How to Lock Apps on iPhone with FaceID, TouchID, or Pin Code

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There are a couple of ways that you can hide or lock apps on your iPhone, including some third-party methods such as jailbreaks. But jailbreaking your iPhone makes it vulnerable to other viruses, and also may cause you to void the warranty of your iPhone. So, locking apps by jailbreaking is not a good idea unless you know what you’re doing with your iPhone and are ready to accept the consequences. Read along to know how to lock apps on iPhone.

The ability to natively secure applications has been around for a long time on Android devices. Surprisingly, Apple has not introduced this feature on the iOS platform yet.

In this article, I will show you how to lock apps on your iPhone using the native shortcuts app. It is a very safe method and you may not end up bricking your iPhone.

Let’s dive right in to the steps.

How to Lock Apps on iPhone with Shortcuts

  1. Launch the Shortcuts application on your iPhone.
  2. Tap on the Automation tab.
  3. Tap on the + icon on the top right corner.
  4. Tap on Create Personal Automation.
    how to lock apps on iphone
  5. Scroll down until you see App.
    how to lock apps on iphone
  6. Tap on App, Select Is Open.
    how to lock apps on iphone
  7. Now, just above the Is Open tab, there is an option to choose the applications.
  8. Tap on Choose.
  9. Now, select the applications that you want to lock.
    how to lock apps on iphone
  10. Once you’ve selected the applications, tap on Done.
  11. Then, tap on Next in the top right corner.
  12. Tap on Add Action.
    how to lock apps on iphone
  13. Search for Timer.
  14. Tap on Start Timer.
  15. Now, you will see a section where it’s written “Start timer for 30 Minutes”.
  16. Tap on 30, and change it to 1.
  17. Tap on Minute, and change it to Second.
    how to lock apps on iphone
  18. Tap on Next.
  19. Make sure to Deselect the “Ask before Running” option.
  20. Once deselected, you will see a pop-up message, just tap on Don’t Ask.
    how to lock apps on iphone
  21. Tap on Done.

That’s it, the automation is now created.

Disabling Automation Sound

But you will notice that a sound plays whenever this automation is running. So, if you want to get rid of that sound, we’re not done here yet. Follow the steps below:

  1. Launch the Clock application on your iPhone.
  2. Tap on the Timer tab.
  3. Tap on the “When Timer Ends” section.
  4. Scroll all the way down to the bottom where it says Stop Playing.
    how to lock apps on iphone
  5. Select on Stop Playing.

This will stop playing a sound whenever the automation works. Which makes it less irritating.

Now, to test if your automation works:

  1. Launch any application that you chose to lock previously.
  2. You will receive a notification saying that the shortcut has run, and you will be taken right back to the lock screen where you will have to put in your FaceID or TouchID or Passcode.
  3. This means that the automation is working successfully.

Disable Notifications during Automation

If you do not want to receive the notification saying that the shortcut has run, follow along:

how to lock apps on iphone
  1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap on Screen Time.
  3. Scroll all the way down to the bottom till you see Notifications.
  4. Tap on Shortcuts.
  5. Deselect the Allow Notifications option.

This will stop showing you the notification whenever you run any locked application.

That’s it. This way you can natively lock applications without any third-party jailbreak or unfair means on iPhone. We know this is a long process. We hope Apple introduces the option to lock apps natively on Apple Devices.

Also, the fact that it takes you to the lock screen every time you open the locked application makes it irritating. So, if you do not want to use this method and want to disable the automation, follow the steps below:

Disabling the automation

If, for whatever reason you want to disable the automation or, stop locking your apps, follow these steps:

  1. Launch the Shortcuts application.
  2. Tap on the automation that you just created.
  3. Disable the automation by tapping on the switch against “Enable this Automation” option.

That’s it folks. This way you can enable or disable the process of locking apps on your iPhone. We hope this article helps you. Also, share this article with your friends and family members.

If you still have any query on how to lock apps on iPhone, then leave a comment in the comment box.

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AUTHOR.

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Shaikh Adil

Adil is a writer at ytechb. He started caring about technology after he got his first iPhone. He likes to help others by posting tips & tricks and providing solutions regarding iOS problems. When not at work, he enjoys playing football, watching movies, watching tech videos on YouTube, listening to music and podcasts and playing video games.

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