To lock an app on iPhone, touch and hold its icon on the Home Screen, tap Require Face ID (or Touch ID or Passcode) and confirm. From then on the app needs your face, fingerprint or passcode every time it opens, and its content stays out of notification previews, search and Siri suggestions.
Lending your phone to a client to show them a photo shouldn't mean they can scroll your email or your business banking. A locked app stays on your Home Screen where you can see it, but it won't open for anyone except you, and it stops leaking its contents into notifications and search too.
Putting Face ID on an app
- Go to your Home Screen and find the app.
- Touch and hold the icon until the Quick Actions menu opens.
- Tap Require Face ID. On older models you'll see Require Touch ID or Require Passcode instead.
- Tap Require Face ID again to confirm.
That's all there is to it. Tap the app and you'll be asked to authenticate before anything appears.
If you don't see Require Face ID in the menu, check you're touching and holding the app itself on the Home Screen rather than a widget, and that Face ID or a passcode is set up on the phone. Without a passcode there's nothing for the lock to check against. Once that's in place, the option appears in the menu and you can work through the ones you want to protect in a minute or two.
What a locked app keeps private
The lock does more than guard the front door. Apple says information inside a locked app won't appear in other places on your iPhone either:
| Place | With the lock on |
|---|---|
| Notification previews | Content isn't shown |
| Search results | The app's contents stay out of search |
| Siri suggestions | Not suggested from inside the app |
| Call history | Calls from a locked calling app don't appear |
| CarPlay | Information isn't displayed |
That's the real value for business owners. A message preview from a client won't pop up on screen while someone else is holding your phone.
It relocks every time you leave
Here's the detail that makes the feature useful, and the one people sometimes find annoying. Opening a locked app doesn't switch the lock off. Apple says the app locks again automatically after you quit it, and you have to authenticate again to reopen it. So you can't forget to re-lock it, but you'll also be scanning your face more often than you might expect for an app you use all day.
My rule of thumb: lock the apps you'd mind someone seeing, not the ones you open fifty times a morning.
Lock or hide: which do you need?
When you tap Require Face ID, you'll also see an option to hide the app as well as locking it. The difference is simple:
- Lock only: the app stays on your Home Screen. People can see you have it, but they can't open it.
- Lock and hide: the app moves to a Hidden folder in App Library and drops out of search too.
For a banking or email app, a plain lock is usually enough. Nobody's surprised you have email; you just don't want them reading it.
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Limits worth knowing before you rely on it
- One device only. Apple says the locked status doesn't sync with iCloud, so the same app on your iPad stays open unless you lock it there too.
- Family Sharing ages. Children under 13 in a Family Sharing group can't lock apps. Those aged 13 to 17 can, but a parent or guardian can still see that the app was downloaded and how long it's used, and can restrict it with Screen Time. Apple notes the ages vary by country or region.
- Your passcode still opens it. Apple lets you authenticate with your passcode as well as Face ID, so anyone who knows your passcode can get in. Keep it to yourself.
Turning the lock off again
- Touch and hold the app icon until the Quick Actions menu opens.
- Tap Don't Require Face ID (or Touch ID or Passcode).
- Authenticate to confirm.
When Screen Time is the better tool
App locking protects your own privacy. If what you want is to stop someone using an app at all, such as a child with your old iPhone, Apple points to Screen Time instead. Go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions, tap Other Features, and you can allow or block built-in features such as AirDrop and the Camera. That's a different job from a Face ID lock, and it's set up with its own Screen Time passcode.
Apps I'd lock on a work phone
- Email, especially if client conversations come in there.
- Banking and accounting apps.
- Messaging apps where you talk to clients.
- Photos, if you keep product shots or ID documents in your library.
- Any notes app where you keep passwords or private plans.
What I'd do
Lock three or four apps you'd hate a stranger to see, and leave everything else alone so you're not scanning your face all day. Then hand your phone over without that little flash of panic. For the messages that still pop up on screen, my guide to hiding names in WhatsApp notifications on iPhone helps, and if you'd rather show someone a screen than hand your phone over, here's how to screen record on iPhone.
Frequently asked questions
How do I put a Face ID lock on an app?
Touch and hold the app on the Home Screen, tap Require Face ID, then tap Require Face ID again to confirm.
Does a locked app stay unlocked after I open it?
No. Apple says the app locks again automatically after you quit it.
Will notifications from a locked app still show?
Apple says information inside a locked app won't appear in notification previews.
Is an app locked on my iPad if I lock it on my iPhone?
No. The locked status doesn't sync with iCloud, so it only applies to that iPhone.
Can my child lock apps on their iPhone?
Children under 13 in a Family Sharing group can't. Those aged 13 to 17 can, but a parent can still see usage.
