iPhone privacy guide
How to protect videos stored in iCloud Drive
Screening Room lets you encrypt iCloud videos on your iPhone without moving them into a separate vault. The protected file can stay inside the iCloud Drive folders and sync workflow you already use.
Screening Room creates an encrypted .efl file on your iPhone and saves it to the location you choose. This adds file-level protection for the video content; it does not change your iCloud account settings, hide the existence or filename of the protected file, or automatically remove every unencrypted copy.
Why add file-level encryption to an iCloud Drive video?
iCloud Drive is useful because it keeps files available across your Apple devices and preserves the folder structure you already know. But a personal video may still be an ordinary playable file wherever an unencrypted copy exists.
Screening Room adds a separate protection layer to the media itself. You select the video through the iOS Files system, encrypt it on your iPhone, and save the protected .efl file back to an iCloud Drive location you control.
How to protect videos stored in iCloud Drive
- Make the source video available. In Files, confirm the iCloud Drive video has finished downloading to your iPhone before you begin.
- Select it in Screening Room. Choose the video from its current iCloud Drive folder through the iOS file picker.
- Encrypt it on your device. Screening Room creates a protected
.eflfile locally. Choose an iCloud Drive folder as the destination if you want the protected file to continue syncing there. - Verify private playback. Open the protected file through Screening Room and unlock it with Face ID or your app password.
- Manage the original deliberately. After you verify the protected file and any backup you need, decide whether to keep, move, or delete each unencrypted copy.
Encrypt iCloud videos without moving them into a vault
Traditional video-vault apps often create a second, app-managed library. That can mean importing files, rebuilding folders, and remembering which copy is current.
Screening Room is designed to work with the storage organization you already have. Your encrypted video can remain in an iCloud Drive project folder, personal archive, or any other folder you select. You open the protected file with Screening Room when you want to watch it.
What remains visible in iCloud Drive
Encryption protects the media content inside the .efl file. The file itself may still appear in Files and iCloud Drive with its filename, folder location, size, dates, and sync status. Anyone with access to the storage location may also be able to rename, move, copy, share, or delete the encrypted file even if they cannot play its protected content normally.
Choose neutral filenames and folder names if those details are sensitive. Also remember that an original video, exported copy, device backup, or temporary provider cache is separate from the protected file and must be managed according to your own privacy needs.
iCloud sync and playback expectations
iCloud Drive continues to handle storage availability and synchronization. Screening Room does not control upload timing, download timing, storage quotas, version conflicts, or whether iOS has evicted a local download to save space.
- Wait for encryption to finish before closing the app or changing networks.
- Confirm the protected file has fully synchronized before relying on it from another device.
- If a cloud icon appears, download the complete file before trying to play it.
- Keep an independent backup of important protected files.
- Store your password and recovery code safely, with at least one offline copy.
What Screening Room adds—and what it does not replace
Screening Room provides on-device encryption and authenticated private playback for files you select. Ordinary encryption, decryption, and playback do not automatically upload your media to developer-controlled servers.
It does not replace a strong Apple Account password, two-factor authentication, device passcode protection, careful sharing permissions, or reliable backups. Each .efl file also contains developer-managed escrow recovery data as described in the Privacy Policy. For that reason, Screening Room does not describe the format as zero-knowledge or end-to-end encrypted.
When this approach is a good fit
Screening Room is useful when you want to keep using iCloud Drive as your storage layer while adding private playback and file-level encryption.
- No separate app-managed media library is required.
- No developer-operated account is required for ordinary use.
- Protected playback is unlocked with Face ID or an app password.
- The app is free to try with up to three protected files.
- Pro is a one-time in-app purchase with no subscription.
Common questions
Does Screening Room encrypt all of iCloud Drive?
No. Screening Room encrypts only the files you select and creates protected .efl files. It does not change iCloud Drive or your Apple Account security settings.
Do I have to import the video into a separate vault?
No. You can choose an iCloud Drive destination and keep the protected file in the folders and sync workflow you already use.
Does encryption automatically delete the original video?
Do not assume that it removes every unencrypted copy. Verify that the protected file opens correctly, then use Files and any other storage or backup locations to manage the original and its copies deliberately.
Can I open the protected file on another iPhone?
Make sure the complete .efl file has synchronized and is downloaded, then open it with Screening Room. Keep your app password and recovery code available when moving between devices.
Will the protected file still appear in Files Recents?
The encrypted file may remain visible according to normal Files behavior. Opening protected media through Screening Room helps keep an ordinary media preview from being used as the standard viewing entry. Read the Files Recents privacy guide.
Protect iCloud Drive videos without a separate vault
Download Screening Room on iPhone and protect up to three files for free. A one-time Pro purchase removes the file limit, with no subscription.
Download on the App Store