package icon

Palimpsest

Encrypted notes, diary and to-dos with hidden vaults behind one password
New in version 0.3.0
Formulas: $…$ inside a line and $$…$$ on their own are drawn in read mode (LaTeX), with a ∑ button in the formatting bar.
An attachment's height is no longer lost when a vault is imported.
Palimpsest is an encrypted diary and notes app with deniable vaults: one password field, any number of vaults, and no way to tell from the file how many there are. Every password opens its own vault. A decoy password shows a believable diary; another shows the real one.

Experimental, not audited. It protects against a curious partner, a thief and a quick border check. It does not protect against a forensic lab, spyware on the phone, or someone who keeps demanding passwords. If an adversary keeps copies of the file from different moments and knows a decoy password, a hidden vault can give itself away. The threat model in the source repository has the details.

Writing

  • Notes in a grid with folders, tags, pins and colours; a diary with a timeline and a month calendar; to-dos

  • Markdown editor that hides the markers away from the line you edit

  • Photos and voice notes captured in memory, never in the gallery; photos cropped before they are stored, EXIF and location dropped

  • Links between entries, backlinks and a graph of links where you link entries by dragging one onto another

  • Search, search inside an entry, trash with 30-day expiry



Vaults

  • Create, change the password, delete a vault (its blocks are overwritten in place)

  • A one-shot rule: on the next opening of this vault, destroy the vault with password X

  • Backup of everything, restore, export of one vault under its own password, import with merging



Privacy

  • No internet permission, no trackers, no ads

  • Screenshots blocked unless you allow them; no preview in recent apps

  • Incognito keyboard, no autofill, copied text cleared after 60 seconds

  • Locks on screen off, after idle time and in the background



The core is written in Rust: Argon2id, XChaCha20-Poly1305 and BLAKE2b; the container is a pile of 4096-byte blocks that all look like random bytes, with random chaff added all the time.
  • app screenshot
  • app screenshot
  • app screenshot
  • app screenshot
  • app screenshot
  • app screenshot

Versions

Although APK downloads are available below to give you the choice, you should be aware that by installing that way you will not receive update notifications and it's a less secure way to download. We recommend that you install the F-Droid client and use that.

Download F-Droid
  • Version 0.3.0 (300) suggested Added on Oct 29, 2026

    arm64-v8a armeabi-v7a x86_64

    This version requires Android 8.0 or newer.

    It is built and signed by the original developer, and guaranteed to correspond to this source tarball.

    Permissions
    • take pictures and videos
      This app can take pictures and record videos using the camera while the app is in use.
    • run at startup
      Allows the app to have itself started as soon as the system has finished booting. This can make it take longer to start the phone and allow the app to slow down the overall phone by always running.
    • record audio
      This app can record audio using the microphone while the app is in use.
    • prevent phone from sleeping
      Allows the app to prevent the phone from going to sleep.
    • app.palimpsest.DYNAMIC_RECEIVER_NOT_EXPORTED_PERMISSION

    Download APK 6.7 MiB PGP Signature | Build Log

    • New in version 0.2.4
    Two unused permissions that a library added (network state, foreground service) are removed.
  • Version 0.2.4 (204) - Added on Oct 16, 2026

    arm64-v8a armeabi-v7a x86_64

    This version requires Android 8.0 or newer.

    It is built and signed by the original developer, and guaranteed to correspond to this source tarball.

    Permissions
    • take pictures and videos
      This app can take pictures and record videos using the camera while the app is in use.
    • run at startup
      Allows the app to have itself started as soon as the system has finished booting. This can make it take longer to start the phone and allow the app to slow down the overall phone by always running.
    • record audio
      This app can record audio using the microphone while the app is in use.
    • prevent phone from sleeping
      Allows the app to prevent the phone from going to sleep.
    • app.palimpsest.DYNAMIC_RECEIVER_NOT_EXPORTED_PERMISSION

    Download APK 6 MiB PGP Signature | Build Log

Find Apps