Enable Fast Scanning
Set up Apple's Sensitive Content Analysis for 5x faster photo scanning
Quick Path
Settings > Privacy & Security > Sensitive Content Warning > ON
What is Sensitive Content Analysis?
Apple's Sensitive Content Warning is a built-in iOS feature that uses on-device machine learning to detect nudity in photos and videos. Vault uses this as a fast pre-filter to dramatically speed up scanning.
100% On-Device: Like Vault, Apple's SCA runs entirely on your iPhone using the Neural Engine. No photos are ever sent to Apple or anyone else.
Why Enable It?
- 5x Faster Scanning: SCA analyzes photos in ~20 ms vs ~150 ms for full AI
- Skip Safe Photos: Quickly identifies obviously safe photos to skip
- Better Battery Life: Less processing = less battery drain during scans
- Same Privacy: Everything stays on your device
Step-by-Step Setup
Open Settings
Open the Settings app on your iPhone. Look for the gear icon on your home screen.
Find Privacy & Security
Scroll down and tap Privacy & Security. It has a blue hand icon.
Find Sensitive Content Warning
Scroll to the bottom of Privacy & Security and tap Sensitive Content Warning.
It should show "Off" if you haven't enabled it before.
Enable the Main Toggle
Turn ON the Sensitive Content Warning switch at the top. This is the only required setting.
When enabled, you'll see a list of apps that can use this feature, including Vault.
Configure App Toggles (Optional)
The app toggles control which apps show blur warnings on sensitive images. These don't affect Vault's scanning ability.
We recommend keeping Vault enabled and turning off the others if you don't want blur warnings in Messages, AirDrop, etc.
Understanding the App Toggles
When you enable Sensitive Content Warning, iOS shows toggles for various apps. Here's what each one does:
| Toggle | What It Does | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Sensitive Content Warning | Master toggle -- enables the feature system-wide | Required ON |
| Vault | Allows Vault to use fast pre-filtering | Keep ON |
| AirDrop | Blurs sensitive content received via AirDrop | Your choice |
| Contacts | Blurs sensitive contact photos | Usually OFF |
| FaceTime | Detects sensitive content during video calls | Your choice |
| Messages | Blurs sensitive images in iMessage | Your choice |
| Shared Albums | Blurs sensitive photos in shared albums | Usually OFF |
| Improve Sensitive Content Warning | Sends anonymous feedback to Apple | OFF (privacy) |
Important
The app toggles only control blur warnings -- whether iOS blurs sensitive content in that app until you choose to view it. They do NOT affect Vault's ability to scan your photos. As long as the main toggle and Vault are ON, fast scanning will work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to enable all the app toggles?
No. You only need the main Sensitive Content Warning toggle and Vault enabled. The other toggles are for blur warnings in those apps.
What if I don't enable this?
Vault will still work, but scanning will be slower. Without SCA, every photo goes through the full AI model (~150 ms each). With SCA enabled, obviously safe photos are skipped in ~20 ms, making large library scans much faster.
Does this send my photos to Apple?
No. Apple's Sensitive Content Analysis runs 100% on-device using the Neural Engine. No photos are uploaded anywhere. This is the same privacy model Vault uses.
What does "Improve Sensitive Content Warning" do?
This optional toggle sends anonymous, aggregated feedback to Apple to improve their detection. It does NOT send your photos. We recommend leaving it OFF for maximum privacy.
I enabled it but Vault still says it's not available
- Make sure both the main toggle AND the Vault toggle are ON
- Close and reopen Vault
- Restart your iPhone if the issue persists
Can I disable this later?
Yes, you can turn off Sensitive Content Warning anytime in Settings. Vault will automatically fall back to full AI scanning (slower but still works).
This feature requires iOS 17 or later. If you don't see Sensitive Content Warning, check for iOS updates in Settings > General > Software Update.