Keeping Expungement and Record Papers Private on iPhone
Your record was sealed or expunged, and you kept the paperwork. Now the court order, old charge papers and a background-check report are scattered across your iPhone. You want them close at hand, but not where anyone scrolling your phone could find them.
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What do I need to know?
- Keep the order. A copy of the expungement or sealing order helps if an old record turns up.
- Papers spread out. They end up in Photos, Files, Mail and Notes.
- One locked place is easier. You know where everything is, and nobody else sees it.
This page is about privacy on your phone. It is not legal advice. Ask a lawyer or legal aid office what you must keep and show.
Where do these papers end up on my iPhone?
- Photos, if you photographed or screenshotted a document. Apple's screenshot guide shows the Screenshots album on iOS 26 and later.
- Files, if you downloaded a PDF from a court portal or an email.
- Mail and Messages, as attachments from a lawyer or the court.
- Notes, if you scanned papers there.
Search each app for words like "order", "petition", "case" or your case number.
How do I gather them in one private place?
- List what you have: the order, the petition, letters and any background report.
- Open each document and tap Share.
- Send it to a place with its own lock, such as a vault app.
- Check it opens there, then delete the original.
- In Photos, empty Recently Deleted, which otherwise keeps items for 30 days.
Apple Notes can lock a note with a password, but Apple says notes with PDFs cannot be locked. See how to lock notes.
What if an old record shows up on a background check?
The EEOC and FTC explain your rights in Background Checks: What Job Applicants and Employees Should Know.
- An employer must ask your written permission before getting the report.
- If they may not hire you because of it, they must give you a copy.
- You can ask the background company to fix a mistake.
Having your order on hand makes that conversation faster. For free help, the Legal Services Corporation lets you find a legal aid office near you.
What this doesn't protect against
A vault keeps your copies private on your phone. It does not change court databases, and it does not remove records from people-search sites. If you lose your pattern and recovery phrase, the vault cannot be opened. Keep a paper copy of the order somewhere safe.
Do it with Cryptile
Cryptile holds photos, PDFs and notes in folders, encrypted with AES-256-GCM under a key from your pattern. Plus search reads text in photos and PDFs on the device, so you can find a case number. There is no account and no server.
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.