Why we built this
A quick-loan app asks to see your contacts and photos. You say yes because you need the money. Weeks later, the people in your phone start getting messages about you.
Police in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have investigated cases like this. Agents of illegal loan apps used contact lists and photos from borrowers' phones to shame and threaten them, sometimes with fake, edited pictures. Some of these cases ended in tragedy.
The same harm can come from a stolen phone, someone who knows your PIN, or an app that looked harmless. The cause is always the same: the most private things on your phone could be read by someone else.
Nirbhedya is our attempt to fix that one part of the problem. Your most private contacts, photos and notes live in a locked vault instead of out in the open.
Reports we read: The News Minute and Deccan Chronicle. Read in October 2026.
What Nirbhedya does
- Private contacts
- Save people inside the vault instead of your phone's contact list. Other apps cannot read them. When you call, your normal phone dialer opens.
- Notes and files
- Write notes and attach documents such as a bank statement or an ID copy. Each attachment is encrypted. You can open images, PDF, text and CSV files inside the app.
- Vault camera and gallery
- Photos taken in Nirbhedya go straight into the vault and never appear in your phone's Gallery. You can also import photos. Importing makes a copy: the original stays in your Gallery until you delete it yourself.
- App Locker
- Ask for your PIN before the apps you choose can open. It needs two special permissions that you turn on in Android settings.
- Camera and microphone alerts
- Get a notification when an app starts using your camera or microphone, and how long it ran. This is optional and off until you turn it on. It needs Android 12 or newer.
- PIN and fingerprint
- A 6-digit PIN, with fingerprint or face unlock if your phone has it. Wrong guesses make you wait longer each time. The vault locks when you leave the app.
- A backup you control
- Save one encrypted backup file wherever you choose. If you get a new phone, restore it with your 12 recovery words.
- Take things out when you need them
- Save a single photo or file back to your phone. The app warns you first, because the saved copy is not encrypted.
What Nirbhedya does not do
- It cannot stop a company from leaking data that the company holds on its own servers.
- It cannot take back a permission you already gave another app. Contacts and photos that are saved outside the vault stay visible to apps that have permission.
- Your call history still shows the numbers you dial, because calls go through your phone's normal dialer. It will not show the name from your vault.
- We cannot reset your PIN or open your vault for you. If you lose your phone and have no backup file, or lose your PIN and your 12 words, nobody can get the data back.
- A file you save to your phone, or open in another app, is outside the vault. Treat it like any other file.
- If your phone is already controlled by harmful software, no app can fully protect you.
- It is not a counselling or medical service. If you are struggling, see "Get help" below.
How your vault is protected
Your contacts, notes, attachments and photos are kept in encrypted form on your phone. The key is protected by your PIN and by your phone's secure storage where the phone supports it. Nirbhedya has no sign-up or login, and does not upload what is in your vault.
When you set up the vault, the app gives you 12 recovery words. Here is how to stay safe if something goes wrong:
- Write the 12 words on paper and keep the paper somewhere safe. Do not photograph them or send them to anyone. On their own, the words reset your PIN on the same phone. Together with a backup file, they also open your data on a new phone.
- Make a backup file from Settings whenever you add something important. The file is encrypted, and the 12 words are the only key to it.
- If you lose your phone, install Nirbhedya on the new phone, choose "Restore from backup", pick your file, enter the 12 words and set a new PIN.
Automatic cloud backup by Android is switched off for this app, so your vault is never copied to an online backup without you choosing it.
If someone is threatening you with your photos or contacts
This is a crime, and it is not your fault. You do not have to deal with it alone.
- Call the national cyber crime helpline on 1930, or report at cybercrime.gov.in.
- Keep the messages and take screenshots before you block anyone. They help the police.
- If you feel you cannot cope, call Tele-MANAS on 14416 (or 1800 891 4416). It is free, open every hour of the day, and available in many languages.
- If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 112.
Nirbhedya is a privacy tool. It is not a counselling or emergency service.
Where these numbers come from: Tele-MANAS, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. 112 is India's single emergency number. Numbers can change, so please check them on those sites.
Questions
Is it really free?
Yes. Every feature in the app is free, with no limit on how much you store. Premium is an optional extra for the vault's key protection.
Which phones does it work on?
Android phones that have a camera. Camera and microphone alerts need Android 12 or newer.
I forgot my PIN. What do I do?
On the lock screen, choose "Recover Vault with 12-Word Phrase", enter your 12 words and set a new PIN. This works on the same phone. We cannot reset a PIN for you.
I lost my phone. Can I get my data back?
Only if you made a backup file earlier and kept your 12 words. Install Nirbhedya on the new phone, choose "Restore from backup", pick the file, enter the words and set a new PIN. Without a backup file, the data cannot be recovered.
Does Nirbhedya upload my contacts or photos?
No. What is in your vault stays on your phone. Premium (not available yet) is designed to send only what it needs to protect the vault's key, never your contacts or photos. A backup is a file that you save yourself.
Why does App Locker need extra permissions?
"Usage access" lets the app see which app is open, and "Display over other apps" lets it show the lock screen on top. Both are controlled in Android settings, and you can turn them off at any time.
Why does the app look at my list of installed apps?
Only to show you the list of apps you can lock. The list stays on your phone.
Get early access and tell us what you need
Nirbhedya is not on Google Play yet. Join the early-access list and we will email you when it opens.
The form asks for your email address, which features you need, what worries you most about your phone's privacy, and whether you would pay for extra protection. If you want to test the app early, you can add a Gmail address. We use your answers only as described in our Privacy Policy, and you can ask us to delete them at any time.
What people are asking for
Results will appear here once enough people have replied.
We show totals only, never anyone's own words or email. We decide what to build from what people tell us.