How to lock apps on iPhone

Updated October 4, 2026

There is no single “lock this app” switch that works the same way on every iPhone, but you have good options. This guide covers the four ways to lock apps on iPhone in 2026, how to set each one up, and which one fits your situation.

Quick comparison

1. Lock an app with Face ID (iOS 18 and later)

Apple added a built-in app lock in iOS 18. It is the quickest option if you only need to protect one or two apps.

1. Touch and hold the app icon on the Home Screen.
2. Tap Require Face ID (or Touch ID / Passcode on iPhones without Face ID).
3. Confirm. The app now asks for Face ID every time it opens. Choose Hide and Require Face ID instead to move it into a hidden folder in the App Library.

Good: built in, free, hides message previews from the locked app. Limits: if Face ID fails, your iPhone passcode opens the app — so anyone who knows your passcode (a partner, a child, a friend who watched you type it) can get in. You also have to lock each app one at a time, and a few system apps can't be locked.

2. Use Screen Time App Limits with a separate passcode

Screen Time was built for limiting usage, but a one-minute limit turns it into a simple app lock with its own passcode.

1. Open Settings › Screen Time and turn on Lock Screen Time Settings (older iOS: Use Screen Time Passcode). Choose a passcode that is different from your iPhone passcode.
2. Tap App Limits › Add Limit, pick the apps or categories to lock, and set the time to 1 minute.
3. Turn on Block at End of Limit. After the first minute each day, the app shows “Time Limit” and asks for the Screen Time passcode.

Good: separate code, works on many apps at once. Limits: each app stays open for the first minute of the day, unlocking means typing a code and picking a duration, and if you already use Screen Time for a child's iPhone it gets confusing.

3. Shortcuts automation (a workaround)

Some guides suggest a personal automation in the Shortcuts app: “When App is opened → Lock Screen”. It locks your whole iPhone as soon as the app opens, so you must turn the automation off every time you want to use the app yourself. It is a trick, not a real app lock, and we don't recommend relying on it.

4. Use an app locker built on Screen Time

Since iOS 16, Apple lets App Store apps use the Screen Time framework to block apps the user picks — with the user's permission and without seeing which apps were picked. Voice Unlock & App Locker uses this to put a lock screen in front of the apps you choose, with a separate way in:

1. Install Voice Unlock & App Locker (free) and create a backup PIN and a secret phrase.
2. Open the App Lock tab › Turn On App Lock and allow Screen Time access.
3. Choose the apps, categories or websites to lock — for example Photos, Messages, WhatsApp, Instagram or all Social apps.
4. To open a locked app, tap Unlock on its lock screen, then say your phrase (or use Face ID or your PIN). It stays open for the time you choose — from 1 minute to 1 hour — and locks again by itself.

Good: its own PIN and voice phrase, locks many apps and whole categories at once, relocks automatically. Limits: needs Screen Time permission, and unlocking takes one extra tap to switch to the app.

Which method should you use?

• Only you use your iPhone and nobody knows the passcode: Apple's Face ID lock is enough.
• Someone else knows your passcode (family, partner, kids): use a method with a separate code — Screen Time limits or an app locker.
• You want to lock lots of apps or a whole category and open them quickly: an app locker such as Voice Unlock is the most convenient.

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