Auto-lock, privacy screen and screenshot blocking

Encryption protects a vault that is closed. These settings make sure it closes when you stop looking, and that it doesn’t leak a glimpse of your photos while you aren’t.

What it does

• Auto-lock closes the vault after a set time out of sight. Options: At once, 1 minute or 5 minutes. “At once” is the first and the default. Turning the screen off always locks right away, whatever you pick.
• Hide in app switcher puts a plain cover over Silo whenever it isn’t in front. It is on by default.
• Block screenshots stops screenshots and screen recording of Silo. It is an Android setting.

How it works, step by step

1. You use Silo as normal. Photos are shown from memory only.
2. You leave the app or the screen goes off. Silo shows its cover immediately, so the app switcher or the notification shade shows the cover and not your photo.
3. The lock timer runs, or the screen-off lock fires. When it does, Silo clears the keys and caches from memory.
4. You come back. Silo asks for your PIN, passphrase or face or fingerprint unlock before it shows anything.

To change any of this, open Settings and look under Security and Privacy. Choose an option under Auto-lock, or switch Hide in app switcher and Block screenshots on or off.

Why it matters

Most accidental exposure is not an attack. It is a phone left on a table, a quick swipe to another app while someone is next to you, or a screen recording that was running without you noticing. A short auto-lock and a cover cut those moments down. “At once” is the strictest choice, and the one to pick if you often hand your phone to other people.

What each platform does

• Android: the system flag that blocks screenshots and recordings is used, so you can switch it on or off in Settings.
• iPhone: the phone doesn’t allow an app to block screenshots, so Silo doesn’t show that setting. The cover in the app switcher is available on both.