How can we help with Stillgarth?

Why isn't Phone Guard taking photos?

The most common reason is a restart or an app update: Android pauses Guard's camera until you open the app. Tap the Re-arm Guard notification (or open Guard), and it starts watching again. If that isn't it, work down this list:

1. Check Guard's three status lines. Guard's main screen should read "Camera ready", "Unlock detection on" and "Status notification on". If any line says Set up, tap it and allow what it asks for.
2. Check the photo settings. In Guard settings, under Photos, "Photo on failed unlock" and "Photo on unlock" each switch photos on or off for that kind of event.
3. Let Guard keep running. In Android's battery settings, find Stillgarth and choose Unrestricted, so Android doesn't shut Guard down to save battery.
4. Remember the restart rule. Before the first unlock after a restart, Android allows no photos at all. Guard can only try to note the time of a wrong code then.
5. Look in the right place. Guard never shows photos itself. They appear in the vault, in the Guard photos folder, after you next unlock the vault. In Guard's log, a lock tile marks each event that has a photo.

If the camera was busy or failed, the event is still logged with the reason, such as "The camera couldn't take a photo this time." More in how Phone Guard catches a wrong unlock.

Why can't you uninstall Stillgarth?

Because unlock detection is still on. Android won't uninstall an app while it's an active device administrator. Turn it off first:

1. Open Guard, then its Settings. If your vault is set up, it asks for your vault password, PIN or fingerprint first.
2. Under Uninstalling, tap Turn off unlock detection. This also turns Guard off.
3. Uninstall Stillgarth as usual.

Can't open the vault to get into Guard settings? Turn it off in Android's own settings instead: search Settings for "device admin", open the device admin apps list, and switch off "Stillgarth Guard unlock detection". Uninstalling deletes everything the app stored on the phone, so read before you uninstall first.

Why does it say "Vault unavailable on this phone"?

Stillgarth found signs that the phone is rooted or modified, so the vault won't open there. Home and Phone Guard still work. There is no setting to skip the check, because on a rooted phone other tools can reach into the vault while it's open.

• If the message is about a debugger, disconnect it and open the vault again.
• If you rooted the phone yourself, undoing the root lets the checks pass again; they run each time the vault opens.
• If you have a backup, you can restore it on a phone that isn't rooted.

The full reasoning is in why the vault refuses rooted phones.

Why does a restore ask "Restore anyway?"

Because some files in the backup are too big for this phone's memory, so Stillgarth couldn't check that they open. It tells you how many. Those files probably won't open on this phone either, but if you restore anyway they stay in the vault, and in its next backup, for a phone with more memory. Cancel, and nothing is restored.

Other restore messages, and what to do:

• "This phone already has a vault": a backup can only be restored on a phone with no vault.
• "That isn't the password or code this backup was made with": check the recovery code you wrote down. It has 25 letters and digits.
• "The backup file is incomplete (cut off)": wait until it has finished downloading, or use an older copy. Google Drive keeps earlier versions.
• A message about a newer version: update Stillgarth on this phone first.

Step by step: restoring your vault on a new phone.

What does "Backup: needs attention" mean?

The last backup couldn't be saved, and the backup screen in Vault settings says why:

• "Can't write to the backup file any more": the file was moved, deleted, or the permission was lost. Tap Change where it's saved and pick a place again.
• "Not enough free space on the phone to prepare the backup": free some space. The backup is built on the phone first, then saved in one pass.
• "The last backup didn't finish saving": it's tried again soon on its own.

Remember that backups only run while the vault is locked. See backing up to Google Drive.

Why did my PIN or fingerprint stop working?

Usually it's a built-in safety rule, and your password still works:

• PIN locked: after 5 wrong tries, the PIN locks for 30 minutes. Use your password, or wait.
• Fingerprint off: if a new fingerprint was added to the phone, fingerprint unlock turns itself off. Unlock with your password, then turn it on again in Vault settings.
• Wrong passwords: each one makes you wait longer before the next try, up to 5 minutes.

If you've also forgotten the password, read what happens if you forget your password. Nobody can reset it, including us, so support can't either.