nobody would ever take for a vault.

Units is a plain gray ruler. It opens to a ruler, it measures like a ruler, and it sits on your home screen like a ruler. Your real vault is never in plain sight: it is behind a pattern only you know, encrypted inside your phone.

No serverNo accountNo recovery keyNobody else can open it
What everyone seesWhat only you see
Units opens to a working on-screen ruler measuring 5.0 cmBehind the ruler, the pattern grid that only you know how to open
01

Two faces. Only one is ever on show.

A vault app announces that you have something to hide. Units does not. Anyone who picks up your phone finds a ruler, opens a ruler and measures with a ruler. The vault is not a hidden icon or a secret folder they can stumble on. It does not show up anywhere until you draw your pattern.

The Units ruler screen
What they seeA ruler that really works, in mm, cm and inches.
A Units vault with photos, a document and a note
What you seeYour vault, after you draw your pattern. Photos, videos, files and notes.
02

It lives inside your phone. Nowhere else.

There is no Units server, so there is nothing to hack, subpoena or leak. Your files are encrypted on your iPhone and never leave it.

Nobody can touch it.

Not a thief, not someone who knows your passcode, not us. The key is made from your pattern, on your phone, and it is never stored or sent anywhere.

No server. None.

No cloud copy, no sign-up, no email, no analytics. There is no account to break into because there is no account.

Only on your phone.

Every photo, video, file and note is encrypted with AES-256-GCM and stays on this iPhone. Nothing is uploaded, ever.

Read the full encryption design and its honest limits

03

Not even a recovery key. The only clue is in your head.

Most vault apps keep a way back in: a recovery phrase, a reset email, a support desk that can unlock you. Every one of those is also a way in for someone else. Units removed all of them.

Recovery phrasenone
Reset by emailnone
Developer master keynone
Pattern stored anywherenever
Copy on a servernone, there is no server
The one thing that opens your vaultthe pattern you remember

There is nothing to steal, guess from a backup or talk out of a support agent. The pattern is never written down by the app, so the only place it exists is your memory. Forget it and that vault is gone for good. That is the price of a vault nobody else can open, and it is why we tell you before you make one.

04

The way in is measured in taps.

Nothing in the app is labeled as a door. Here is the only path to your vault.

Step 1: the ruler
0 cm

Open Units

A working ruler. This is all anyone else ever gets.

Step 2: ruler settings with the About row
1 cm

Gear, then About

Ordinary ruler settings. The About row at the bottom is the door.

Step 3: the pattern grid
2 cm

Draw your pattern

At least four dots and one turn. A new pattern makes a new vault.

Step 4: the vault is open
3 cm

Your vault opens

Leave the app and it locks again. The ruler is back.

05

Specifications

On the home screen
A gray ruler icon named Units. Nothing says vault, lock, secret or private.
When it opens
A real on-screen ruler in millimeters, centimeters or inches. Drag two lines and measure.
The way in
Settings, then the plain About row at the bottom, then your pattern. Nothing is labeled as a door.
Unlock
A pattern on a 5 by 5 grid: at least four dots and one turn. Six dots is rated Safe, seven or more Perfect.
Vaults
As many as you like. Each pattern opens its own vault, and no screen ever lists them.
What goes inside
Photos, videos, documents and notes. Shoot straight into the vault with the in-app camera, or import from Photos, Files and Apple Notes.
Leaving
Switch apps or lock the phone and the vault closes. The app switcher shows the ruler.
Emergency pattern (Pro)
For when someone makes you open the app: it opens the vault you chose and erases every other vault.
Encryption
AES-256-GCM for every file. Keys come from your pattern through PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA512, 600,000 rounds.
Recovery
None. No recovery phrase, no reset email, no master key. The only clue is in your memory.

Every feature, including what is not built yet

06

Free to start. Pay once, if ever.

Free
$0
  • As many vaults as you like
  • 50 photos, 10 videos and 10 notes per vault
  • Secure camera, lock on leave

Pro Lifetime is a one-time purchase ($32.99 in the US; the App Store shows the price in your currency).

07

Coming to the App Store

Units is in App Store review. This page will link straight to the App Store as soon as it is approved.

Questions

Can you open my vault if I ask?

No. We never receive your pattern or your files. The keys are made on your iPhone from the pattern you draw. There is no master key and no back door, so there is nothing we could hand over.

What happens if I forget my pattern?

The vault is gone for good. Units has no recovery phrase, no reset email and no support override, so nobody can open it, including us. Choose a pattern you will remember, and open your vault now and then so it stays familiar.

How many vaults can I make?

As many as you like, on every plan. A vault limit would let someone drawing random patterns work out how many vaults you have, so there is none. Each vault has its own pattern and its own keys.

Is my data backed up?

Not yet. Version 1 keeps everything on your iPhone only. If you delete the app or lose the phone without a backup, the files are gone. Encrypted iCloud backup is planned and will be listed on the features page when it ships.

Do you track me?

The app has no account, no ads and no third-party analytics. See the privacy policy for the full list.

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