How to watermark a photo on iPhone, and an ID copy for an Australian rental application
In Photos, open the picture, tap Edit, then Markup, tap the add button and choose Add Text; type the watermark and save. Revert to Original takes it off later. For a licence or passport copy in a rental application, write the agency, the purpose and the date across the document, and first ask whether the agent could see the original instead.
Put text on a photo with Markup
Markup, built into Photos, adds a line of text to any picture: your name on a photo you are selling, a business name on a product shot, or a note on a document copy.
- Open the picture in Photos and tap Edit, then Markup.
- In the Markup toolbar, tap the add button and choose Add Text.
- Tap the text box and type the watermark. Use the tools to change its font, size, style and colour until it reads against the picture.
- Drag it into place, close the Markup toolbar and save the edit.
If you want to keep a clean version in the library as well, duplicate the photo first and mark the duplicate.
Take it off again
Photos keeps the original under every edit: open the edited picture and choose Revert to Original. With iCloud Photos, edits are saved across all your devices. A copy you have already sent keeps its watermark.
An ID copy for a rental application
A watermark on a document copy has a different job: it says who the copy was for. Before adding one, check whether a copy is needed at all.
- NSW. The Fair Trading Commissioner’s guidance calls it best practice for an agent to sight your ID and note the details it needs, without storing the documents.
- Victoria. An agent must use the prescribed application form and can request no more than two identity documents from a set list.
- Queensland. You can give a copy or let the property manager see the original, and they can keep a copy only with your consent.
When a copy is still needed, write the agency, the purpose and the date across it, in the Australian date order: "Banksia Rentals Pty Ltd, rental application, 13/10/2026". Run it across the middle of the card rather than in a corner, where a crop removes it, and keep the name, photo and expiry readable.
If the agent does not need your licence number, ask whether you can cover it: the OAIC says an agent that copies a document carrying a government-related identifier must generally blank that number out.
A watermark tool made for documents
Markup writes one line in one spot. The free document watermark tool runs in Safari and repeats your wording across the whole document in engraved lines and fine print, at one of five intensities. It takes photos and PDFs, works in your browser without uploading anything, and leaves your original file unchanged. To cover a number as well, use Hide details.
Keep marks for copies that go to people. A government portal such as ImmiAccount asks for photos that show all the document information, so follow its instructions instead.
With Dokus
Dokus keeps your documents on your iPhone and adds the watermark at the moment you share. Type who the copy is for, and it goes out with that name and the date across the document while the stored original stays unmarked, ready for the next request.
Common questions
Does a Markup watermark change my original photo?
Photos saves the edit but keeps the original, so Revert to Original brings back the unmarked picture. With iCloud Photos, edits are saved across all your devices.
What should the watermark on a rental ID copy say?
Name the agency, the purpose and the date, for example "Banksia Rentals Pty Ltd, rental application, 13/10/2026", and place it across the middle of the document rather than in a corner where it can be cropped off.
Can I watermark a PDF on my iPhone for free?
Yes. The Dokus document watermark tool works free in Safari, accepts PDFs and processes the first ten pages in your browser. The exported PDF is made of images, so its text is no longer selectable.
Should I watermark a copy for an online identity check?
Follow the service’s instructions. Home Affairs, for example, asks that photos of documents show all the document information, and a check that compares your details with the issuer’s record needs them legible.
