Locking passport and licence copies on iPhone: Hidden album, Notes or app lock?
Choose by file type: hide card photos in Photos, scan into a note and lock it, or make Files require Face ID for PDFs. Each one keeps casual eyes out, but none of them organizes your documents, and anyone who knows your passcode can open a locked app.
A copy of your passport or driver’s licence usually lands wherever it was made: the camera roll, a folder in Files, a chat with yourself. iOS has three ways to lock it without installing anything. They suit different file types and fail in different ways, so pick deliberately.
A locked copy is still only a copy. For the separate question of official credentials, see Apple Wallet in Canada.
The three locks side by side
| Hidden album (Photos) | Locked note (Notes) | Require Face ID (Files or another app) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suits | Photos of cards | Scans made inside Notes | PDFs saved in Files |
| Opens with | Face ID or Touch ID | Your 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 accounts | This iPhone only; the lock does not sync |
| Watch for | Mixed in with everything else you hid | No lock for notes holding PDFs, audio or video | Locks the whole app, not one file |
Hidden album
Touch and hold the photo, tap Hide and confirm. To see it again, open Collections, scroll to Utilities, tap Hidden, then View Album, and authenticate. Apple has locked this album by default since iOS 16. In Settings, under Apps and then Photos, you can also turn off Show Hidden Album so it does not appear at all.
Locked note
Create a note, tap the paperclip and choose Scan Documents to capture the card. Then tap More and Lock. The first time, choose between your iPhone passcode, which needs iCloud Keychain turned on, and a password just for Notes. Apple is blunt about the second option: forget that password and there is no way back into the notes it locked.
Require Face ID for Files
On the Home Screen, touch and hold the Files icon until the Quick Actions menu opens, then tap Require Face ID (or Touch ID or Passcode). The app relocks each time you quit it, and Apple says information inside a locked app stays out of notification previews, search and Siri suggestions. Apps you downloaded can also be hidden in a Hidden folder at the bottom of App Library; apps that came with the iPhone, Files among them, can only be locked.
There is no password for a single folder in Files, so locking the app is the closest built-in option.
Canadian documents that deserve a second thought
- SIN. Service Canada says your SIN card or confirmation letter is not an identity document and belongs in a locked cabinet or safe rather than your wallet. Provide the number only when the law requires it, so a copy rarely needs to travel on your phone.
- Health card. Under Ontario’s Personal Health Information Protection Act, nobody may require you to produce your health card except someone providing you with provincially funded health services.
- Passport. IRCC tells you never to give a photocopy of your travel document unless you are sure it is going to a trusted organization or person.
- PR card. A copy helps you watch the expiry date, but IRCC says you need the valid card itself, with your passport, to return to Canada by plane, bus, boat or train.
The document safety guide goes through each card in more detail.
Where Dokus fits
The built-in locks hide files; they do not know what a document is. Dokus keeps each one under its own name and type, front and back together, encrypted on the device and opened with Face ID or Touch ID. There is no Dokus account and no Dokus document server: sync, if you turn it on, goes through your own iCloud, and everything opens offline. Screenshots of a document come out blank, and every copy you share can carry the recipient’s name and the date.
Once your documents are in, delete the loose copies from Photos and then from Recently Deleted.
Locking questions
Does hiding a photo on my iPhone hide it on my iPad?
Yes, if you use iCloud Photos. Apple says a photo you hide on one device is hidden on your other devices too.
If I lock Files on my iPhone, is it locked on my Mac?
No. Apple says an app’s locked or hidden status applies only to that iPhone and does not sync with iCloud.
What happens if I forget my Notes password?
If you chose a password just for Notes, Apple says there is no way to open the notes it locked. You can set a new password, but it does not open the older notes.
Should I keep a copy of my SIN on my phone?
Usually not. Service Canada says the SIN card or confirmation letter is not an identity document and should be stored somewhere safe, and that you should give the number only when the law requires it.
Do locked apps show their contents in search?
No. Apple says information inside a locked app does not appear in places such as notification previews, search or Siri suggestions.
