How to Lock Apps on iPhone and Android in the UK

Locking apps keeps prying eyes out of your messages, photos and banking, even when someone else is holding your phone. A locked app asks for your face, fingerprint or PIN before it opens, so handing your phone to a friend to show them a photo does not mean handing them your inbox too. Both iPhone and Android have built-in ways to do this, and most take less than a minute to set up.

Step 1: Lock apps with Face ID on iPhone

On iPhones running iOS 18 or later, you can lock almost any app with Face ID from the home screen. Find the app you want to lock, press and hold its icon until the quick actions menu appears, and tap Require Face ID.

Locked apps also hide their content from search results and notifications, so message previews will not show on the lock screen either. To unlock an app later, press and hold its icon again and choose Don't Require Face ID, then confirm with Face ID.

If your iPhone runs an older version of iOS, update it first, because the lock feature arrived with iOS 18. Go to Settings, then General, then Software Update. If your phone is too old for iOS 18, use the Screen Time method in step 3 instead.

Step 2: Use Samsung Secure Folder and Android app locks

Many Android phones have a built-in app lock, though the name changes by brand. On Samsung phones, the strongest option is Secure Folder, which creates a separate locked space on your phone. Open Settings, then Security and privacy, then Secure Folder, and sign in with your Samsung account to set it up. Choose a lock type, such as a PIN, pattern or fingerprint, and add apps to the folder by tapping the plus icon inside it.

On Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO phones, open Settings, then Apps, then App lock, and turn on locking for the apps you choose. OnePlus phones have a similar feature called App Locker under Settings, then Privacy, then App Lock.

If your Android phone has none of these options, check whether it runs Android 15 or later, because that version added Private Space. Go to Settings, then Security and privacy, then Private Space, and set it up with your Google account. Move the apps you want to protect into the space, and they will stay hidden from your app drawer and locked behind your screen lock until you open the space.

Step 3: Lock apps with Screen Time on iPhone

Screen Time can act as an app lock on any iPhone, including older models. Open Settings, then Screen Time, and turn it on if it is not already active. Set a Screen Time passcode, which should be different from your phone passcode, then go to App Limits and tap Add Limit. Choose the app or category you want to lock, set the limit to one minute, and turn on Block at End of Limit.

To make this work well, keep the passcode somewhere safe. If you forget the Screen Time passcode, the only way to reset it is through your Apple ID, so pick a code you will remember.

Step 4: Add a second layer with Guided Access

Guided Access is an iPhone feature that locks your phone to a single app until you enter a passcode. It is meant for handing your phone to someone else for one task, such as showing a photo album or letting a child play a game, without letting them wander into other apps. Turn it on in Settings, then Accessibility, then Guided Access, and set a passcode.

To use it, open the app you want to share, triple-click the side button, and tap Start. Your phone is now locked to that app. The home button and gestures will not work until you triple-click the side button again and enter your passcode. You can also circle parts of the screen to disable them, which is handy if you want to stop someone tapping on a buy button or a delete icon.

Android has a similar feature called screen pinning. Turn it on in Settings, then Security, then Screen pinning. Open the app, go to the recent apps view, tap the app icon at the top of its card, and choose Pin.

Step 5: Keep your locks working and your data safe

A lock is only as strong as the unlock method behind it. Use a six-digit PIN rather than a four-digit one, and avoid obvious codes such as your birth year or 123456. Face ID and fingerprint are both quick and hard to guess, so turn them on for your lock screen as well.

Check your locked apps after every major software update, because updates sometimes reset app lock settings. Open one or two locked apps after an update to confirm they still ask for authentication, and re-enable the lock if an update has switched it off.

Finally, remember what an app lock does and does not do. It stops casual snooping when someone has your unlocked phone, but it does not encrypt your data or protect you if your phone is stolen and wiped. Keep a backup of important photos and files, and turn on Find My on iPhone or Find Hub on Android so you can lock or erase a lost phone remotely.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I lock WhatsApp and banking apps on my phone?

Yes. On iPhone, press and hold the WhatsApp or banking app icon and choose Require Face ID, if your phone runs iOS 18 or later. On Android, add the app to Samsung Secure Folder, Xiaomi App lock, OnePlus App Locker or Android Private Space, depending on your phone.

What happens if I forget my app lock PIN?

It depends on the method. Samsung Secure Folder and Xiaomi App lock let you reset the lock through your Samsung or Mi account. iPhone Face ID locks can be removed with Face ID itself, and Screen Time passcodes can be reset through your Apple ID. Write the code down somewhere safe when you set it up.

Does locking an app hide its notifications too?

On iPhone, a Face ID locked app hides its notification previews and its content from search. On Android, apps in Secure Folder or Private Space do not show notifications until you unlock the space. With Xiaomi App lock and OnePlus App Locker, notifications may still appear, so check each app's notification settings if you want previews hidden.