Install Paperwise

Paperwise is a private vault for your papers, photos and notes, with a scanner built in. It runs on iPhone and iPad. It isn’t on the App Store yet: it’s coming soon.

What it is

Paperwise is one app for iPhone and iPad. On the iPhone it keeps your vault on the phone, encrypted with its own key, and behind Face ID when the app lock is on. On the iPad you get the same app with a sidebar, keyboard shortcuts, drag and drop and Apple Pencil.

Note: Paperwise isn’t on the App Store yet. It’s coming soon. If you’d like to hear when it’s ready, or you have a question before then, write to support@paperwise.app.

What you need

You need	For
An iPhone or iPad	Everything. Paperwise is made for both.
Face ID, Touch ID or a device passcode set up in the Settings app	The app lock. Without one, Paperwise can’t lock. Hidden always asks for Face ID.
A camera	Scanning. You can still import photos and files without one.
iCloud, signed in with your Apple ID (optional)	The free encrypted iCloud backup. It uses your own iCloud storage.
An Apple ID for Sign in with Apple (optional)	An account, needed only for sync across iPhone and iPad (Pro) and Forward by email (Pro).

You don’t need an account to use Paperwise. Scanning, search, Hidden and every tool work without one.

Step by step

Install Paperwise when it’s available

Open the App Store on your iPhone or iPad.
Search for Paperwise.
Tap Get, then confirm with Face ID, Touch ID or your Apple ID password.
Open Paperwise. Your first run takes you through a few short steps: see Your first run.

Use Paperwise on a new iPhone

Your documents aren’t included in iPhone device backups (iCloud or Finder), and your vault’s key stays on the old iPhone, so moving to a new iPhone with a device backup or a device-to-device transfer doesn’t bring them back.

On your old iPhone, turn on the encrypted iCloud backup before you switch: see Keep an encrypted backup.
On the new iPhone, install Paperwise and open it.
On the first screen, tap Restore from iCloud backup and type your recovery key.

If you have Pro and an account, you can also add the new iPhone by scanning a code: see Add a device by code.

Delete and reinstall Paperwise

Deleting Paperwise from your iPhone is a real fresh start. iOS removes the app and its documents. Some keys stay behind in the iPhone’s Keychain, so the first time you open Paperwise after installing it again, it deletes them: the vault’s and the database’s keys, your account key and sign-in, the backup’s key, Hidden’s keys, the install id and the other keys it made. Nothing from before comes back by itself.

Two small counters are kept, because they hold no key and no content:

the count of wrong Hidden passcodes, so reinstalling doesn’t reset the wait between tries
a counter that stops an old iCloud backup from bringing back Hidden spaces you erased

To get your documents back after reinstalling:

iCloud backup: on the first screen, tap Restore from iCloud backup and type your recovery key. Without the recovery key, the backup can’t be opened. Hidden spaces come back only with each space’s own recovery key. See Restore from backup.
Sync (Pro): sign in, then set up this iPhone with another device or your recovery key.
Pro: the new install gets a new id, so tap Restore purchases (on the Pro screen, or Account → the plan card) with the Apple ID that bought Pro.

Updating Paperwise isn’t reinstalling: an update keeps everything.

Free and Pro

Installing Paperwise is free, and the free plan has no time limit. Pro adds the AI helper, sync, Forward by email, share links and more. See Free and Pro.

Privacy

Paperwise contains no analytics or advertising SDKs and no crash reporter. Pages are cleaned up and read on your iPhone. See Privacy and security basics.

What if…

What if I can’t find Paperwise on the App Store?

It isn’t there yet. Paperwise is coming soon. Write to support@paperwise.app and we’ll answer.

What if my iPhone has no Face ID or passcode?

Paperwise works, but it can’t lock. Set up Face ID or a passcode in the Settings app, then turn on the lock in Account → Lock and privacy.

What if I deleted Paperwise by mistake?

Install it again and restore from your iCloud backup with your recovery key, or sign in and set it up for sync. Without either, the documents that were only on this iPhone are gone. See “Delete and reinstall Paperwise” above.

What if I want Paperwise on my iPad too?

Install it on the iPad the same way. To see the same vault on both, you need Pro and an account: see Sync across iPhone and iPad.