You can lock almost any app on your iPhone or iPad behind a biometric or password protection. We're not talking about using any weird workarounds. Now, there is an official Apple way to protect sensitive applications and their data. It can even protect your personal information so that it is not visible throughout the system. You can even hide apps, making it harder for others to spot their presence.

In iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 and earlier, you can't really hide apps, you can only make them disappear from the home screen, but you can lock the app behind the lock screen with custom automation. You have other options like locking specific content in Photos and Notes apps, and using built-in biometrics or password protection provided by some apps like Messenger, Outlook, and WhatsApp.

But now with iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 (released on September 16), there is a better way. Almost any iPhone or iPad app can be locked with Face ID, Touch ID, or your password, and some of the lockable apps can also be hidden.

Jump to a section

• How to lock the application
• Locking app FAQ
• How to open a locked app
• How to hide apps
• Hide Application FAQ
• How to open a hidden application
• How to unlock or display an application
• Lockable and hidden applications
• Lockable but not hidden applications
• Apps that are not locked or hidden

How to lock the application

Find the app you want to lock in the Home screen, App Library, or Focus Search, and touch and hold its icon to bring up the Quick Action menu. Select Require Face ID, Require Touch ID, or Require Password, and click it again on the confirmation prompt.

If using Face ID, your iPhone or iPad will scan your face for confirmation. If using Touch ID, touch the Touch ID sensor to confirm. If using a password, please enter your password to confirm. After that, the application is now locked.

Certain applications, such as calendars, music, and photos, open a page with more information. It explains that other applications that have access to them may still display their content without authentication. If you do not agree, please click (X) to cancel. Otherwise, click the "Finish" button to continue locking the application.

Locking app FAQ

• The application information will not appear elsewhere on iOS or iPadOS. This way, others will not accidentally see sensitive information. These places include, but are not limited to notification previews, searches, Siri suggestions and your call history.
• The locked state of the app does not sync with iCloud, so when you lock an app on one device, it won't be locked unless you lock it manually on another device.
• Children under the age of 13 in the family sharing group cannot lock their app. People aged 13 to 17 in the family sharing group can lock the app.
• Some applications cannot be locked. See the section below for lockable and hidden applications, lockable but not hidden applications, and lockable or hidden applications.

How to open a locked app

Click the lock app icon in the home screen, app library, or focus search, or ask Siri to open the app. If using Face ID, your device will immediately scan your face, or ask you to touch the Touch ID sensor or enter your password. If Face ID or Touch ID fails, you can try again or enter a password to open the application.

You may also need to use biometrics or passwords in other applications to unlock the application. For example, if you locked the file application and want to attach a file to the Notes application, you need to authenticate before the file selector is opened.

How to hide apps

Find the app you want to hide in the Home screen, App Library, or Focus Search, and touch and hold its icon to bring up the Quick Action menu. Select Require Face ID, Require Touch ID, or Require Password, just like when locking an application, but this time on the confirmation prompt, click 'Hide and Require Face ID, 'Hide and Require Touch ID', or 'Hide and Require Password'.

If using Face ID, your iPhone or iPad will scan your face for confirmation. If using Touch ID, touch the Touch ID sensor to confirm. If using a password, please enter your password to confirm. If the message card appears, click "Hide Application" to confirm. After that, the application is now locked and hidden.

Hide Application FAQ

• Like lock-only apps, the app's information does not appear elsewhere on iOS or iPadOS. This way, others will not accidentally see sensitive information. These places include, but are not limited to notification previews, searches, Siri suggestions and your call history.
• The icons for hidden apps are no longer visible in the home screen, app library, focus search, and Siri.
• The name of the hidden app is still visible in Screen Time, Battery Health (in Settings), your App Store purchase history, and several other locations.
• The hidden state of the app does not sync with iCloud, so when you lock and hide the app on one device, it won't be locked and hidden unless you manually lock and hide it on another device.
• Children under 13 in the family sharing group cannot lock and hide their apps. People aged 13 to 17 in the family sharing group can lock and hide the app. However, parents or guardians in the group can see that the app has been downloaded, view how long the teenager uses it, and use screen time to limit access to it.
• Some applications cannot be locked and hidden. See the section below for lockable and hidden applications, lockable but not hidden applications, and lockable or hidden applications.

How to open a hidden application

To find and access your hidden app, open the app library and scroll down to the Hide category. Click it and authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or your password, and all the applications in the collection will become visible. You can click on the large icon in the collection to authenticate and open the app, or click on the small icon to open the folder to view all hidden apps.

How to unlock or display an application

The process of unlocking and displaying apps on your iPhone or iPad is the same. To unlock lock-only apps, touch and hold its icon from the home screen, app library, or focus search. To unlock and display hidden applications, operate from the hidden collection in the app library. Then, select No Face ID, No Touch ID, or No Password. After authentication, the application is now unlocked and/or displayed.

Lockable and hidden applications

By default, you can lock and hide apps installed from the App Store. This includes any third-party app, regardless of the theme. For example, you can lock and hide Amazon, Facebook, LastPass, Netflix, Slack, Words with Friends, or any other app you install.

• Any third-party application

You can also lock and hide unpreinstalled Apple apps, such as:

• Apple Store
• Apple Music Classical
• Clips
• Configurator
• Developer
• GarageBand
• iMovie
• Keynote
• Numbers
• Pages
• Shazam
• Sports

Lockable but not hidden applications

For some reason, Apple restricts most preinstalled apps from being hidden, but still allows them to be locked. For example, Books, Camera, Files, Passwords, Photos, Reminders, and Wallets can all be locked but cannot be hidden.

• Most pre-installed Apple apps

Surprisingly, this includes applications that are usually hidden from the home screen and app library. To lock these semi-hidden applications, find them in the Focus Search:

• Code Scanner
• Remote

Apps that are not locked or hidden

Some of Apple's pre-installed apps cannot be locked or hidden. This may change in future updates, but for the moment they include:

• Calculator
• Camera
• Clock
• Contacts
• Find My
• Maps
• Settings
• Shortcuts
• Watch

Other things that cannot be locked or hidden include:

• Apply editing
• Browser bookmarks
• Shortcuts Bookmark
• Folders
• Widgets

Don't miss: iOS 18 allows you to change the widget size on your iPhone's home screen without first deleting them

Cover photos and screenshots courtesy of Justin Meyers/Gadget Hacks

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