How do I keep screenshots and evidence for a divorce or custody case?

Your marriage is ending, or a custody arrangement is getting hard. A lawyer says to keep a record. Messages about pickups that did not happen. Photos of a child’s injuries, bank statements, threats you did not answer. Meanwhile you still share a phone plan, maybe an Apple Account, maybe a family iPad. This page covers what to capture and how to keep it close to its original form. It also shows how to keep it out of the other person’s reach. It is not legal advice. We checked each step against WomensLaw, the Federal Rules of Evidence and Apple on 2026-10-08.

If you are in danger, or the case involves abuse, read keeping a record of domestic abuse safely first. It covers safety planning and support lines.

What a useful screenshot shows

WomensLaw, a legal information site for survivors, gives practical rules. Most of them apply to any family case.

• The real sender. Show the phone number or the account of the person who sent each message. The contact name you saved is not enough. WomensLaw suggests one screenshot with the name and another with the number.
• As much as you can. WomensLaw says to “capture as much information as possible”. One message may need several screenshots.
• Dates and times. Make sure each screenshot shows when the message arrived.
• The web address. For social media, include the full web address from the bar at the top, and the person’s profile page.
• No changes. WomensLaw says to “not change the evidence at all”. Do not crop out parts, add names or mark up the originals. If you want to highlight something, do it on a copy.

For emails, print or save them “with the full header information included”. A forwarded email loses that information.

Keep a log next to the screenshots

A screenshot shows what was said. A log shows the pattern. WomensLaw suggests a log with the date and time of each event. Add what happened, what you did, and which witnesses or evidence go with it. A short note after each event is enough: the date, what happened, and which screenshots or photos go with it.

Do not delete the originals yet

WomensLaw warns that a deleted message may be gone for good. You can still stop seeing them. It suggests you “silence message text notifications” from the person. For email, a rule can move their messages to a separate folder.

Why dates on a photo are not proof alone

Apple’s guide to photo details shows the date and time of each photo. It also says to “tap Adjust to edit the date and time”. So a date in Photos can change. Keep the original file, do not edit its date, and write the real date in your log.

Courts look at more than the file. Rule 901 of the Federal Rules of Evidence asks you to show that an item “is what the proponent claims it is”. A witness with knowledge can do that. So can the item’s “distinctive characteristics”, together with “all the circumstances”. Many states have their own rules. WomensLaw says that even then, “it may not be clear” if a court will accept your evidence. A lawyer can tell you.

Recordings need extra care

Some people want to record calls or handovers. WomensLaw explains that some states allow it with one person’s consent. Other states need consent from everyone in the conversation. Without that consent, it says, a recording might be illegal, or a court might not accept it. Ask a lawyer before you record anyone.

Keep it out of a spouse’s accounts

The weak point in many cases is not the phone. It is the account behind it.

• A shared Apple Account or Google account puts your photos and screenshots on every device signed in to it.
• A shared album or a shared library gives the other person access to what you add. See when an ex can still see a shared album.
• Old access you forgot. On iPhone, go to Settings, Privacy & Security, Safety Check. Manage Sharing & Access lists people, apps and devices.

WomensLaw says that “if your phone is not safe”, you can keep evidence in a separate cloud account. Choose one the other person has never had a password for.

How York Vault keeps the record

York Vault keeps screenshots, photos, documents, notes and voice notes behind its own code, on iPhone and Android. That code is never the phone passcode. The encrypted backup goes to your own iCloud or Google Drive, with random file names. A person who knows your Apple Account password sees only encrypted data. See what we can and cannot see.

• Original details stay. York Vault keeps the capture date, location, camera data and original file name of each item, inside the encryption. It sorts by the capture date, not the day you added it. York Vault lets you change dates, so leave them alone on evidence.
• Screenshots go straight in. Share them to York Vault from Photos. Then remove them from Photos, as the import and cleanup page shows, and empty Recently Deleted.
• The log beside the proof. Keep it as an encrypted note, or record a voice note about what happened. See notes and voice notes.
• One album, one more lock. Give the case album its own album code.

Handing it to your lawyer

When you share or export, York Vault removes location and camera details by default. For evidence, turn on Keep details for that share or export. Then the dates and original file details go with it. Export everything gives your lawyer the originals in a folder, free on every plan. Ask which format they want, and keep your own copy.