Privacy & Security

Updated: July 3, 2026

This page explains AyuVault's privacy and security design in plain language, with enough detail for technical users to verify the approach.

1. Core privacy model

AyuVault is designed as an offline-first personal health records organizer. The core app does not require an account. Your health records are stored locally on your device unless you choose to export, back up, or share them.

2. Local encrypted storage

Your reports, prescriptions, medicines, vitals, notes, family profiles, and extracted values are kept in an encrypted local database. AyuVault does not run a central health-record server for your core records.

3. PIN, key derivation, and recovery

Your 6-digit PIN is used to unlock the vault. The vault encryption key is derived from your PIN using PBKDF2-SHA256 key derivation — the PIN itself is never stored by AyuVault, and we cannot reset it remotely. If you forget your PIN, the app offers on-device recovery: reset the PIN with biometric unlock or a recovery key created in the app (no data loss), or restore an encrypted backup with that backup's PIN. Without any of these, your local vault may not be recoverable.

4. Encrypted backups

Manual backups are exported as encrypted .avault files protected with AES-256-GCM encryption, with the encryption key derived from your PIN using Argon2id. Backups can be restored with the correct PIN, including through our open-source desktop restoration tool for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

5. OCR and extraction

Document scanning and lab-value extraction are designed to run on device. Extraction can make mistakes, so AyuVault uses a review step before saving extracted values. The original report should always remain the source of truth.

6. Sharing

Sharing is intentional: doctor-ready summaries, selected PDFs, QR sharing, and emergency cards should only include information you choose to share.

7. Network activity

Core record keeping is designed to work offline. Limited network activity may be used for subscription checks or optional, opt-in diagnostics. These flows should exclude health records, documents, names, and biomarker values.

8. What AyuVault is not

AyuVault is not a medical device, doctor, diagnostic tool, hospital system, or emergency service. It helps you organize information; it does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

9. Honest limitations

  • No software can be guaranteed perfectly secure.
  • OCR can be wrong, especially with blurry scans or unusual lab formats.
  • If your phone is compromised, your data may be at risk.
  • If you lose your PIN and have no recoverable backup, AyuVault may not be able to restore your records.

10. Related pages