Apple’s Touch ID and Face ID Are incredibly convenient features. To unlock your phone, view messages and make purchases all you have to do is use your thumb or just look at your screen.
Still, it’s easy to see how this could go wrong. In the wrong hands, all someone has to do is hold your iPhone up to your face or use your thumb to access your photos, online banking and other sensitive information.
Should I disable Touch ID/Face ID?
If you disabled Touch ID/Face ID, your iPhone will revert to asking for a 6-digit code each time you perform certain actions like unlocking the screen. To get started, open Settings on your iPhone then navigate to either ‘Touch ID & Passcode’ or “Face ID & Passcode’.
Here you can decide what features you can use with Touch ID/Face ID like unlocking the iPhone. To disable ID features altogether tap ‘Reset’.
Should I disable notifications?
One common method scammers use when stealing iPhones is to try to log in to online banking using a new cellphone. When the bank sends a security code by SMS to the iPhone, the scammer can read it from the lock screen.
Visit Apple’s support pages for help with controlling what information is displayed in lock screen notifications.
Can you lock an app without jailbreaking your iPhone?
Apple doesn’t have a specific security feature to protect apps with a passcode once the lock screen is opened. Still, you can tweak your iPhone’s built-in features to lock down specific apps without a jailbreak.
How can I lock an iPhone App using Touch ID/Face ID?
If you like to keep things simple, some apps support locking when not in use. If you’ve disabled Touch ID/Face ID that means you’ll need to input your 6-digit iPhone passcode each time you want to use them. Popular secure messaging apps like Signal or WhatsApp have this ‘screen lock’ feature as does the iOS version of the privacy-focused browser Brave.
How do you lock an app on an iPhone using a third-party app?
There are various apps, (often designed for parents), designed to restrict access to individual apps but since they’re not developed specifically for security purposes, you’re taking a risk by relying on them.
How to use two-factor authentication for specific apps
Some third-party apps do have extra security features. For instance, the mobile version of most banking apps like Wise have their own built-in passcode. This means a bad actor would need to know both how to unlock your iPhone i.e. via Face ID, as well as the passcode for that app. Check with the app developer for help with setting this up. Make sure your chosen passcode is unique to that app.
Set Time Limits to Lock Apps
If your device is running iOS 12 or later (Check this in Settings > General > About), you can use Apple’s ‘ScreenTime’ feature to lock down other apps that aren’t in use.
To get started, go to Settings > Screen Time to check that the feature is enabled and you’ve protected it with a passcode. If not, tap ‘Use Screen Time Passcode’/’Lock Screen Time Settings’ to create a new passcode. Make sure this is different to the one you use to unlock your iPhone.
How to lock apps on your iPhone via Screen Time
Once Screen Time is set up, return to Settings > Screen Time and choose ‘App Limits’. This feature is designed as a parental restriction but is also useful as a security feature. Select ‘Add Limit’ and enter your Screen Time passcode. Next, choose the apps you want to lock down via category e.g. Productivity and Finance > Mail.
Once you’ve selected all the apps you want to lock down, hit ‘Next’ at the top right. From here you can set the time limit for the app: choose 1 minute, then hit ‘Add’. Click ‘Add Limit’ to add more apps if you wish.
How to use Parental Restrictions
Once you’ve set limits for certain apps in Screen Time, after the timer expires it will be locked out. If you need to use an app, tap to open then choose ‘Ask For More Time’ to enter your Screen Time passcode. You can then authorize the app for a certain period (15 minutes, 1 hour or all day).
Is using Screen Time a good way to lock apps?
Screen Time was never intended as a security feature but more as a way to help users not to spend too much time on apps. If someone restarts your iPhone, they can still use the app for one minute which may be long enough to perform quick actions like see security codes. Once you’ve authorized the app to stay open for a set period e.g. 15 minutes, you also can’t lock the app again via Screen Time.
How to Lock Apps on Your iPhone with Shortcuts
If your device is running iOS 17 or above there’s now a more secure way to lock down apps.
You’ll need to install Apple’s official ‘Shortcuts‘ app, which is available free via the iPhone App Store.
Lock your iPhone Apps via Automation
Once Shortcuts is installed, tap ‘Automation’ at the bottom of the screen, then ‘New Automation’. Scroll down and select ‘App’. On the new screen, hit ‘Choose’ and select all the apps you want to lock down, such as the App Store or iTunes Store.
Hit ‘Done’ at the top right to return to the previous screen,. Tap ‘Run Immediately’, then ‘Next’.
On the next screen tap ‘New Blank Automation’, then use the search bar at the bottom to find and tap on ‘Lock Screen’. Hit ‘Done’ to confirm your changes. In future whenever you try to open these apps, the device will return to the lock screen, so you’ll need to input your Touch ID, Face ID or Passcode to continue.
What if I need to let someone use my phone?
If you have children or a friend in need, you may have to lend them your iPhone to do things like check their email or play games. This is OK but there’s always a risk they’ll exit the app and start accessing information you don’t want them to see like your photos or financial information. Luckily Automation can help you here by automatically locking the screen if the user exits the app.
Restrict your iPhone to one app with automation
If you want to make sure that someone who borrows your phone can only access one app, return to the ‘Shortcuts’ app and tap into ‘Automation’ as before. Click ‘+’ and scroll down to tap ‘App’ once again.
Click ‘Choose’ to select the app(s) you want to be made available, then hit ‘Done’. Next, make sure you deselect ‘Is Open’ and select ‘Is Closed’ instead. Select ‘Run Immediately’, then hit ‘Next’.
On the new screen, choose ‘New Blank Automation’ and search and tap once again on ‘Lock Screen’. Click ‘Done, then open your chosen App. From now on if anyone tries to exit, they’ll be returned to the lock screen.
Fine-tuning your iPhone restrictions
Although setting up an Automation via the Shortcuts app is an excellent way to lock the phone each time someone tries to exit, it doesn’t offer much granular control like setting time limits or disabling hardware buttons. Luckily Apple’s Guided Access feature is specifically designed to restrict your iPhone to a specific app.
To get started, go to Settings > Accessibility, then tap ‘Guided Access’ to activate this feature. Hit the switch at the top right, then tap “Passcode Settings’ > ‘Set Guided Access PassCode’ to set up a unique unlock code. Alternatively, later versions of iOS allow you to choose ‘Face ID’ instead.
How to lock an app on iPhone with Guided Access
Once Guided Access is activated, open the Shortcuts app once again. Hit ‘Automation’, then click the ‘+’ to create a new one. Scroll down and select ‘App’, then hit ‘Choose’ to decide which app will be locked down e.g. Apple TV.
Hit ‘Done’, then make sure ‘Run Immediately’ is selected before clicking ‘Next’. Tap ‘New Blank Automation’. Use the search bar to find and select ‘Start Guided Access’, then hit Done.
Next time your chosen app opens Guided Access will automatically launch. To exit or view further options e.g. disable the keyboard, click the side button three times and use your Guided Access passcode/Face ID.
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