- Apple Notes is installed on all Apple devices. If others are using those devices with your Apple ID active, they can access those Notes, too.
- You can lock your notes or keep them on your iPhone only.
- You can stop syncing your notes with iCloud, so they don’t appear on other Apple devices.
Method 1: Remove Other Users From Your Note
The Notes app allows you to share your notes with other users. Now those users can access your notes on their Apple devices. So, the first suggestion is to stop sharing your notes.
Step 1: Open the Notes app and go to your shared note .
Step 2: Tap the Sharing icon at the top right and select Manage Shared Note .
Step 3: Scroll to the bottom and select Stop Sharing .
Method 2: Lock Your Notes
With the release of iOS 9.3 came a feature much-needed by Apple Notes users: the ability to lock individual notes using Face ID or Passcode. Once you have set a password, no one can access it on any Apple device without entering the password. Notes also supports biometric sign-in, which makes it more secure.
Open the Notes > go to your note > three dots at the top-right corner > select Lock > Use Face ID or Passcode to lock your note.
Remember that all the notes, password-protected or not, will still be synced across the devices. Users will need a password to access them. Also, note that some users share iPads or MacBooks and share biometric IDs like fingerprints and Facial recognition (multi-user friendly).
If you have set up two different fingerprints for the same account, one yours and one that of your SO, he/she can still open password-protected notes. A simple solution is to turn off biometrics and depend on passwords only.
Tip: Learn how to unlock notes when you have forgotten the passcode
Method 3: Keep Your Notes on Your iPhone Only
Apple has provided ways to protect your notes. The On My iPhone option, when toggled on, will localize all the notes in the selected folder and prevent it from syncing with other Apple devices.
Go to Settings > Notes > enable the On My iPhone Account option.
If you are using iCloud and are signed in already, the option might be toggled off. If you are not, it will be toggled on by default. Apple uses iCloud to sync data across devices,, which brings us to our final tip.
Go back to Notes and try creating a new folder. You will have a choice to create and keep the folder on My iPhone or in iCloud. All the not es in that folder will follow the same rule. This gives you more options when using Notes with family members.
As you must have noticed, it automatically creates a new default Notes folder under On My iPhone, but you can create more as you like.
Method 4: Stop Syncing With iCloud
As noted earlier, Apple uses iCloud to sync notes and other data across the Apple universe. That means that if you stop syncing your Apple Notes app with iCloud, none of your notes will leave your device.
Open Settings > Profile name > iCloud > Show All > Notes > disable Sync this iPhone .
When you disable iCloud sync, you will see a popup reminding you that doing so will delete all notes already synced in iCloud. Notes will be removed from your device and not from iCloud. Don’t get worked up there.
Ensure to save important notes in the local folder before you go ahead. To do so, go back to the Notes app > left-swipe on each note you want to keep locally > tap on the Folder option.
You can now choose to save that note in a local folder. Repeat these steps for all other notes. Also, remember that if you want to be selective about the notes you want to sync, keep iCloud sync on and use the second option discussed above instead.
What about backups? If you store notes locally and iCloud backup is toggled on, all your notes will be stored in the cloud but won’t appear on other Apple devices. You can also use iTunes to back up all notes to your laptop or desktop.
