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Forgot your pattern, or Face ID changed

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Paperwise never knows your patterns, so it can’t remind you of one. A vault opens only with its pattern on this iPhone. Here’s what you can still do.

What it is

  • There’s no “Forgot pattern” for one vault. Drawing a different pattern just opens a new, empty vault.
  • Recoverable vaults come back on any iPhone with your vaults key and their pattern. The key doesn’t replace the pattern.
  • This iPhone only vaults can never be recovered from anywhere.
  • A Face ID change (adding a new face or fingerprint in iOS Settings) makes iOS retire the keys behind the old Face ID. Then the pad says: “Face ID changed. Private vaults on this iPhone need to be restored with your vaults key.”

Step by step

After a Face ID change

  1. Open Private vaults. You see the Face ID notice.
  2. Tap Restore vaults… and follow Restore vaults on a new iPhone: your vaults key once, then each vault’s pattern.

This brings back recoverable vaults that are in your iCloud backup or Sync & Backup. This iPhone only vaults are lost.

Start again: erase all vaults on this iPhone

If you can’t open your vaults and want to start over:

  1. On the pad, tap Restore vaults… → Erase all vaults on this iPhone….
  2. Read the warning: “Every vault and everything in it is erased from this iPhone. Recoverable vaults come back only with your vaults key and their pattern. This can’t be undone.”
  3. Tap Erase and confirm with Face ID.

Paperwise confirms “Erased on this iPhone.” You can then draw a new pattern.

Free and Pro

Free.

Privacy

  • Erasing vaults on this iPhone doesn’t touch Home.
  • Copies of recoverable vaults in your backups stay encrypted. They open only with your vaults key and each vault’s pattern.
  • Deleting and reinstalling Paperwise removes the vaults’ keys from this iPhone, like a Face ID change: restore recoverable vaults with your vaults key.
  • If you lose your vaults key and forget a pattern, nobody can recover that vault, including us.

Tips

  • Pick patterns you’ll remember, and draw them now and then.
  • Before you add a new face or fingerprint in iOS Settings, make sure your vaults are recoverable and you have your vaults key.

What if…

What if I remember the pattern but lost the vaults key?

On this iPhone, the vault opens as usual. Make a new vaults key right away (Account → Private vaults → Make a new vaults key…) and open each vault once. See The vaults key and recovery.

What if I erased my vaults by mistake?

What was only on this iPhone is gone. Recoverable vaults in your backups come back with your vaults key and their patterns.

Still stuck? Write to support@paperwise.app.