How to lock copies of your licence, Medicare card and passport on iPhone
The iPhone has three built-in locks: the Hidden album in Photos, locked by default since iOS 16; a locked note in Notes; and Require Face ID on an app such as Files. None of them is a password-protected folder, so choose by where the copy already sits, and keep passport and licence copies out of shared albums and chats altogether.
Photos of a licence for a rental application, a passport page for a visa, a Medicare card for a new GP: on most phones they end up in the camera roll next to everything else. You can lock them without installing anything. The question is which lock fits where the copy already lives.
The three locks compared
| Hidden album in Photos | Locked note in Notes | Require Face ID | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it locks | The photos you hide | One note, with its scans | A whole app, such as Files |
| What opens it | Face ID or Touch ID | Your iPhone passcode or a separate Notes password | Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode |
| Across devices | With iCloud Photos, hidden on your other devices too | End-to-end encrypted for iCloud notes | This iPhone only; the lock does not sync |
| Watch out for | Every hidden photo sits in one album | Notes with PDFs cannot be locked | Apps that come with the iPhone cannot be hidden |
Hide a photo in Photos
Touch and hold the photo, tap Hide and confirm. To find it again, open Collections and tap Hidden under Utilities. On iOS 16 and later the album is locked by default and asks for authentication before it opens.
Lock a note
Open the note, tap More, then Lock. The first time, choose between your iPhone passcode and a password used only for Notes. Apple has no access to locked notes and cannot help if you forget that separate password, so store it somewhere you trust.
Notes refuses to lock a note holding PDFs, audio, video, tags or Pages, Numbers and Keynote files. A visa grant notice saved as a PDF therefore belongs in a locked app instead.
Lock the Files app
Touch and hold the Files icon on the Home Screen and tap Require Face ID (or Touch ID or Passcode). The app locks again every time you leave it. A downloaded app can also be hidden into a Hidden folder at the bottom of App Library; apps that come installed, Files included, can only be locked.
Apple notes that the lock applies to that iPhone only and does not sync through iCloud, so set it again on an iPad.
Which copies deserve the strongest lock
Passport photo page. The Australian Passport Office advises never sharing photos of your passport online and storing the passport somewhere safe. A copy in a shared album or a synced chat is already halfway online.
Driver licence. After a data breach, Service NSW asks you to replace your card when both the licence number and the card number at the top right were exposed. A photo of the card shows both.
Medicare card. The myGov app can hold an official digital Medicare card with a QR code, so you may not need a photo for everyday use. myGov still suggests carrying the physical card.
Tax file number. The ATO calls your TFN an important part of your identity and lists who needs it: the ATO, your employer when you start work, your bank, your super fund, your university and agencies paying benefits. You can look it up in your ATO online account through myGov, so a screenshot rarely needs to live on your phone.
Where Dokus fits
The three locks hide copies; they do not organise them. Dokus is a document wallet for iPhone, iPad and Mac: each document is encrypted on the device with its name, type, front and back, and the wallet opens with Face ID or Touch ID, offline included. There is no Dokus account and no document server; sync through your own iCloud is optional, and screenshots of a document come out blank.
Shared copies can carry the recipient’s name and the date, and Dokus Plus adds expiry reminders. After you move a document in, delete the loose copy from Photos and from Recently Deleted.
Frequently asked questions
Does Require Face ID on Files also lock it on my iPad?
No. Apple says a locked or hidden app is locked only on the iPhone where you set it, and that status does not sync with iCloud. Turn it on separately on each device.
Can I lock a note that holds my visa grant notice?
Not if the notice is a PDF attachment: Notes cannot lock notes that contain PDFs. Keep the PDF in Files and lock the Files app with Require Face ID, or store it in a document wallet.
Are hidden photos hidden on my other Apple devices?
Yes, if you use iCloud Photos. Apple says photos you hide on one device are hidden on your other devices too, and on iOS 16 and later the Hidden album needs authentication to open.
Should I keep a photo of my tax file number?
Rarely. The ATO lists the few organisations that need your TFN, and you can find it in your ATO online account through myGov or on your notice of assessment, so a photo in the camera roll adds risk without much use.
