How to keep medical records on your iPhone privately
Use the Health app for structured records your provider shares with you, and a Vault for scans and letters. Keep the originals your provider gave you, and ask your provider or health authority what you need to keep. This page is about organising files on a phone. It is not medical advice.
Two kinds of record
- Structured records that a provider sends electronically: results, allergies, medications. These belong in the Health app if your provider supports it.
- Documents: referral letters, scans of paper discharge notes, vaccination cards, insurance forms, a photo of a prescription. Health does not hold those, so they end up in the camera roll by default, which is the worst place for them.
The Health app
Apple's guide says that once you have set up downloads from a provider, records download securely and automatically to the Health app. To view them, open Health, tap Browse, and choose a category under Health Records or tap an organisation's name. If a provider's records are missing, check that you are signed in to that provider's account. Apple also notes that third-party apps can ask for access to your records, and you should grant it only to apps you trust. Availability depends on whether your provider takes part, so check with them or with the health authority that runs your system.
Documents in a Vault
For paper and letters, scan inside StrongRoom: tap the add button and choose Scan a document. Apple's scanner finds the page edges and the pages are saved as one encrypted PDF in the Vault, never in Photos. It is free and counts as one Item toward the free limit of 10; results depend on the light and on Apple's scanner. Or scan with the Files scanner: tap the More (three dots) button, tap Scan Documents, drag the corners to fit and tap Keep Scan, then choose where to save. Import the file into the Vault and delete the original from Files and from Recently Deleted (Apple says deleted files stay there 30 days).
Make folders by person and kind, for example Me - Results, Me - Letters, Child - Vaccines. Use file names with a date first: 2026-04-blood-test-results. Folder names are stored inside the encrypted Vault. Folders in StrongRoom are one level deep, so a "Person - Kind" name is how you get two levels.
Sharing with a doctor or carer
Share what is needed, not the whole file. For a person you trust to look after your papers, a Share Package sends chosen items as an encrypted file opened with six words or a QR code, which you pass on by a different route. You can limit how many times it opens and set an expiry date, but the app enforces these, and a recipient who can see the document can still photograph it. A Share Package cannot be taken back once it is sent.
A second copy
If these papers are hard to replace, keep the originals and make an Export Package from time to time, stored away from the phone. Without it and your Recovery Phrase, a lost phone means the files are gone. For care papers that someone else may need if you cannot unlock your phone, tell a trusted person where the paper originals and the Recovery Phrase are kept, or talk to your provider or an adviser about the right arrangement for you.
- Folders in a Vault
- Export Package
- Share Package
- Back to the pillar guide
- Medical and caregiver documents
- What happens if I lose my phone
- What StrongRoom does not protect against
Frequently asked questions
Is the Health app the right place for scanned letters?
Health shows records downloaded from providers. For your own scans and letters, a Vault or a locked-down folder suits better.
Should I keep the paper originals?
Yes, unless your provider or health authority tells you otherwise.
Can I give a carer access?
You can send chosen items as a Share Package, with the six words or QR code sent separately. It cannot be revoked once sent.
Sources
- View health records in Health on iPhone (Apple Support), checked on 2026-10-30.
- How to scan documents on your iPhone or iPad (Apple Support), checked on 2026-10-30.
- Delete files or recover deleted files in the Files app (Apple Support), checked on 2026-10-30.