How to store sensitive documents on iPhone: evidence, records, IDs

A screenshot lands in Photos, syncs to iCloud, and shows in Recents and search. A scan in Files syncs to iCloud Drive. If a document matters because you might need it later, it needs to be somewhere encrypted, somewhere backed up, and somewhere that opens only for you.

Updated September 6, 2026 · 2 min read

The direct answer

Import the file into Kryptis, add a note with the date and what it shows, delete the original from Photos or Files and from Recently Deleted, and make an encrypted backup you keep somewhere other than the phone. That gives you a copy that is unreadable without your passcode, a copy that survives the phone, and a record of when it was captured.

This is not legal advice. If the document is evidence for a legal matter, ask a lawyer how it should be preserved and shared before you change anything about it.

Where documents leak by default

Screenshots go to Photos, into iCloud Photos, into Recents and the Photos widget.
Scans and PDFs saved in Files sync to iCloud Drive and show in Spotlight.
Photos of an ID sit in the camera roll next to everything else.
Messages and email keep their own copies, on their own servers.

What to do now

Import the screenshots, scans or photos into a Kryptis album named for the matter.
Open each item, tap More, and add a note: the date, the source, what it shows. Kryptis keeps the file's original date; the note is for context.
Delete the originals from Photos and Files, then empty Recently Deleted.
Settings, Create Encrypted Backup. Turn on the extra lock with your recovery words. Save the file to iCloud Drive or a computer.
Turn on Automatic iCloud Sync if you want the backup kept current without thinking about it.

What not to rely on

Locked notes, which are readable by anyone with the device passcode. The Hidden album, same. A screenshot left in Messages, which the other party may be able to unsend or which vanishes with a disappearing-message setting.

What Kryptis covers

Encryption on the phone with AES-256-GCM, notes and dates on each item, sub-albums to keep a matter together, an encrypted backup that lives where you put it, and a decoy vault if someone demands the app be opened.

What Kryptis does not solve

Whether a copy counts as evidence, how it must be preserved, and who has to see it. Those are questions for a lawyer, and for anything involving your safety, for a helpline as well.

Frequently asked questions

Does Kryptis keep the original date of a screenshot?

The file's own date is kept when it is imported, and you can add a note with the date and context.

Can I get a document back out to give to a lawyer?

Yes. Open the item, tap Share, and send or save it. Sharing creates a copy outside the vault, so do it deliberately.

Kryptis is on its way to the App Store.

Coming soon to theApp Store