Protection on your phone
ShowPapers encrypts your papers, the details read from them, and your notes, folders, reminders and the names of people you tag with AES-256-GCM before storing them. The keys stay on your phone: in Android Keystore on Android, and in the iOS Keychain, limited to that device, on iPhone. Your library is left out of device and cloud backups, so it reaches another phone only through a ShowPapers backup you make. Text recognition and on-device AI run locally. The on-device AI model is checked against its expected size and SHA-256 fingerprint before it is used.
App Lock, in Settings, Security, asks for your phone’s screen lock, Face ID, Touch ID or fingerprint before showing ShowPapers, and locks again when you leave the app. On iPhone and on Android 13 or later, the app switcher does not show your papers while App Lock is on. App Lock is a check before viewing: it does not add another layer of encryption, and reminders keep working while the app is locked. ShowPapers does not block screenshots of unlocked screens, so treat a screenshot like any other copy.
Keep your operating system updated and use a strong screen lock. Encryption cannot prevent someone using your unlocked phone or app, harmful software on your phone, or a copy you deliberately shared.
Sharing selected copies
You can export original files or share a collection of selected papers, notes and folders with family or others through your phone’s share options. Only share records you are authorized to handle. Review the included papers and the destination before sending; linked originals are included with selected notes.
Original exports and readable collections leave the app’s encryption. Anyone with a readable collection can open it. If you choose Protect This Copy, keep its separate recovery key safe and send it to the intended recipient separately. Anyone with both the protected file and key can open the copy. A collection does not include every part of your library and is not a backup.
Ask an AI App is a separate sharing action: you choose what to send, review the disclosure, and the copy goes to an AI app you pick. Everything starts selected, so check Choose What to Include first. Once it arrives, that service’s own security and privacy practices apply.
Recovery belongs with you
Back Up Library saves an encrypted backup that opens only with its recovery key, which you save as a key file or write down as a code. An optional passphrase of at least 8 characters adds a second requirement. Store the backup and the key in different safe places; a backup kept with its key offers less protection. We cannot recover either for you. Check that you can restore a backup before relying on it, and remember that restoring replaces the library on that phone.
Copies have consequences
Once you send a paper, the recipient can retain or forward it. Deleting your copy does not revoke theirs. A file exported to email, an AI app or another service is governed by that destination’s security and privacy practices.
Report a security concern
Email hello@showpapers.app with a description and steps to reproduce using made-up data. Do not include real papers, recovery keys, passphrases, or private records. We welcome responsible reports. For something that is not working but is not a security issue, use Report a Problem.