Only you can see it
No account, no ads, no analytics. Your history never reaches me, advertisers or data brokers.
App
iPhone & iPad · By Dave Ellis
Location Vault Private location history for iPhone and iPad
Your history. Nobody else's. Location Vault keeps a private record of everywhere you go, so you can look back on any day - and only you can see it.
- 0 Accounts, ads or trackers
- 0 Days of history, free
- 0 Export formats
- 0 Colours, with matching icons
Locked with Face ID
Lock the app with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode. Free for everyone.
Logs itself
A pin every few minutes while you're on the move, even when the app is closed.
Every day, mapped
Look back at any day: your route, your pins and the photos you took.
iPhone · iPad · iOS 17 or later · Home & Lock Screen widgets
In short
What is Location Vault?
What is Location Vault?
Location Vault is a private location history app for iPhone and iPad. It records where you go automatically in the background and shows every day on a map, so you can see exactly where you were on any date - and nobody else can.
It works as an automatic travel diary and GPS logger: it drops a pin every few minutes while you're moving, sleeps with location off when you're still, and turns the result into routes, places, cities and countries you can search and export. There's no account to make and no server behind it: your history stays on your devices and in your own private iCloud.
Location Vault is made by Dave Ellis, an award-winning web and mobile developer in Edinburgh, Scotland, and published on the App Store by The Racing Line Software Limited.
| What it is | A private location history app: automatic GPS logger, travel diary and map of every day |
|---|---|
| Works on | iPhone and iPad with iOS 17 or later |
| Price | Free to download. Location Vault Pro is £0.99 a month, £9.99 a year or £19.99 once (US: $0.99, $9.99 or $19.99) |
| Free version | Logs everything; shows your last 30 days, with the Face ID lock |
| Account needed | No |
| Where your history lives | On your devices and in your private iCloud database |
| Ads, analytics, tracking | None, and no third-party code |
| App lock | Face ID, Touch ID or passcode (free) |
| Export | GPX, KML, CSV and GeoJSON (Pro) |
| Widgets | Home Screen and Lock Screen (Pro) |
| Family Sharing | Yes, on every plan |
| Made by | Dave Ellis, Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Published by | The Racing Line Software Limited |
| App Store category | Travel |
| Help | Support · Privacy policy |
01
Private by design
A vault for everywhere you've been. The key is yours.
A record of where you go is about as personal as data gets. Location Vault keeps yours on your devices and in your own iCloud - never on my servers. I don't have any.
Nothing to sign up for
No account, no email address, no profile. Install it, allow location access and it starts logging.
Nobody watching
No ads, no analytics, no tracking and no third-party code. Nothing in the app reports on you.
I can't see it
There's no Location Vault server. Your pins sync through your private iCloud database, which only your Apple Account can open.
Locked with Face ID
Lock the app with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode - free, in Settings. Pins keep logging while it's locked.
Hidden at a glance
With the lock on, your map is hidden in the app switcher, so a glance at your phone gives nothing away.
Photos stay put
Photos are read on your device to place them on the map. They're never uploaded, copied or stored.
Read the privacy policy
Exactly what Location Vault keeps, where it lives, and what Apple handles for maps and purchases.
Privacy policy
02
Screenshots
Location Vault, screen by screen.
Every screen shows made-up history around London and Paris - nobody's real data.
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Every day on the map
Pick any days and see each route in its own colour, with your pins, distance and the photos you took.
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Locked with Face ID
Turn on the free lock and Location Vault asks for Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode before it shows your history.
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Places, cities and countries
See where you spend your time, and every city and country you've been to. Any dates with Pro.
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Heat map
The places you go most, across your whole history. Part of Location Vault Pro.
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Search by place
Search for a place and see every day you were near it.
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Export your history
Save any dates as GPX, KML, CSV or GeoJSON and take your history anywhere. Part of Location Vault Pro.
Made for iPad too
On iPad, the calendar, search, places and heat map sit in a sidebar beside a big map. Your history syncs between your iPhone and iPad through your own iCloud.
03
What it does
Every day you've had, on the map.
Location Vault logs quietly in the background, then gives you ways to look back that make sense of it all.
Logs itself
Drops a pin every few minutes while you're moving, even with the app closed. When you stop, it sleeps with location off until you set off again.
Any day, or several
Pick the days you want and see each route drawn in its own colour, with your pins along the way.
Photos where you took them
Turn on Photos and the pictures from the days you're viewing appear on the map where you took them.
Search by place
Search for a place and find every day you were nearby.
Places, cities & countries
Where you spend your time, and every city and country you've been to - for your last 30 days, or any dates with Pro.
Heat map Pro
See the places you go most, across all your history.
Widgets Pro
Today's map, distance and places on your Home Screen, plus Lock Screen widgets.
Export Pro
Save any date range as GPX, KML, CSV or GeoJSON and take your history anywhere.
Make it yours Pro
Nine colours for the app, its map and widgets, each with a matching app icon.
Logging never depends on your plan: Free and Pro both record everything, always. Free shows your last 30 days; Pro shows all of it, straight away.
04
How it works
How to see everywhere you've been on iPhone.
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Install and allow location
Choose Allow While Using App, then Always, so Location Vault can log in the background. There's no account to make.
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It logs itself
While you move, it drops a pin every few minutes - every 5 minutes on Free, every 1 to 10 minutes on Pro. When you stop, it sleeps with location off.
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Look back on any day
Pick days on the calendar to see each route, search a place to find the days you were there, and see your places, cities and countries.
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Keep it yours
Lock the app with Face ID, export whenever you like, and keep your iPhone and iPad in step through your own iCloud.
05
Switching?
A private alternative to Google Maps Timeline.
If you used Google Maps Timeline to look back on where you'd been, Location Vault does the same job on iPhone and iPad - without an account, and without your history ever leaving your devices and your own iCloud.
It records your days automatically, so there's nothing to check in to, and it adds the things people miss: search by place, the cities and countries you've visited, a heat map, and export to standard formats you can open anywhere.
- Automatic: logs in the background every day, with no check-ins.
- A map of every day: routes, pins and the photos you took.
- Places, cities and countries for any dates (Pro).
- Search by place to find every day you were there.
- Export to GPX, KML, CSV or GeoJSON whenever you want (Pro).
- Private by design: no account, no ads, no tracking, and a free Face ID lock.
06
Free & Pro
Free to keep. Pro to see all of it.
Free
Everything logged. Your last 30 days on show.
- Logs in the background, every day
- Your last 30 days on the map, with your photos
- Search, places, cities and countries from the last 30 days
- Face ID, Touch ID or passcode lock
- Backed up and synced through your iCloud
Location Vault Pro
Your whole history, and more ways to see it.
- All your history, as far back as it goes
- Heat map of the places you go most
- Places, cities and countries for any dates
- A pin every 1 to 10 minutes - your choice
- Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets
- Export as GPX, KML, CSV or GeoJSON
- Nine colours, each with a matching icon
£0.99 a month, £9.99 a year or £19.99 once, through the App Store. Works with Family Sharing.
UK prices shown. In the US, Pro is $0.99 a month, $9.99 a year or $19.99 once; other countries see local prices on the App Store. Subscriptions renew until you cancel, which you can do at any time in your Apple Account settings.
07
Questions
Location Vault questions, answered.
What is Location Vault?
Location Vault is a private location history app for iPhone and iPad. It logs where you go in the background and shows every day on a map, with search, places, cities and countries, and a heat map. Your history stays on your own devices and in your private iCloud. It's made by Dave Ellis in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Can anyone else see where I've been?
No. There's no account and no Location Vault server. Your pins are stored on your iPhone or iPad and synced through your own private iCloud database, which only your Apple Account can open. I can't see them, and nothing in the app passes them to advertisers or anyone else. Turn on the Face ID lock and nobody can open the app on your phone either.
Is Location Vault a good alternative to Google Maps Timeline?
If you used Google Maps Timeline to look back at where you'd been, Location Vault does that job on iPhone and iPad: it records your days automatically and maps them, and adds search by place, cities and countries, a heat map and export. The difference is where your history lives: Location Vault has no account and no server, so it stays on your devices and in your own iCloud.
Doesn't my iPhone already keep track of where I've been?
iPhone's Significant Locations setting keeps a list of places iOS uses for its own suggestions. It isn't a map of each day that you can browse, search or export. Location Vault records a pin every few minutes while you move and turns that into a map of every day.
Will it drain my battery?
It's built not to. While you're still, Location Vault sleeps with location off and waits for low-power signals from iOS that you've moved. While you're on the move, it turns GPS on for a few seconds at a time to drop a pin every few minutes.
How much does Location Vault cost?
It's free to download, and the free version shows your last 30 days, Face ID lock included. Location Vault Pro shows your whole history and adds the heat map, stats for any dates, widgets and export. In the UK it's £0.99 a month, £9.99 a year or £19.99 once; in the US, $0.99, $9.99 or $19.99. Every plan works with Family Sharing.
Which devices does Location Vault work on?
iPhone and iPad with iOS 17 or later, with Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets on both. There's no Android version.
Can I export my location history?
Yes, with Pro. Choose any dates and save them as GPX, KML, CSV or GeoJSON, ready for mapping and fitness apps, Google Earth, spreadsheets or GIS tools.
Does Location Vault work offline?
Logging works without a connection: pins are saved on your phone and sync to your iCloud later. Maps and place names come from Apple Maps, so they need a connection to load.
Can I lock Location Vault with Face ID?
Yes, for free. Turn on Lock with Face ID in Settings and Location Vault asks for Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode whenever you open it, and hides your map in the app switcher. Pins keep logging while it's locked.
What happens to my history if I get a new phone?
Sign in to the new phone with the same Apple Account, keep iCloud on, and your pins come back on their own.
Does Location Vault have ads or sell my data?
No. There are no ads, no analytics and no third-party code, and your location history never reaches me. Location Vault is paid for only by optional Pro purchases.
Who makes Location Vault?
Dave Ellis, an award-winning web and mobile developer in Edinburgh, Scotland, who also makes the motorsport app The Racing Line. Location Vault is published on the App Store by The Racing Line Software Limited.
Made by Dave Ellis
Location Vault is designed and built by Dave Ellis, an award-winning web and mobile developer in Edinburgh, Scotland. His motorsport app, The Racing Line, won Brand of the Year at the 2026 Race Media Awards and is used by more than 100,000 fans. Location Vault is published on the App Store by The Racing Line Software Limited.
Questions or ideas? dave@daveellis.dev · More about Dave
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