What changes, release after release.

A licence bound to your Mac, accurate capture dates

The licence kept on a Mac now belongs to it, the device limit is shown in numbers, and the capture date shows the camera's time.

Changes

• Licence bound to the Mac. The licence kept on this Mac is now bound to it: copied to another Mac with the library, it opens nothing there, and that Mac gets its own at its first connection. The licence saved by an earlier version is taken over automatically at first launch, even offline, if an account is signed in.
• Device limit. When it is reached, Account & Licence gives the numbers (“3 devices for a plan that allows 2”) instead of “Your session has expired”. In the device list, this Mac comes first, marked “This Mac”.
• Licence issued for another Mac. It is refused, and the message says what to do, with Check the Licence….
• Library update. The first time this version opens the library, it updates it to fix capture dates; it then no longer opens with an earlier version. Make a backup first if you plan to go back.

Fixes

• Capture date. It shows the time the camera recorded. It used to be read as UTC and then converted: a photo taken at 10:20 in Paris showed 12:20. Dates already recorded are fixed when the library opens.

More contrast when you ask for it, cloud accounts that stay connected

With macOS “Increase contrast”, secondary text, separators and card outlines stand out more; symbol buttons follow the text size. Google Drive and Dropbox now go through ObscuraKit's shared networking module, with no need to sign in again.

Changes

• Accessibility. With “Increase contrast” (System Settings › Accessibility › Display), secondary text is stronger and separators and card outlines are clearly visible, in light and dark mode. Symbol buttons grow with the text size. Nothing changes in the normal appearance.
• Lists. In Archives, Projects, Offsite, Catalog packages and the certificates’ “Issue…”, the secondary text of a selected row stays readable on the accent colour (macOS 14 and later).
• Google Drive and Dropbox. Signing in, refreshing tokens and talking to the services now go through ObscuraKit 0.7.0’s shared networking module. Nothing changes for you: accounts already connected stay connected, with no new sign-in, and the messages are the same. A token refreshed by this version can no longer be read by an earlier one: going back to 1.4.2 may mean signing in to the account again.

Archive names readable in a narrow window

Bug-fix release: in Offsite and Archives, an archive's name is no longer squeezed by its badges in a narrow window, and a long name, such as that of a Catalog package, can be read in full or nearly.

Fixes

• Offsite and Archives. In a narrow window, an archive’s name is no longer squeezed by its badges. In Offsite, the badges (“To send”, “Encrypted”, “Offsite”) move to the line below the name; in Archives, “Encrypted”, “Incremental” and “Restorable” join the verification verdict, below the details. A long name (that of a Catalog package) can now be read in full or nearly, instead of a few letters per line, and a badge always keeps its whole word.

Signing key: accurate messages

Bug-fix release: the messages about backing up the signing key now say correctly what losing it would cost, Verify a PDF… reads the certificate through the PDF's structure, and an unreadable key is still never replaced.

Fixes

• Signing key backup. The messages asking you to back up the key wrongly said that losing this Mac would make certificates already issued impossible to verify. Verifying a certificate only needs the published public key; losing the private key only prevents issuing new certificates under that identity. The messages now say so, in French and in English, as does the header of the key backup file.
• Verify a PDF… reads the certificate through the PDF’s structure, whatever its size, and no longer mistakes text appended to the end of the file, outside the certificate, for the certificate.
• Unreadable key. A signing key the keychain cannot read (keychain locked, access denied) is still never replaced by a new one; this safeguard is now provided by the library shared by the Obscura apps.

Received Catalog packages are kept

Vault keeps every Catalog package it received and refuses a deletion that would prevent giving one back byte for byte or lose one of its archived originals. The library moves to schema v7.

What’s new

• Catalog packages kept. Vault keeps every package it received and now refuses a deletion that would prevent giving one back byte for byte or lose one of its archived originals.
  • Protected: the package’s archive, the archive of its originals, and a project’s archive that alone holds one of its originals intact.
  • The message says why and names the package by its collection and its date.
  • A copy on a storage medium or offsite can still be deleted as long as the archive is intact elsewhere (archives folder, another medium or another destination).
  • Guide: chapter 16, section “Retention: why some deletions are refused”, in French and in English.

Good to know

• On first launch with this version, the library moves to schema v7 (the originals each Catalog package designates). Once updated, it no longer opens with an earlier version of Obscura Vault: make a backup first if you plan to go back.
• Packages received with 1.3.0. Vault completes the list of their originals the next time each one is imported or given back; until then, the guard is cautious and may refuse a deletion that package would not need.

Receiving Obscura Catalog packages

A new Catalog Packages screen receives the package Obscura Catalog writes: verified, its originals matched by fingerprint, archived encrypted, and given back byte for byte. The library moves to schema v6.

What’s new

• Catalog Packages. A new screen (Preserve group, ⌘0) and the Import Catalog Package… command receive the package Obscura Catalog writes, as a folder or a ZIP archive.
  • Three visible stages, each with its progress and Stop: verification, matching of the originals by fingerprint, encrypted archiving.
  • A stopped archiving resumes when you import the same package again.
  • A refused package gives the reason and the file in question; a package that is too recent prompts you to update Vault.
  • The report counts the originals archived, embedded, taken in place and missing (with their reason), and exports the list of missing originals as CSV.
  • Each package has its record (collection, date, Catalog version, library, confidentiality, earlier packages) and can be given back byte for byte, or its originals by fingerprint.
  • Guide: chapter 16, in French and in English, and built-in help.

Fixes

• Restoring to /private. A restore to a folder under /private (for example /tmp) is no longer refused as a “path outside the restore folder”.
• Giving back a Catalog package. The journal no longer records the name of the folder given back, which carries the collection: only the folder chosen.

Good to know

• On first launch with this version, the library moves to schema v6 (index of archived fingerprints, Catalog packages received and their originals). Once updated, it no longer opens with an earlier version of Obscura Vault: make a backup first if you plan to go back.

Several operations at once, without slowing the app

Archiving, restoring and verifying at the same time no longer slows the rest of the app, and the Stop button acts at once.

Fixes

• Several operations at once. Running several archives, restores or verifications together no longer slows the rest of the app: screens stay responsive and the Stop button acts right away.

Incremental revisions and a new identity

Revisions that keep only what changed, restored with their chain and certified on the project's complete state, a Synced Folder destination, a new visual identity and isolated PDF verification.

What’s new

• Incremental revisions. When you create an archive, choose the Revision: Full (the default) or Incremental. An incremental revision holds only what changed since the previous one.
  • It is restored with its whole chain, identical to the project: a file deleted between two revisions does not come back.
  • The archive list shows the “Incremental” badge, the chain (“1 → 2 → 3”) and whether the revision is restorable at that place.
  • Off site, the chain is sent and downloaded with the revision.
  • Its certificate covers the project’s complete state and verifies like any other.
  • A revision an increment depends on cannot be removed from a place while that increment is there.
• Synced Folder destination. Send your archives to the local folder of iCloud Drive, Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive. Vault recognises the service and shows each copy’s sync state; a copy not yet synced does not count as off site.
• Delete an off-site copy from the app, with “Delete Copy…”.
• A new visual identity. A new icon, and the logo with the version number at the top of the sidebar.

Fixes

• Archive deleted in the Finder. It is reported as missing instead of still counting as intact, and the revisions that depend on it become not restorable at that place.
• zstd archives with very many small files. Restoring them is no longer wrongly refused.
• Library already open. If another instance of Obscura Vault has it open, the app says so at launch.

Security

• “Verify a PDF…” now analyses the PDF in an isolated service, with no access to the library, the keychain or the network.

Good to know

• On first launch, the library is updated for this version. A copy of the previous database is kept beside it.

Language, appearance and better-protected archives

Choose the app's language and appearance, an app icon, archives that carry their full signed inventory, and several reliability fixes: verified backups, a journal that is always written, more accurate key reminders.

What’s new

• Settings › General › Language and Appearance.
  • Language: System, Français or English. It applies at the next launch, and “Relaunch Now” does it right away.
  • Appearance: System, Light or Dark. It applies immediately to every window.
• An app icon, from Obscura Vault’s monochrome brand kit.
• A signed inventory in every archive. Each new archive carries, next to its manifest, the full signed list of the project’s files. “Verify” and the fixity audit check it. The format stays Obscura Flow’s, which ignores this file. This is the first step towards incremental archives.
• An illustrated user guide, with 22 screenshots in French and English.

Fixes

• Obscura Flow incremental revisions. Such a revision only holds the files changed since its base. Vault no longer restores it alone as if it were the whole project. It says so, and offers “Extract Only This Revision’s Files…”.
• Database backups. A backup is published only once complete and verified. A failure is reported, and an incomplete folder is never taken for a backup.
• Journal. Removing or moving a project, removing a key or a storage medium, issuing or revoking a certificate: each change and its journal entry are written together, or not at all.
• Library from a pre-1.0 development build. Instead of a technical error, a clear message and the action “Set This Library Aside…”, which deletes nothing.
• Archive key reminders. There is now one reminder per key. The encryption key’s comes first: without its export, your encrypted archives cannot be opened on another Mac.
• Menu commands. A command chosen while its screen is already shown now runs at once.
• Offline licence. The period of use without a connection is always bounded, and a clock set back is detected.

Obscura Vault 1.0

The first published version: import a folder as a project, archive it in Obscura Flow's .obf format, check its integrity over time, keep offsite copies and attest its preservation with a certificate.

Preserve

• Import a folder as a project: every file gets its SHA-256 fingerprint; your originals stay where they are, Vault never moves or changes them.
• .obf archives in Obscura Flow’s format: signed manifest (Ed25519), compression, optional encryption (AES-256-GCM). An Obscura Flow archive can be verified and restored in Vault, and the other way round.
• Choose the archives folder (Settings › General), with a free-space check before archiving starts.

Verify

• Fixity log and scheduled audits: Vault re-reads your files and archives and reports any file that was changed, has gone or cannot be read.
• Storage media: each check is attached to the disk that holds the copy.
• Dashboard: “All verified” only when every tier has a medium, an offsite copy, a recent database backup and exported keys.

Copy and restore

• Offsite copies to Amazon S3, Backblaze B2, Cloudflare R2, MinIO or another S3-compatible service, or to a folder on a NAS or a disk. Every copy sent is verified.
• Restore into a new folder, never overwriting an existing one.
• Automatic database backups, with an optional copy on a second disk.

Attest

• Preservation certificates as PDF/A-2b, with their signed manifest, the file list as an annex and an online verification address (vault.obscuraflow.app/c/…).
• Audit journal, append-only and chained by fingerprints.

Licence

• Without a licence, you can browse your library, import folders, check integrity and restore your archives. Creating archives, sending offsite and issuing certificates need a licence.

The app is in French and English, signed and notarised by Apple, for macOS 12 or later.