How to Lock Apps on iPhone

On iOS 18 or later, touch and hold an app icon, choose Require Face ID, Require Touch ID, or Require Passcode, and authenticate. The app will require authentication whenever someone tries to open it, but some built-in apps cannot be locked.

Ways to Lock an App on iPhone

The best app lock iPhone method depends on the software version, the app, and what you want to prevent.

• Direct app locking: On iOS 18 or later, supported apps can require Face ID, Touch ID, or the iPhone passcode each time they open.
• Screen Time: An App Limit can restrict use after a set amount of time. This is a workaround, not an immediate lock, because the minimum daily allowance must first be used.
• Guided Access: This temporarily keeps the iPhone inside one open app. Use it when handing the phone to someone who should not open anything else.
• An app’s own security setting: Some apps offer their own authentication option. Its name and location depend on the app.

You do not need an app to lock apps on iPhone when the built-in direct locking option is available. Avoid sharing the device passcode with anyone you want the lock to keep out, because the passcode can be used when biometric authentication is unavailable.

How Do You Lock an App with Face ID, Touch ID, or a Passcode?

Direct app locking is available on iPhones running iOS 18 or later, but it does not appear for every built-in app. To use it:

1. Go to the Home Screen and find the app.
2. Touch and hold the app icon until the quick-actions menu appears.
3. Tap Require Face ID, Require Touch ID, or Require Passcode, depending on the iPhone.
4. Tap the same requirement again to confirm.
5. Authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or the device passcode.

After the app closes, it locks again. Opening it later requires another authentication. Locking also keeps information from that app out of certain places, including notification previews, search, and Siri suggestions.

Face ID or Touch ID must already be configured in Settings for the matching biometric label to appear. If biometric authentication fails, the iPhone may allow entry with its device passcode.

How Do You Use Screen Time to Restrict an App?

Screen Time is Apple’s system for tracking and limiting device use. Use an App Limit when direct app locking is unavailable or when the goal is to control daily access rather than block the app immediately.

1. Open Settings and tap Screen Time.
2. If Screen Time is not active, follow the prompts to turn it on.
3. Scroll down and tap Lock Screen Time Settings, then create a Screen Time passcode. Use a code that the other user does not know.
4. Tap App Limits, then tap Add Limit.
5. Choose the app or its category, tap Next, and select the shortest suitable daily allowance.
6. Turn on Block at End of Limit, then save the limit.

Once the allowance is used, the app becomes restricted. A person who knows the Screen Time passcode can approve more time, so Screen Time is not a substitute for direct authentication at first launch.

For a short handoff, Guided Access may fit better. Open the one app the person may use, triple-click the side button or Home button, choose Guided Access if prompted, adjust the options, and start the session. Ending the session requires the Guided Access credential or enabled biometric authentication.

Can You Hide a Locked App on iPhone?

On iOS 18 or later, a separately downloaded app may be locked and moved to the Hidden folder. Apps included with the iPhone cannot be hidden through this feature, and some apps may have other restrictions.

1. Touch and hold the downloaded app on the Home Screen.
2. Tap Require Face ID, Require Touch ID, or Require Passcode.
3. Choose Hide and Require Face ID, Hide and Require Touch ID, or Hide and Require Passcode.
4. Authenticate, then tap Hide App.

The icon moves to the Hidden folder at the bottom of App Library. Swipe left past the last Home Screen page, tap Hidden, and authenticate to see it. Hiding is not complete invisibility: the app’s name may remain visible in places such as Screen Time, battery information, Settings, and account history.

How Do You Unlock an App or Remove the Restriction?

Removing an iPhone app lock does not delete the app or its stored data.

• Direct lock: Touch and hold the app icon, tap Don’t Require Face ID, Don’t Require Touch ID, or Don’t Require Passcode, then authenticate.
• Hidden app: Open App Library, authenticate to open the Hidden folder, touch and hold the app, choose Don’t Require Face ID, Touch ID, or Passcode, and authenticate. The app returns to App Library and may also appear on the Home Screen.
• Screen Time limit: Open Settings, tap Screen Time, tap App Limits, select the app or category, and choose Delete Limit. Enter the Screen Time passcode if asked.
• Guided Access: Use the button shortcut for the active session, authenticate, and tap End.

What Do You Do If App Locking Does Not Appear?

If Require Face ID, Touch ID, or Passcode is missing, check these points before changing other settings:

• Open Settings, tap General, then About, and confirm that the iPhone is running iOS 18 or later.
• Try another app. Some Apple apps, including Settings, Camera, Clock, Find My, Maps, Contacts, Calculator, and Shortcuts, cannot use direct app locking.
• Make sure a device passcode is enabled. Check Face ID and Passcode or Touch ID and Passcode in Settings if the expected biometric choice is absent.
• Restart the iPhone, then check for an iOS update in Settings under General and Software Update. Do not erase the device as an early troubleshooting step.
• If Screen Time options cannot be changed, tap Change Screen Time Passcode and use the Apple Account assigned to Screen Time passcode recovery. A family organizer must manage or reset a child’s Screen Time passcode from the organizer’s device.

If the question is “how do I lock an app on my iPhone?” and direct locking remains unavailable, use Screen Time or Guided Access according to the situation. No separate locking app can add Apple’s system-level lock to every app or make an unsupported built-in app compatible.