Keeping passport and ID copies private on iPhone
Scan the document once, put the scan in one place with its own lock, and delete the stray copies. StrongRoom's Scan a document uses Apple's document scanner and saves the pages as one encrypted PDF in the Vault, away from your photo library and any synced albums. Apple's Files app can scan too, if you prefer to import the result. When someone asks for a copy, send only what the purpose needs, by a route you trust, and ask how long they will keep it.
Why copies spread
An identity document photographed in the Camera app lands in your photo library, alongside everything else, and is readable by any app you have given full photo access. A scan saved to an online location can sync to other devices. A copy sent by email or chat stays in those threads. None of this is wrong, but the copies add up. The aim is one known copy you control, plus any copy a particular purpose needs.
Scan it
The direct way: unlock the Vault, tap the add button and choose Scan a document. Apple's scanner finds the page edges; StrongRoom turns the pages into one PDF Item, encrypted, and never writes it to Photos or the camera roll. It is free, counts as one Item toward the free limit of 10, and needs an iPhone with a camera. Results depend on the light and on Apple's scanner, so check the scan is readable.
The alternative: Apple's page "How to scan documents on your iPhone or iPad" says to open Files, tap the More button and choose Scan Documents. Adjust the corners to fit the page, tap Done, then choose a location and tap Save. You can do the same from Notes, but that leaves the scan in a note. Pick a location on the phone rather than an online one if the list offers it, because a scan saved to a synced location can show up on other devices.
If you want a photograph rather than a PDF, StrongRoom also has a camera inside the app. Photos and videos taken with it are stored directly in the Vault and never touch the photo library. They are saved as high-quality JPEGs with no location data. It is a photograph, not a flat scan, so lay the document on a plain surface with good light.
Put it in a Vault
- In StrongRoom, tap the add button and choose Scan a document (or Files, if you scanned elsewhere, or use the in-app camera).
- Make a folder, for example "Identity", and put the items in it. Folder names are encrypted along with everything else.
- If you imported from Photos, the app asks whether to delete the originals from your library, every time. Check Recently Deleted too.
- If you scanned in Files or Notes instead, delete that scan, and any place it synced. A scan made inside StrongRoom leaves no copy to delete.
- Make an Export Package and keep the Recovery Phrase on paper.
PDFs and ordinary documents open inside the Vault with a built-in viewer, so you do not need to take them out to read them.
Send a copy without leaving copies
First ask whether you need to send a copy at all. Many banks, landlords and employers have a secure upload page or portal; use that rather than email, and ask what they do with the file and when they delete it.
If you do send a copy yourself:
- Send only the page needed, not the whole book of pages, and cover details the recipient does not need if the request allows.
- Write the purpose on the copy where that is accepted, so a stray copy cannot be reused for something else. Ask the recipient first.
- Prefer a route you trust over a group chat or a shared album.
StrongRoom's Share Package can send chosen items as an encrypted file, opened with six words or a QR code that you send by a different route. The recipient needs StrongRoom to open it, so it suits people you know, not a portal. You can set an open count and an expiry. Those limits are enforced only by the app on the recipient's phone: a skilled person, a modified app or a photograph of the screen can get round them, and a file you have sent cannot be taken back. Share only with people you trust. Share Package: send items without sending them in the clear
What to avoid
- Do not photograph an ID and leave it in the camera roll.
- Do not keep the only copy of an important document on one phone. Make an Export Package, and keep the original paper.
- Do not post or message an unmarked copy to a group or an unfamiliar contact.
- Do not store the Recovery Phrase in the same place as the Export Package.
Where StrongRoom does not help
- It does not remove metadata such as location from photos you import; the file is kept as it is.
- It cannot withdraw a copy once you have sent it.
- It cannot stop someone who has your phone unlocked and your pattern or passphrase.
- It has no cloud copy. Lose the phone without your Recovery Phrase or an Export Package and the Vault, and the documents in it, are gone. Keep the paper original.
Frequently asked questions
Where should I keep a scan of my passport on my iPhone?
In one place with its own lock, not in your photo library. A Vault keeps it encrypted on the phone, outside the photo library.
How do I scan a passport on iPhone?
In StrongRoom, tap the add button and choose Scan a document; the pages are saved as one encrypted PDF and never go to Photos. Or open Files, tap the More button, choose Scan Documents, adjust the corners and save it, as Apple's page describes, then import it.
How do I send a passport scan safely?
Use the recipient's secure portal if they have one, send only what the purpose needs, and ask how long they keep it. A Share Package works between StrongRoom users but its limits are not enforced outside the app.
Is a scan as good as the original?
Not for official use in most cases. Keep the original, and ask the organisation what it accepts.
Sources
- How to scan documents on your iPhone or iPad (Apple Support), checked on 2026-10-30.