7 Ways to Lock Apps on iPhone and iPad Securely

Part 1: How to Lock Apps on iPhone with Screen Time?

Utilizing Screen Time on your iPhone offers a versatile way to manage app access. It is done through time restrictions and a dedicated passcode. By implementing Screen Time settings, you can exercise control over app usage. It ensures added security and regulated access to your preferred applications. Now, let's walk through the steps to learn how to lock apps on iPhone Screen Time:

Step 1. Begin by accessing the Settings on your iOS device and tapping on the "Screen Time" option. On the ensuing screen, tap "App Limits," followed by "Add Limit."

Step 2. Select the apps or categories of the apps, tap "Next," and choose the "Time Limit" for the selected apps. After deciding the time limit, press "Add" from the top right corner to add an app limitation.

Part 2: How to Lock Apps on iPhone with Face ID & Passcode?

Leveraging the advanced security capabilities of Face ID or Passcode on your iPhone X or later models effectively fortifies app access. By using facial recognition or passcodes, you can put in place an extra layer of protection. It can be done for specific apps, safeguarding your sensitive data from unauthorized access. Now, let's proceed with the detailed steps to lock apps using Face ID or Passcode on your iOS device:

Step 1. After opening the Settings app on your iPhone, scroll down to access "Face ID & Passcode." Here, you will be required to provide the passcode of your device.

Step 2. After providing the passcode, select "Other Apps" and check the apps that have Face ID enabled. Remember, you're unable to manually include apps in the list. Only those apps that have sought access to the feature will appear here automatically.

Part 3: How to Lock Apps on iPhone Using Shortcuts?

If you are unable to lock the targeted app directly with Face ID, there is no need to worry. There exist workarounds that you can use, and one of them is using the Shortcuts app. It won't directly lock apps with the Face ID. Instead, it provides a workaround by creating a shortcut that redirects to the lock screen.

When activated, it takes you to the lock screen, prompting Face ID, Touch ID, or Passcode to access the device again. Use the following steps to lock your apps using the Shortcuts app:

Step 1. On your iPhone, launch the Shortcuts app and select the "Automation" tab from the bottom toolbar. There, tap "New Automation" and use the search bar to look for and select "App."

Step 2. Now, tap "Choose" in front of the "App" and select the app you want to lock. Now, move down and select "Is Opened," then move further down to choose "Run Immediately." Here, leave "Notify when Run" deactivated.

Step 3. Proceed forward by tapping "Next" from the top right corner, and on the following screen, tap "New Blank Automation." Then, press "Add Action" and enter "Lock Screen" into the Search field, then choose "Lock Screen" from the search results.

Step 4. Finally, tap "Done" to finalize the shortcut. Now, upon accessing the targeted app, the shortcut will activate in the background, causing your iPhone to be locked. You can then use the Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode to unlock it.

Part 4: How to Lock Apps on iPhone Using Restrictions?

By taking the assistance of Apple’s native Restrictions feature, you can app lock the iPhone without any trouble. In this way, you can set up a passcode that needs to be matched before accessing any app. This iPhone app lock is also a great way to restrict your kids from accessing certain apps or making purchases. To learn how to lock apps on iPhone or iPad using Restrictions, follow these steps:

Step 1. Unlock your device and go to its Settings > General > Restrictions.

Step 2. Turn the feature on and set up a passcode for app restrictions. To provide added security, you can set up a passcode that is not similar to your lock screen passcode.

Step 3. Now, you can set up an app lock for iPhone using Restrictions. Simply go to General > Restrictions and turn this feature on for any app of your choice.

Step 4. If you want, then you can also switch this feature off for any app using the same method.

Bonus Tip: How to Unlock iPhone withoutScreen Locks (PIN/pattern/fingerprints/face)

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Part 5: How to Lock Apps on iPhone Using Guided Access?

Besides the Restrictions feature, you can also take the assistance of Guided Access to lock a certain app on your device. It was originally introduced in iOS 6 and can be used to restrict your device temporarily with the usage of a single app. It is mostly used by parents who would like to restrict their kids from using a single app while lending their devices. Teachers and people with special needs also use Guided Access pretty frequently. To learn how to lock apps on iPhone using Guided Access, follow these steps:

Step 1. To start with, go to your device’s Settings > General > Accessibility and tap on the “Guided Access” option.

Step 2. Turn on the “Guided Access” feature and tap on the “Passcode Settings”.

Step 3. After selecting the “Set Guided Access Passcode” option, you can set up a passcode to use it as an app lock for iPhone.

Step 4. Now, simply launch the app that you want to restrict and tap the Home button three times. This will start the Guided Access mode.

Step 5. Your phone would now be restricted to this app. You can further restrict the usage of certain app features as well.

Step 6. To exit the Guided Access mode, tap the Home screen three times and provide the respective passcode.

Part 6: How to Lock Apps on iPhone with Touch ID?

On the iPhone 8 Series and iPhone SE, Apple offers Touch ID for security. In the process, it is similar to the Face ID available on the later iPhones. If you have an iOS device with Touch ID, here are the steps you can follow for the app lock iPhone process:

Instructions: To start, open the Settings application. Now scroll down to locate and select the "Touch ID & Passcode" option. On the following screen, you can deactivate or activate Touch ID for apps.

Part 7: How to Lock Apps on iPhone Using Third-Party Apps?

1. Lock Apps on iPhone & iPad via Famisafe

If the reason you want to lock the apps on your iPhone has to do with managing your kid's phone usage, we have an excellent alternative for you. FamiSafe is a reliable parental control app that offers features to monitor and manage a child's device usage. It focuses on parental controls, including features like screen time management, location tracking, web filtering, and activity monitoring.

It offers robust controls to restrict overall device usage, set screen time limits, and monitor app usage. This helps parents guide and regulate their children's activities on iOS devices. You can use the following steps to lock apps using FamiSafe:

Step 1: Install FamiSafe and FamiSafe Jr on Respective Devices

Get FamiSafe from the App Store and log in using your Wondershare ID or your Apple, Google, or Facebook account. Select the parent mode and link your child's phone by installing FamiSafe Jr on their devices using either the QR code or the pairing code. Once the pairing is done, input details about your children and allow FamiSafe Jr to oversee their devices.

Step 2: Provide the Necessary Permissions to FamiSafe

Now, activate Accessibility for FamiSafe by accessing "Settings," tapping "FamiSafe," and enabling "Location." Then, grant access to the device's photos, microphone, and motion & fitness activity. Now, use a computer and connect your child's device with a USB cable. Activate content blockers in Safari to prevent kids from accessing inappropriate content.

Step 3: Connect the Kid's Device to the Computer

To do that, access "Safari" in "Settings" and move to"Content Blockers" to enable FamiSafe. To get started, connect your kids' iOS devices to your PC. Once connected, navigate to the main interface and select "Features" located at the bottom. This will display available features, and you can proceed by tapping on "App Blocker."

Step 4: Block Any App Using the App Blocker Feature

Establish the connection between your kids' iOS devices and your PC by pairing them with your phone. From there, effortlessly choose and block any unwanted apps on your kids' phones. Additionally, you have the option to block apps based on their App Store ratings for added control and security.

2. Lock apps on iPhone & iPad using App Locker

Besides the native iPhone app lock solutions, you can also take the assistance of a third-party tool. However, most of these apps only support jailbroken devices. Therefore, if you wish to use a dedicated app lock for your iPhone, then you need to jailbreak your device. Needless to say, getting your device jailbroken has its perks and demerits. If you don’t want to jailbreak your device, then you can simply take the assistance of the above-mentioned solutions.

However, if you have a jailbroken device and would like to app lock the iPhone, then you can also use AppLocker. It is available at Cydia’s repository and can be purchased for just $0.99. It can be installed on your jailbroken device to get an added level of security. Not just apps, it can also be used to lock certain settings, folders, accessibilities, and more. To learn how to lock apps on iPhone using AppLocker, follow these steps:

Step 1. Firstly, get AppLocker on your device from http://www.cydiasources.net/applocker. As of now, it works on iOS 6 to 10 versions.

Step 2. After installing the tweak, you can go to Settings > Applocker to access it.

Step 3. To access the feature, make sure that you have “Enabled” it (by turning it on).

Step 4. This will let you set up a passcode to lock the apps and settings of your choice.

Step 5. To app lock, the iPhone, visit the “Application Locking” feature on your device.

Step 6. From here, you can turn on (or off) the locking feature for apps of your choice.

This will let your app lock the iPhone without any trouble. You can also go to the “Reset Password Phrase” to change the passcode.

3. Lock Apps on iPhone & iPad using BioProtect

Just like Applocker, BioProtect is another third-party tool that works only on jailbroken devices. It can also be downloaded from Cydia’s repository. Apart from apps, you can also use BioProtect to lock settings, SIM features, folders, and more. It is linked to the Touch ID of the device and scans the fingerprint of a user to grant (or deny) access to any app. The app only works on iPhone 5s and later devices, having a Touch ID. However, you can also set a passcode as well if your Touch ID is not working. To use the BioProtect app lock for iPhone, follow these steps:

Step 1. Firstly, get the BioProtect app to lock iPhone on your device from the right http://cydia.saurik.com/package/net.limneos.bioprotect/.

Step 2. To access the tweak’s panel, you need to provide your fingerprint access.

Step 3. Place your finger on your Touch ID and match its print.

Step 4. This will let you access the BioProtect app settings.

Step 5. Firstly, enable the app by turning the respective feature on.

Step 6. Under the “Protected Applications” section, you can see a list of all the major apps.

Step 7. Simply turn on (or off) the feature of the app that you wish to lock.

Step 8. You can also go to the “Touch ID” feature to further calibrate the app.

Step 9. After setting the lock, you would be asked to authenticate using your fingerprint to access the protected app.

Wrap it up!

By following these solutions, you would be able to learn how to lock apps on the iPhone without much trouble. We have provided both, third-party as well as native solutions to app lock the iPhone in a secure manner. You can go with your preferred option and provide an added layer of security on your device to keep it safe.

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