Classify
Separate one document from a collection that will grow.
SENVRA GUIDE / PRIVATE DOCUMENTS
How do you keep private documents on iPhone?
Start with the smallest boundary that fits: lock one PDF, protect a short note, or create a separate local space for an archive that includes scans, files, photos, audio, and notes.
Lock
Use the native option when one supported file is enough.
Organize
Keep mixed private records inside a clear boundary.
Recover
Know where the backup and recovery material live.
The right tool depends on what you are protecting.
A tax form, a medical scan, and a growing family archive do not need the same workflow. Protecting one PDF can be a document task. Keeping years of mixed private material is an organization and recovery task as well.
Best when a supported PDF needs its own password before storage or sharing.
Useful for text, images, and a small set of supported attachments.
Better for recurring imports, mixed formats, search, and a defined backup path.
Choose by scope, unlock boundary, and recovery.
Before moving anything, decide whether you need to protect one file or a collection, whether the device passcode is an acceptable boundary, and what should happen if the phone is lost.
For one PDF, start with the built-in option.
On supported iOS versions, Preview can add a password requirement to a PDF. Duplicate the file first, lock the intended copy, close it, and reopen it to confirm that the password is required before you store or share it.
VERIFY THE COPY
Use distinct filenames for the source and protected versions. Then check Recents and the destination folder so you do not accidentally share the unprotected original.
This is the simplest fit for one portable document. Apple documents the current steps in its iPhone User Guide.
Use a locked note when the record is small and note-shaped.
Locked Notes are useful for private text, images, and scans that belong together. You can use the device passcode or, where supported, a custom Notes password. The storage and sync behavior still depends on the Notes account you choose.
Notes is not a general encrypted file manager. Some attachment types and shared notes cannot be locked, and unlocking one note can open other notes protected by the same credential for a short session. Review Apple's current Notes limits before using it for an archive.
A growing archive needs more than a lock screen.
Medical records, identity scans, family documents, private photos, voice notes, and receipts quickly become a collection. At that point, look for clear import behavior, support for the formats you use, on-device search, and an explicit backup and restore path.
01
Open every protected import before removing the original.
02
Check Files, Photos, Recents, shared folders, and old exports for unintended copies.
03
Keep backup files and required recovery material in separate, known locations.
KEEP AN HONEST THREAT MODEL
No app can protect content from every condition. An unlocked device, screenshots, exported originals, system backups, and forgotten recovery material remain part of the boundary.
One local space for mixed private records.
Senvra keeps photos, Live Photos, video, audio, files, PDFs, and notes together in an on-device private space. One password opens one independently keyed space without exposing a real-space list before unlock.
LOCAL-FIRST PRIVATE ARCHIVE
Keep different kinds of private records together.
No account, no Senvra-hosted cloud vault, no automatic upload, and no in-app network layer for vault features. Pro adds private-space backup and verified restore.
Senvra is a commercial closed-source app and has not completed an independent third-party security audit. Read the technical notes for current product boundaries, or continue with the private backup guide.