Giving a mobile device to a child without any restrictions can have unforeseeable consequences, and it is a risk that many parents want to avoid by imposing parental controls that regulate apps, content and hours, but this method seems to have its hours counted because of the so-called applications of vault.
Also known as hidden applications, these apps that, under the harmless appearance of the typical calculator or camera installed on all mobile phones, save files, hide galleries and offer a clever tool to circumvent parental control.
In fact, in the classic calculator vault application, a specific figure is entered that unlocks the real app, where photos, videos or even access to other applications that had initially been restricted on the mobile are hidden.
Some hidden apps can even hide inside unrestricted access to TikTok and browsers that give children a free hand to view content completely freely and not limited to their age group, as can be established in official applications.
Even the parents who are most attentive to their children’s mobile phones, who inspect their phones, check their contacts and regulate applications can be completely defenseless against these revolutionary apps, which although they are not new, have returned to fashion among the youngest.
The main method to discover these vault apps is to check all the mobile apps, opening the suspicious and common ones in this field: calculator, calendar, notes and flashlight are some of the most common and if you have two of the same, it is a great indication that one of them is a hidden app.
Another simple but effective system is to go directly to the App Store and search for terms such as “vault application”, “hidden app” or “hide photos” and check the options, if once inside instead of “install” we see “open”, is that this application is already on your child’s mobile.
HiddenVault is one of the most widely used vault applications to hide photos and videos without going through parental controls, a field where Hide it Pro and Vaulty also stand out. If not, they will simply have a name like “secret calculator” or “hidden app” which later morphs into something more convincing once they are installed.
How can you prevent a child from downloading these vault apps? Apple offers the option of the Family Sharing Plan for iPhone, in which you can mark the “Ask to buy for your child” tool, and thus every time you go to download an app, you will have to resort to parents to do it.
On Android there are parental controls available in the Google Play store, being able to set a password for each app that is downloaded, age limits and category options that we want to leave out of the reach of our children.
Beyond accessing TikTok, Instagram, other entertainment social networks or saving secret photos, these vault applications could contain fraudulent ads or expose minors to the dangers of the Internet without any type of control by parents, all a risk taking into account the vulnerability of children in the network.
Hidden apps are almost always used to hide inappropriate and adult content, so it is advisable that if you come across one on your child’s mobile, you talk to him about it. Parental control is not infallible, and systems to circumvent it will continue to appear, although right now the trend is clear: vault applications are in fashion.
