Get pictures and files back out of the Vault
You can save a photo or video back to Photos, or share it without where it was taken. Anything that leaves the Vault is no longer protected by it. Open the Vault first. If you haven't set it up yet, start with Set up your Vault.
Save a photo or video back to Photos
- Tap the photo or video in the open Vault. It opens full screen, with a row of buttons at the bottom.
- Tap Save to Photos. The button says "Saving…" while it works.
- Wait for the green banner. It says "Saved to Photos" and "A new picture in Photos. It's still in the vault too." For a video it says "A new video in Photos." The banner goes away by itself after a few seconds, or you can tap it.
This makes a copy. The photo or video stays in the Vault until you remove it yourself. The new copy in Photos is a normal, unlocked picture, and the Vault doesn't protect it.
If it didn't work, a red banner says "Photos didn't save it" and asks you to check that FirstHour may add to Photos, then try again.
Share a picture or video without its location
- Open the photo or video in the Vault.
- Tap Share. For a video, the button says "Preparing…" for a moment while FirstHour makes the copy to send.
- Choose where it goes in iPhone's share sheet, such as Messages or Mail.
A shared picture is left without its location. It keeps its full quality, and the other details in the picture, such as its date and camera model, go along with it. A shared video is sent without where it was filmed.
If a video can't be made ready, FirstHour says "This video couldn't be prepared for sharing." Try again.
Whoever you send it to, and wherever you save it, now has a copy the Vault no longer protects. FirstHour can't take a shared copy back.
The temporary copy when you share
To share a video, FirstHour makes one unlocked copy of it for a moment. It deletes that copy when the share sheet closes. If that doesn't happen, the Vault locking or FirstHour starting again clears it. A picture is handed to the share sheet from memory, so FirstHour doesn't leave an unlocked copy of it on your iPhone. What you send, and the copy the other person or app receives, stays with them.
Files and notes
A file or a note has Save to Files in the place of Save to Photos. Tap it, choose a folder, and the file goes there. A note goes out as a plain text file. Share sends an unlocked copy through the share sheet, and the temporary copy is deleted when the sheet closes. Once saved, a line at the bottom of the screen says "Saved to Files. It's still in the vault too." If it fails, the line says "This file couldn't be saved." The full steps, including files that can only be saved or shared, are in Add files and notes to the Vault.
Remove something from the Vault for good
- Save what you want to keep first. Use Save to Photos for a photo or video, or Save to Files for a file or note.
- Open the item and tap Remove.
- Confirm. FirstHour asks "Remove from the vault for good?" and says it can't be brought back. Tap Remove to go ahead, or Cancel to keep it.
After you remove one, FirstHour moves on to the next item. It closes the viewer when none are left.
Good to know
- Saving to Photos or Files never takes the item out of the Vault. It makes a copy.
- Anything saved or shared outside the Vault is no longer protected by it.
- Removing from the Vault can't be undone. If you made a backup earlier from the ••• menu (see Set up your Vault), it may still hold a copy, but only of what was in the Vault when you made it.
- There's more about what the Vault does on the Vault page.