We make Photo Vault, one of the options on this page. The built-in options come first, and for many people they are enough.
Where that photo actually is
When you take a picture of your ID to send to a landlord, a hotel or a bank, it lands in the Photos library like any other photo. That means:
- Anyone who opens your unlocked phone can scroll to it, and it can show up in Memories, search and the Photos widget.
- With iCloud Photos on, it is in iCloud too. Apple's iCloud security overview (Apple, 102651) lists Photos among the data that is end-to-end encrypted only when you turn on Advanced Data Protection. With the default, standard data protection, the encryption keys are kept in Apple's data centres.
- Apps you gave full photo access can read your whole library, not only the photos you picked.
Four places it can live instead
| Option | What it does | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Hidden album (built in) | Takes the photo out of the Library, other albums and the widget; locked with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode since iOS 16 (Apple, 104987) | Still in your library and, with iCloud Photos, in iCloud; your iPhone passcode opens it |
| Locked note in Notes (built in) | Notes can lock a note with your iPhone passcode or a separate notes password (Apple, 102537) | Not a photo viewer; a note synced to iCloud is in iCloud |
| A photo vault app such as Photo Vault | Keeps its own copy outside the library, behind its own lock | You must delete the original yourself; backups are your job (details below) |
| Your password manager, if it stores files | Keeps the document next to the logins it belongs to | Depends on the manager and plan; check what it says about attachments |
What we checked in Photo Vault's code
We read the storage code of the version on sale today (1.2.10). Every file in the vault gets
the iOS Data Protection class completeUnlessOpen, which means the file cannot be read
while the iPhone is locked, and the vault folders are marked excluded from backup, so
they do not go into regular iCloud or computer backups. Both settings are in
MediaFileManager.swift and covered by the app's tests. The flip side: without
Photo Vault's own backup, the photos are lost with the phone.
Step by step
- Find every copy. In Photos, search for the document type (passport, ID, card) and scroll Recents around the date you sent it. Check Messages, Mail and WhatsApp threads where you sent it, and the Downloads folder in Files.
- Keep only the ones you need. An expired passport or a card you cancelled does not need a photo. Delete those rather than hide them.
- Choose where the rest live. Hidden album for the least effort, a locked note if you also keep notes about the document, or a vault app if you want it out of the library and out of iCloud Photos.
- Move them, then delete the originals. If you use a vault such as Photo Vault, import the photos, then delete them in Photos: importing makes a copy. The same applies to a note.
- Empty Recently Deleted. Deleted photos stay in Recently Deleted for up to 30 days (Apple). Open it and delete them there too.
- Next time, take the photo inside the vault. Photo Vault has its own camera; a photo taken there never touches the camera roll.
- Mark what you send. When you must send a copy, use Markup in Photos to write who it is for and the date across it. A marked copy is less useful to anyone else who gets hold of it.
- Limit photo access. In Settings, Privacy & Security, Photos, set apps that do not need your whole library to Limited Access.
Where Photo Vault fits, and where it does not
Photo Vault keeps photos and videos on the iPhone behind Face ID, Touch ID or a passcode, with an optional password per album, so an ID album can stay closed when you open the vault for someone. It can show a different, harmless set of photos with a decoy code (Premium), change its home screen icon to Calculator, Notes or Weather, and there is no account. Backups are either an exported file locked with a password you choose, or its optional iCloud copy (Premium), end-to-end encrypted in your own iCloud.
It does not scan documents or import PDFs, it is iPhone only, and it relies on iOS Data Protection rather than its own per-file encryption. If you already use a password manager that keeps attachments, that may be the better home for ID scans. How Photo Vault protects your files.
Sources
- Apple, iCloud data security overview (102651), read 23 October 2026.
- Apple, Hide photos with the Hidden album (104987), published 16 March 2026.
- Apple, Delete or hide photos and videos on iPhone and How to lock notes (102537), read 23 October 2026.
- Photo Vault 1.2.10 source code (storage and backup), read 23 October 2026.
Questions people ask
Is it safe to keep a photo of my passport on my iPhone?
It is as safe as the places that photo reaches. In the camera roll it is visible to anyone using your unlocked phone, to apps with full photo access and, with iCloud Photos, in iCloud. Keep only what you need and move it somewhere locked.
Are iCloud Photos end-to-end encrypted?
Only with Advanced Data Protection turned on. Apple's iCloud security overview says that with standard data protection, the default, the keys are kept in Apple's data centres.
Is the Hidden album enough for ID photos?
It hides them from the library and locks them with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode, but they stay in your library and in iCloud Photos, and anyone with your passcode can open them.
Does Photo Vault upload my ID photos?
No, unless you turn on its optional iCloud copy (Premium), which is end-to-end encrypted in your own iCloud. The vault is excluded from regular backups and has no account or server.
Should I send a photo of my ID by WhatsApp or email?
Only when you have to. Mark the copy with who it is for and the date, and delete it from the chat and your camera roll afterwards.