How do I keep a record of abuse on my phone without them finding it?

You want proof of what is happening at home. Maybe for a protection order, a custody case or the police later. Maybe only so that you can trust your own memory. But the person who hurts you checks your phone, and a folder of screenshots in Photos is the first place they would look. This page covers what to record, where to keep it, and what to plan before you start. We checked the advice against WomensLaw, the Coalition Against Stalkerware and Apple’s own pages on 2026-10-08.

Plan before you record

A record helps only if it does not put you in more danger. The person may react if they find it. WomensLaw warns that an abuser “may escalate his/her violence” when they learn that you found their tracking tools, and the same risk applies to a record of abuse.

So start with a call, if you can make one safely. The help lines at the top of this page help with safety plans, and US advocates can point you to a legal advocate who knows your state’s rules. Use a phone or computer the other person has never held. If they may monitor your phone, read is someone tracking my phone before you change any setting on it.

What to record

WomensLaw says documenting means that you “safeguard proof” of the abuse, “accurately record incidents of abuse as they happen in a log”, and “not change the evidence at all.”

A log. For each incident, write:

1. The date and time.
2. What the person did or said.
3. What you did, if anything.
4. Who saw it, and what other evidence you have.

Screenshots of messages. WomensLaw says to show “the phone number of the person who is sending harassing messages, not just the contact name you assigned to that person in your phone.” Take one screenshot with the message and the name, and another with the name and the number. For social media, include the full web address and the person’s profile page.

Photos. Photograph injuries and damage to your home or things. Take them on the day, and take more than one.

Emails. WomensLaw suggests you print them with the full header, from the original email, not a forwarded copy.

Do not edit, crop or annotate the originals. If you want a marked-up copy, make a second one and keep the first.

Do not delete the messages yet

The first wish is often to delete every message and block the person. WomensLaw calls that “a completely understandable response”, then adds that deleting “could permanently erase your ability to access them in the future.” Two ways to see less of it, from the same page:

• Silence notifications from that person.
• Send their emails to a separate folder with a rule.

The same goes for monitoring apps. The Coalition Against Stalkerware notes that deleting stalkerware deletes evidence too.

Where to keep the record

Keep it where the other person cannot open it and cannot delete it, and keep a copy off the phone. WomensLaw mentions a cloud account as one option. Think about what the person can reach:

• Photos and the Hidden album. Apple’s Hidden album opens with Face ID, Touch ID or the phone passcode. If the person knows your passcode, it is open to them. See what a phone passcode opens.
• Your iCloud or Google account. If they know the password, they can see and delete what is in it. Apple’s Safety Check lists the devices on your Apple Account. Change the password from a safe device first.
• A notes app or a cloud drive. Fine if only you can open it. Check which devices stay signed in.

How York Vault keeps a record

York Vault keeps photos, screenshots, notes and voice notes behind its own code, which is never the phone passcode. The library is encrypted on the phone, and its backup in your own iCloud or Google Drive is encrypted too. A person with your Apple Account or Google password sees only encrypted chunks with random names.

• Take photos straight into York Vault. The private camera saves nothing to Photos. Location is off by default. You can turn it on, and it stays inside the encrypted record.
• Add screenshots without opening the library. Share them to York Vault from Photos. They land in the library at your next unlock. Then remove them from Photos and empty Recently Deleted. The import and cleanup page shows each step.
• Keep the log in York Vault. Write the log as an encrypted note, or record a voice note. Both are free. See notes and voice notes.
• Keep the dates. York Vault keeps each photo’s capture date, location and camera data inside the encrypted record, and sorts by the original date. Do not change dates on evidence items, even though York Vault lets you.
• A copy off the phone. The encrypted backup runs to your own iCloud or Google Drive for free. If the phone is taken or broken, your recovery key restores the library on another phone.

Before you set a cover code or an erase code

If someone makes you open York Vault, a cover code opens a second, ordinary library. That can help. An erase code is different, and it matters for evidence. It erases the keys to your other libraries on this phone, and by default it also deletes their backups. A record behind an erase code can be gone for good.

If you set one, turn on Keep backups at setup. Then your recovery key can still restore the libraries later. Read cover and erase codes and the help page on both codes before you choose.

Handing the record to a lawyer or the police

When you share or export, York Vault removes location and camera details by default. For evidence, you may want them kept. Turn on Keep details for that share or export. Export everything gives you the originals in a folder, and it stays free on every plan. Ask your lawyer or advocate which format they want, and keep your own copy.