Why
Why you might want this
To lock an app on your iPhone, touch and hold it and tap Require Face ID. To hide it as well, tap Hide and Require Face ID instead.
Sooner or later most of us hand our iPhone to someone else: a friend who wants to see a photo, a child who wants a game, a colleague who needs to make a call. You can do all of that and keep a few apps to yourself. Apple puts it this way: “If you want to show someone something on your iPhone but want peace of mind that they can’t get into certain apps, you can lock or hide those apps.” It’s a small, tidy habit, and it’s easy to undo.
More guides: how to check an app before you download it, and why a code in an app beats a code by text message.
Lock
Lock an app (Require Face ID)
A locked app needs Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode before it opens. Go to the Home Screen and touch and hold the app you want to lock until the Quick Actions menu opens. Then tap Require Face ID (or Touch ID or Passcode).
Opening a locked app doesn’t unlock it for good: you authenticate with Face ID (or Touch ID or a passcode) to open it, and it locks again when you quit. Apple also says information inside a locked app won’t appear in other places, such as CarPlay, notification previews, search, Siri suggestions or your call history.
Hide
Hide an app (Hide and Require Face ID)
Hiding goes one step further. Apple says hiding an app “removes it from the Home Screen, App Library, and search results,” and that the app moves to a Hidden folder in App Library that requires authentication to open.
Go to the Home Screen and touch and hold the app until the Quick Actions menu opens. Tap Hide and Require Face ID (or Touch ID or Passcode), authenticate, then tap Hide App. The app disappears from your Home Screen and moves to the Hidden folder at the bottom of App Library.
To open it later, swipe left past all your Home Screen pages to App Library, tap the Hidden folder at the bottom and authenticate, then tap the app and authenticate again. Apple’s tip: open Settings, tap Apps, then tap Hidden Apps to see the list.
Undo
How to undo it
To unlock an app, go to the Home Screen and touch and hold the app icon until the Quick Actions menu opens. Tap Don’t Require Face ID (or Touch ID or Passcode), then authenticate.
To stop hiding an app, swipe left past all your Home Screen pages to App Library, tap the Hidden folder at the bottom and authenticate. Touch and hold the app, tap Don’t Require Face ID (or Touch ID or Passcode), and authenticate again. The app comes back near the top of App Library.
Good to know
Good to know
- Apple’s page doesn’t name a minimum iOS version for these steps, so we can’t give you one.
- It applies only to the iPhone you set it on. Apple says the locked or hidden status doesn’t sync with iCloud.
- Apps that come installed can’t be hidden. Only apps you download separately from the App Store can be.
- An app you’ve set as your default web browser or app marketplace (available only in the EU) can’t be hidden either.
- Children under 13 in a Family Sharing group can’t lock or hide apps. Anyone aged 13 to 17 in the group can, but a parent or guardian can see that the app was downloaded and how much time it’s used, and can restrict access to it using Screen Time. These ages vary by country or region.
Source: Apple Support, Lock or hide an app on iPhone (opens in a new tab).
Our turn
MELKEM Authenticator
MELKEM Authenticator already asks for Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode before it shows any codes. You can also hide it this way if you’d rather it didn’t appear on your Home Screen.
