Saving screenshots for a legal dispute on your iPhone

Custody, workplace and housing disputes often turn on messages and photos. How to save them with dates intact, keep them private and avoid losing them.

A divorce, a dispute with a landlord or a problem at work can all come down to who said what, and when. Messages disappear, phones break and accounts get closed. Saving things early costs very little.

If there is abuse involved, read this page first, since collecting evidence can carry its own risks.

Capture with context

• Show who and when. A screenshot of a message means little without the name and date. Scroll so the timestamp is visible, and also screenshot the contact page, as NNEDV’s guide suggests.
• Capture long threads with several images, or use a screen recording. Apple’s guide explains both.
• Some apps tell the other person when you take a screenshot. A photo of the screen, using a second device, avoids that.
• Keep emails as emails. A forwarded copy loses information in the headers that may identify the sender.
• Keep photos as original files. Photos stores the date, device and location, and these can be viewed by swiping up. Avoid editing them. Apple lets people adjust date and location, so an original with its history is stronger.

Keep a simple log

One running note with date, time, what happened, who was there and which file goes with it. A hash can show that a file has not changed since a certain date: run it through the file hash tool and put the result in your log. Ask your lawyer whether that is useful in your case.

Keep it private and safe

Your main library is a poor home for this. It syncs to any device on your account, and a child or partner may see it. Keep working copies in a vault or locked PDF, and keep at least one more copy on a drive or with your lawyer. Backroom has no cloud sync, so losing your phone without a backup means losing what is in it.

Do not make things worse

Do not log in to someone else’s account or phone to get evidence, as that can be illegal and may hurt your case. Do not delete anything once a dispute has started without asking your lawyer. Free legal aid may be available through the Legal Services Corporation.