Reviewed October 30, 2026 · Kinori Labs editorial

The image and its metadata are different

A photo may contain location information in addition to the visible scene. Even when location metadata is absent, the picture can reveal an address through a street sign, landmark or reflection. Review both. Removing coordinates is useful, but it cannot make every image anonymous or remove information another person has already learned from it.

Use the current system controls

Apple documents controls for managing photo location metadata and sharing options on iPhone. Follow the instructions for your installed iOS version and the sharing method you are using. Do not assume a messaging service always removes location, or that every export from an editor preserves the same metadata. The destination and file format can change the result.

Inspect a sample at the destination

Share a non-sensitive test photo by the exact route you intend to use, then inspect the received file. If you are preparing images for a public website, verify the final published asset, not only the original on your phone. Re-encoding can change image quality, color and metadata; an application should explain those tradeoffs rather than promise universal removal.

A vault solves a different problem

Keeping an original private while stored does not control the copy you deliberately export. Decide whether to retain an original with location for your own archive and share a separate edited copy. Do not overwrite an irreplaceable original as part of a privacy experiment. Vaultary is in development and currently makes no claim to strip metadata from exports. This guide is about choosing a deliberate sharing workflow, with Apple’s own documentation as the source for system controls.

Primary source

Apple’s official documentation. System behavior varies by software version and settings. Review the current instructions on your device.

How we’re approaching Vaultary · Our recovery principles

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