The product and privacy guide.

Availability and release order

PhantomProtect is the first intended public release. PhantomVault follows it. PhantomWipe and Protected Workspace remain future work. There is no announced public release date. The launch list provides development and availability updates.

Development targets Apple silicon Macs. The wider suite and Vault’s Finder integration target macOS 27. Final requirements will be published for each released module, including the requirements for local AI features.

PhantomProtect

Protect is being developed for automatic file and network threat checks, using local rules, downloaded threat intelligence and on-device models. PhantomGuardian adds local explanations on supported Macs. Detection effectiveness and performance are subject to release validation.

The dedicated URL Filter belongs to Protect’s planned scope. It is not currently enabled in Release builds and still depends on Apple approval and operational validation.

PhantomWatch and PhantomAgent

Watch provides network visibility and manual app and destination firewall rules. It is planned at no additional charge with every paid module. Protect adds automatic threat intelligence checks. PhantomAgent owns background protection work and menu bar access; the main app provides settings and dashboards.

What stays local, and what goes online

Our intended design keeps file-content analysis and AI security explanations on your Mac. That does not make the product entirely offline. Required services and optional sharing need to be understood separately.

Release documentation will identify the fields and services involved in required and optional transmission. Support information is shared when you choose to contact us. Some planned Vault key modes also involve iCloud Keychain.

PhantomVault

Vault is being developed with AES-256-GCM content encryption and an optional playable movie carrier designed to support plausible deniability during ordinary inspection. The carrier contains a real movie that can preview in Finder and play in a media player while the encrypted vault stays locked. This gives the file a credible everyday purpose: it is a movie you can watch.

A specialist may still find unusual file structure or clues in device records and older copies. The movie carrier’s approach to plausible deniability concerns ordinary viewing and playback. The encryption and key protections safeguard the locked contents if the vault is discovered.

Optional Dual-Key Protection uses an ML-KEM-1024 shared secret to add protection around the vault key. This is distinct from encrypting every file twice. Recovery, passphrase strength and device compromise remain relevant. Independent security review is required before public confidentiality reliance.

Planned key modes include device-bound custody and account-bound custody through iCloud Keychain. Both modes retain passphrase protection. Any supported biometric unlock uses a separate enrollment choice. Final recovery behavior and device requirements will be documented before release.

The encrypted volume concealed inside the movie is the hidden vault. A decoy volume is also planned, with a different set of files opened by a separate credential. Its goal is to provide contents you can show while keeping the hidden volume’s private files undisclosed. This decoy capability remains unavailable until testing establishes its behavior and limits. Read about the planned decoy volume.

PhantomWipe

The planned Protected Workspace would encrypt managed files before their first persistent content write and give each file an independently revocable key. This does not erase prior unencrypted copies or copies outside the workspace. Backups, caches, previews and recoverable keys remain limitations. This capability is future work.

Planned pricing and inclusion

Protect’s current pricing targets are $6.99 per month or $49.99 per year in USD. Watch and Agent are planned with each paid module; Guardian is planned with Protect and the eventual complete suite. The pricing page maintains the full set of targets and their conditions. Nothing is for sale yet.

How to read development claims

A planned design, a source implementation, a test result and an independently reviewed release each establish different things. Development screenshots illustrate the work in progress. We’ll publish release-specific evidence and limitations as they become available.

This guide is maintained by Little Guy Dev, LLC. If you find conflicting information, contact the developer. Older blog posts are dated snapshots; this guide and the release pages describe the current plan.