Keeping a Custody Evidence Timeline on Your iPhone
You are collecting screenshots, photos and notes about your children's other parent, and they are scattered across your phone. Keep them in one private place, in date order. Do not delete anything until a lawyer tells you how evidence should be kept. Rules on evidence differ by court, so this page covers the phone side only.
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What do I need to know?
- Talk to a lawyer before you organise. They can tell you what counts, what format they want and whether originals must stay untouched.
- Do not delete originals yet. A photo or message in its original app may carry details a copy does not.
- Keep it away from the children. A phone they borrow should not open onto your evidence.
What should a timeline include?
For each event, write down:
- The date and time it happened.
- What happened, in plain words, as soon as you can.
- Who was there.
- What you have that shows it: a screenshot, a photo, a voicemail, a receipt.
Write facts, not opinions. Short entries written on the day are easier to rely on than long ones written later.
How do I keep it on my iPhone?
These steps are for iOS 27.
- Keep one running note for the timeline, with one dated entry per event. Use a locked note or a note inside a vault.
- Copy screenshots and photos into a vault, in a folder per month. Leave the originals where they are until your lawyer says otherwise.
- Lock the apps that hold messages with the other parent. Touch and hold the app, then tap Require Face ID (Apple).
- Turn off Lock Screen previews so new messages do not show to anyone holding the phone. Settings → Notifications → Show Previews (Apple).
- Back up regularly, and keep the recovery details somewhere only you can reach.
Could the other parent see it?
Check whether they know your passcode, have used your phone, or share an Apple Account or a tablet with you. Apple's Personal Safety User Guide shows how to review what you share and with whom.
If you are afraid for your safety or your children's, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is free and confidential. WomensLaw.org explains custody and protection order laws state by state, in plain language.
This page is not legal advice. Talk to a lawyer about your case.
What this doesn't protect against
A vault keeps copies private. It does not prove when something happened, and it does not replace originals a court may ask for. It cannot stop the other parent keeping their own records, or seeing your screen over your shoulder.
Do it with Cryptile
Cryptile holds screenshots, photos, files and secure notes in folders, encrypted with AES-256-GCM under a key from your pattern. A different pattern opens a different vault. If someone demands to see the app, another pattern can show harmless photos.
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.