Put the private copies in a vault, and keep the emergency details outside it. The vault opens with your pattern or passphrase and your Secret Key (or Face ID, if you turn it on). A paramedic should not have to wait for that. This article is about phone storage. It is not legal or medical advice.
Split the papers into two piles
Private copies are scans of insurance cards, care forms, discharge notes, appointment papers and older medication lists. They can live in the vault.
Emergency information is what a nurse or a paramedic needs right now. It should not depend on your pattern.
Ask the hospital, the insurer or the lawyer whether a phone copy is enough or whether they need the original. Do not make a phone copy the only record.
Put the emergency details on the Lock Screen
Apple’s Medical ID can show conditions, allergies and emergency contacts on the Lock Screen, with no passcode. It works only if Show When Locked is on. The person you care for sets it up on their own iPhone.
- Open Health and go to the Summary tab.
- Tap the profile picture in the upper corner, then tap Medical ID.
- Turn on Show When Locked.
- Tap Edit or Add next to each field, then tap Done.
A stranger can read whatever you add, so add only what you accept. Check each entry with the person’s care team.
Move the private copies into the vault
Vault9 imports from the Photos app, and from the Files app for documents.
- Find the scans and screenshots in Photos, and import them.
- Group them in albums, for example insurance, forms and hospital notes.
- Open a few to check them.
- Delete the originals from Photos yourself. Vault9 never does it for you.
- Open Recently Deleted in Photos and delete the items there too. Photos keeps deleted items for 30 days.
With iCloud Photos on, Apple says a deletion on one device also deletes the photo on your other devices with the same Apple Account. When a list or form changes, replace the old copy, so you do not carry an out-of-date medication list.
Decide who can open it when you cannot
Vault9 has no sharing, no account and no back door. We cannot reset your pattern or passphrase. A family member needs your pattern or passphrase and your Secret Key to open the vault.
Decide this on purpose. Keep the Emergency Kit on paper in a safe place. If your pattern is written on it, the kit opens the vault for anyone who also has a copy of your files. Treat it like a passport.
The vault does not protect itself on an unlocked phone. Lock the app before you pass the phone around.
Sources
- Apple Support: Set up your Medical ID in the Health app (checked 2026-11-06)
- Apple Support: Delete photos on your iPhone or iPad (checked 2026-11-06)
