Keeping Abuse Evidence and Safety Plans on Your iPhone
You are keeping photos, screenshots or notes about abuse, or a plan for leaving. You need them to stay private and to still be there when you need them. Your safety comes first, and you do not have to do this alone.
If you are in danger now, call 911. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is at thehotline.org, or call 1-800-799-7233, or text START to 88788.
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What do I need to know?
- Changes can be noticed. Apple warns that someone may notice when you stop sharing. Think about how they might react first.
- Evidence needs a second copy. A phone can be taken, broken or reset.
- Advocates can help. They help with safety plans and with what to keep.
Is my phone safe to use?
If the person hurting you has had your phone, or knows your passcode, they may still have access. Apple's Safety Check helps you review this on iOS 16 and later.
- Open Settings → Privacy & Security → Safety Check.
- Choose Manage Sharing & Access to review people and apps one by one.
- Choose Emergency Reset only if you need to stop all sharing at once.
- Tap Quick Exit at any time to close Settings and go to the Home Screen.
If you are unsure, use a device they have never touched, such as a friend's phone. The full Apple Personal Safety guide covers more checks.
How do I keep evidence useful?
The Safety Net project at NNEDV has documentation tips for survivors. In short:
- Keep a log of each incident with the date, time and what happened.
- Save screenshots with names and dates visible.
- Keep only what is relevant.
- Store a copy somewhere the other person cannot reach.
Ask an advocate or a lawyer before you delete or edit anything.
Where should the files live?
On iOS 26 and later, screenshots and photos go into Photos. Apple's screenshot guide shows where they collect. The Hidden album opens with your passcode, so it does not help if they know it.
- Move the files into a place with its own lock.
- Check they opened, then delete them from Photos.
- Empty Recently Deleted, which otherwise keeps them for 30 days.
- Send a second copy to someone you trust, such as an advocate.
What this doesn't protect against
A vault app on your phone can still be noticed, and finding it could make things worse. A vault does not stop someone who watches you unlock it or takes the phone. If you lose your pattern and recovery phrase, the files are gone, which is why a second copy elsewhere matters.
Do it with Cryptile
Cryptile opens with a pattern that is not your phone passcode. A second pattern can open a separate vault with ordinary photos, and nothing lists how many vaults exist. The panic pattern in Plus destroys this phone's keys. Only use it if your recovery phrase is stored safely.
Cryptile is free for up to 2 vaults, 100 photos and 10 videos. Plus removes the limits for $19.99 a year (7-day free trial) or $39.99 once. The price is the same every day.
Cryptile Send, Files access and shared vaults are coming and are not available yet. Search inside the vault is part of Plus.