Is the signature added through Apple Notes legal?

The signature added through Apple Notes works well if all you need is just a signature imprinted on a document.

However, we need to talk about the E-Sign Act (2000, U.S. Federal Act) + the Uniform Electronic Transaction Act (UETA),

‍The signature added with iPhone through Apple Notes is not legal and does not hold weight in a court of law. An eSignature needs to fulfil a couple of conditions in order to be considered legal:

1. Association. The signature must be visible and properly recorded on the document
2. Attribution. The signature has to be uniquely identified to the signee and only linked to them
3. Retention. The documents must be stored for future reference, available to be viewed, reviewed, edited, etc. by both parties
4. Intent. Digital signatures are valid if the signee has intended to sign the document and has therefore marked their intent. Documents requests must be able to be declined in order for this rule to be respected.
5. Consent. All parties involved must either imply or explicitly consent to signing the document.

Because of guidelines 1 and 2 (Association and Attribution of the signatures), simply adding an image of the signature (therefore having a digitized signature) won't classify your autograph as a proper digital signature.

For instance: with SignHouse, we record a couple of identifiable and attributable details with every signature, such as:

• The IP of the device you've used for the signature
• The date of the signature (e.g. 1st of June 2024)
• The time of the signature (e.g. 10:08:43 AM)
• The approximate location, if available
• A unique key that comes with every signature
• A unique key that comes with every signing process

But if you’re looking to sign a document that needs to hold weight in a Legal Court, then just as simple (and still free!) of an option is SignHouse.

Free alternative that is 100% Legal and Secure

SignHouse is an app built around simplicity.

Its mission is simple — allow people to eSign documents:

• A. In the fastest way possible
• B. While at the same time, ticking every box that you should usually take care of: legality, security, 100% safe cloud storage, communication, etc.

We’ll just quickly list a couple of ways in which SignHouse makes your life easier (and headache-free), if you use it for signing documents:

• It’s refreshingly simple and remarkably effective — dead time is skimmed down to 0, due to the speed and simplicity of the app.
• No signature? No problem — you’re able to create a new signature in a few clicks.
• All your documents are safely stored.
• Forget about people forgetting about your document sent for signatures - email reminders are automatically sent to signees.
• Avoid the busywork and focus on actual work: signature templates allow you to re-use signing procedures.