ZeroBox and calculator vaults
Short answer. A disguise changes how a vault app looks in your launcher. It is not a lock and it is not encryption. ZeroBox has a disguise too, so we do not argue against the idea. We have not tested every app in this group, so this page rates none of them. It gives you six questions you can check on any app yourself, and says what ZeroBox does for each.
| Question to ask any such app | How you can check it | ZeroBox |
|---|---|---|
| Does the calculator really work? | Open it and use it as a calculator before you store anything. | Yes. You open the vault by typing your PIN as a plain number and pressing =. Any other number is just a calculation, and no error shows. Besides the calculator there are four more looks: finances, smart home, home cinema and camera viewer, 75 icon-and-name combinations in all. |
| Does the real name still show? | Open Android Settings, then Apps, and look for the app. On Android 15 or later, Private Space can hide a whole app from the launcher, recent apps and Settings Android Help. · 2026-10-31 | Yes. Settings still lists ZeroBox under its own name, and Android keeps one icon in the launcher, so we swap the icon instead of removing it. The app tells you this before you apply a disguise: it hides the app from a glance, not from a search. |
| Is it encrypted, or only hidden? | Ask how the files are stored. The Data safety section on Google Play lists security practices, but it comes from the developer and not from a check by Google Google Play Help. · 2026-10-31 | Every file is encrypted with AES-256-GCM. See Is a vault app really encrypted? |
| Does it have internet access, an account or ads? | Read the Data safety section on its Google Play listing Google Play Help. Permissions such as internet access are declared by the app, and Android shows them at install Android Developers. · 2026-10-31 | No internet permission, no account, no ads. How to check: our guide. |
| What if you forget the code or lose the phone? | Before you store anything, find out what the app offers: a recovery option, a backup, or nothing. | A 25-character recovery key you write on paper, and a transfer pack you save yourself. With neither, a lost phone is a lost vault. |
| Does the store listing say openly that it disguises itself? | Read the description. Google Play requires an accurate description of what an app does Google Play Policy. · 2026-10-31 | Yes. Our Google Play description says you can change the icon and name, that only those change, that nothing happens without your action, and that you can switch back. |
What a disguise is good for
It helps when someone glances at your screen or borrows your phone for a minute. They see a calculator, not a vault. That is a real use, and it is why we built one.
Where we cannot compare
Some apps in this group may offer more looks, other tools or other trade-offs than ours. We have not compared them one by one, so we make no claim in either direction.
Limits that apply to every disguise, ours included
- A disguise is not a lock. Someone who knows where to look can find the app in Settings.
- If you remove an app that looks like a calculator, you remove the vault with it. Keep a transfer pack.
- Nothing here protects you if someone makes you unlock your phone.
