If you want to restrict your privacy, increase security in case you lose your iPhone, or leave your Apple device to your children with complete peace of mind, this is your article. From K-tuin, we give you several tricks that will surely be very useful for you to enjoy all the possibilities that your iPhone offers you.
How to lock apps on iPhone
There are multiple ways to lock apps on your iPhone . We’ll tell you how to do it in all its variants. You can do it, for example: through the Screen Time option , restricting access with a password , locking your iPhone to use a single app on the screen, etc. Keep reading to find out!
Block apps on your iPhone thanks to iOS 18
Thanks to the latest iPhone operating system, iOS 18, you will now have the ability to lock your apps individually and directly from your iPhone’s home screen.
How do you do this? It’s very simple! Make sure you have this version of the operating system installed on your iPhone and simply by long-pressing an application you will see the option to lock it with your iPhone’s Face ID.
Lock apps with password on iPhone
This trick will help you both to limit the time you spend personally using an app, for example, if you want to make sure you spend little time on social networks during the week. It will also help you prevent other people from viewing the content inside an app. Putting a password on an iPhone app is this simple:
- Go to Settings > Screen Time on your iPhone (this would also work for iPad)
- Enter the option Use code for “Screen Time”
- Enter the code you want to be asked to unlock the apps (it does not have to be the same as on the iPhone)
- Tap App Usage Limits > Add Limit
- Choose the app you want to password lock within each category and press Next
- Define the minimum time limit: 1 minute
This way, you’ll be setting a maximum usage of one minute , blocking access to the app beyond that limit. So, if you spend a minute on that app, from then on, every time you want to enter it will ask you for the code to remove this app lock on your iPhone.
Use Focus Modes to Block Apps on iPhone
What about Focus Modes ? Do they work for blocking apps just like they do for blocking notifications ? While it’s more geared toward creating different modes to help you focus while you’re studying, working out at the gym, or working, with these steps you can use it to create a childproof or privacy mode so that apps don’t appear on your home screen at certain times .
To do this you will first have to create a home page on your iPhone with the apps you want to block and follow these steps:
- Go to Settings > Focus Modes and add a new one from “+”
- Tap on Custom , put an icon, name and press Next
- Swipe to customize screens > Select
- Now tap on the screen you want to leave active
- Select this Focus Mode from Control Center
Block an app from staying on screen
You’ll love this trick if your kids are the kind who enjoy watching cartoons or playing games on your iPhone (or even iPad) and you want to make sure they can only access these, without leaving that app.
This feature is achieved through Guided Access . Follow these steps to find it:
- Go to Settings > Accessibility
- Swipe until you find the Guided Access option
- Select it and activate the switch
To activate this app lock on your iPhone screen , you just have to go into the app you want to pin and press the side button on the iPhone three times in a row. Is your child finished playing? Press the side button three times again to unlock the app from the screen and use the iPhone normally again.
And, if you need more security when it comes to children , we recommend that you read our article on restricting purchases in the App Store , which will be very useful to prevent children from accidentally downloading or even paying for an application.