The repair shop wants my passcode. What can they see?
The screen is cracked, the repair ticket is open, and someone asks for your PIN so they can test the phone afterwards.
A repair ticket is the one time most people willingly give a stranger their passcode. The technician needs to check the screen, the cameras, Face ID. It is reasonable. It is also, for the length of the repair, full access to everything the passcode opens — and the passcode opens more than people think.
What your passcode unlocks
- The camera roll and every album, including Recently Deleted.
- The iPhone Hidden Album — its Face ID requirement falls back to the passcode, and the requirement itself lives in Settings → Photos, where it can be switched off.
- Google Photos Locked Folder and gallery-app private albums on Android, which use the screen lock directly.
- Locked notes set to “use device passcode”.
- Apps locked with Face ID (iOS 18) — same fallback.
- Files, Downloads, chat media, saved passwords in some browsers, and anything else behind the lock screen.
A vault with its own PIN or pattern is the one thing on the list the passcode does not open.
The 20-minute prep
Ten minutes before the counter:
- Back up. iCloud or Google backup, and make sure it finished. Not optional.
- Move private files into the vault. Photos, videos, screenshots, scans, PDFs — into TuckVault behind a PIN or pattern the shop will never see. Delete the originals and empty Recently Deleted / Trash.
- Sign out of what you can. Banking apps, email if you are comfortable, password managers. Turn off autofill in the browser.
- Lock the vault and close the app.
At the counter:
- Ask what they actually need. Many repairs only need the phone to boot and respond; a temporary passcode set for the day covers that. Change it back when you collect the phone.
- Leave Find My / Find My Device on. Activation Lock stops anyone wiping and keeping the phone; it does not interfere with a screen repair.
If the repair is long or the shop is unknown to you:
- Erase the phone. With a fresh backup, hand over an empty device and restore afterwards. It costs an hour and removes the question entirely.
Why the vault is the piece that keeps working
Every other protection on the phone is tied to the passcode you are about to hand over. The vault is not. Its PIN or pattern is separate by design, and its files are AES-encrypted on the device — a technician scrolling the camera roll finds nothing, and a technician browsing the app’s storage from a computer finds encrypted files, not photos. How that works, and its limits.
After the repair
Collect the phone, change the passcode (and any temporary one), check Settings → Photos → Use Face ID is still on, confirm Find My is on, and glance at Recently Deleted. Then put the private files back where they live — which, after this, is the vault.
The same prep applies before selling or trading in a phone, with the erase step mandatory rather than optional: before selling or trading in your phone.
Lock what's private. Clear what isn't.
TuckVault keeps your private photos, videos and documents behind a PIN or pattern with AES encryption on your device — and cleans up duplicates, large videos and messy contacts on the same phone. Free to download for iPhone and Android.
Frequently asked questions
Do repair shops really need my passcode?
Often, to test the touchscreen, Face ID or cameras after the repair. Apple's own repair flow can ask for it too. You can decline, accept that they will test less, or set a temporary passcode for the duration and change it back afterwards — the phone's Find My / Activation Lock still protects it from being wiped and resold.
Does the Hidden Album protect my photos during a repair?
No. The technician has your passcode, which is the Face ID fallback for the Hidden Album and the key to Settings → Photos → Use Face ID, where the lock can be switched off in two taps.
What about Android's Locked Folder or Secure Folder?
Locked Folder opens with the screen lock, which is what you just handed over. Secure Folder is only safe if its lock is different from the phone's. A vault with its own PIN or pattern is the option that does not depend on the passcode you gave away.
Is a factory reset the safest option?
Yes, if you have a current backup and the time to restore. Back up to iCloud / Google, erase, hand over an empty phone, restore afterwards. The vault still matters for everything that stays on the phone between repairs.