How to Lock Apps on iPhone and iPad: 6 Tested Ways in 2026

Locking apps on your iPhone or iPad is an effective way to protect your privacy from prying eyes. It can also help parents prevent children from accessing inappropriate content or manage their screen time.

There is more than one way to lock apps on iOS devices. I spent hours doing research and testing a few methods. These methods here support iOS 26 and earlier versions. And also apply to all iPhone and iPad models, including iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 16, and more.

 

Comparison of the 6 methods

 

Lock apps on iPhone with Screen Time

Applies to: iOS 12 or later

If your device is running iOS 12 or later, then you can use Screen Time to lock both built-in apps and third-party apps on iPhone. Designed to be a screen time management tool, it can also be used as a workaround on how to lock apps on iPhone with password. With a few taps, you can use the feature to:

• Lock all your iPhone apps (except Phone app)
• Lock individual apps
• Lock all apps of the same category, such as all social networking apps
• Lock apps for certain time

Also, you can set it to always ignore certain apps (such as Phone and Messages) even if you turn on the toggle to block All Apps & Categories.

How to lock apps on iPhone in easy steps

Step 1. On your iPhone, go to Settings > Screen Time. Tap Turn On Screen Time if you haven't done so yet.

Step 2. Let Screen Time know if it's your iPhone or your child's iPhone.

Step 3. Tap Use Screen Time Passcode. Set a passcode and confirm it. The passcode will be required if you need to unlock apps or change settings. The passcode is important. Don’t forget it.

Step 4. Tap App Limits. Tap Add Limit. Now you are offered a number of options.

• If you select All Apps & Categories, all apps except Phone will be locked.
• By selecting a category such as Social Networking, all apps under this category will be locked.
• How to lock individual apps on iPhone? To do this, you can select the app directly from the Choose Apps list or expand a category to select an app.

Step 5. Tap Next in the top right corner to continue. In the new interface that appears, there are few things that you can do.

• Enable Block at End of Limit. Screen Time will automatically block the app(s) when the limit expires.
• If your purpose is to control screen time, just select the time limit based on your need. The Customize Days option allows you to set the limit for each day of the week instead of every day.
• If you want to lock apps for the sake of privacy protection, it’s recommended to set it to the minimum time allowed, which is 1 minute. To trigger the blocking, you need to use these apps for at least 1 minute every day. It could get annoying. Hopefully Apple will allow users to set the limit to zero in the future updates.

Step 6. Tap Add when you are done setting up.

How to lock apps on iPad? As long as your iPad is running an operating system that includes Screen Time, you can use the feature to easily lock up your apps on iPad.

When you tap to open a locked app, you will see a Time Limit message. If you click the Ask For More Time option, it will require you to enter password and select a time period such as Approve for an hour. One can easily unlock locked apps by going to Settings and clicking Delete Limit.

 

How to lock apps on iPhone and iPad with Restrictions

Applies to: All iOS versions

For iOS 11 and earlier

Restrictions, also known as Parental Controls, lets you manage and restrict access to certain apps or websites, in-app purchases, content types and ratings, device functions and privacy settings on your iOS devices. Follow the steps below to turn on Restrictions and lock apps on iPhone.

Note that this method is only available for built-in apps and not for third-party apps.

Step 1. Go to Settings on your iPhone or iPad. Tap General. Scroll down and choose Restrictions.

Step 2. Tap Enable Restrictions. Enter a passcode.

Step 3. Scroll down the list and customize the types of apps, content and settings you want others to have access to. Under the Allow section, turn off individual apps that you don’t want others to access without your permission. You can disable Restrictions anytime you want.

This is how to lock apps on iPhone without Screen Time, which is also super easy.

For iOS 12 and later

If your device is running on iOS 12, iOS 13, iOS 14, iOS 15 or later, you will find this Restrictions function under Screen Time instead.

Step 1. On your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions.

Step 2. Tap Allowed Apps. Switch off the apps that you want to block access to.

 

How to lock apps on iPhone and iPad using Guided Access

Applies to: iOS 6 and later

Guided Access is a feature of iOS that help you stay focused on a task by locking your device to a single app. This is also useful when you lend your phone to others but don’t want he/she have access to other apps. Below are the detailed steps:

Step 1. Tap Settings on your iOS device. Tap General and choose Accessibility. Scroll down until you find this tool.

Step 2. Turn it on. Tap Passcode Settings and set a 4 digital password. The password helps you control the use of this tool and prevents others from leaving an active Guided Access session. Toggle Accessibility Shortcut to on.

For an iPhone 13 or other models that support Face ID, there will be a Face ID option. If you toggle it on, you can quickly enable or disable Guided Access sessions with Face ID.

Step 3. Now you can start a Guided Access session. Go to the app you want open and triple-click the Home button. Circle any areas of the screen that you would like to make inaccessible. You can also tap Options to adjust settings for the session. Tap Start at the top of the screen to launch this tool.

Someone else who tries to leave the specific locked app will receive a banner message telling him or her to triple-click the Home button to exit. If the person doesn’t know the pre-set passcode, then it won't be able to exit this tool. This is another method on how to lock apps on iPhone with password.

 

How to lock apps on iPhone and iPad with Face ID or Touch ID

Applies to: iOS 18 and later

If your device is running iOS 18 or later, you can use Apple’s new App Lock feature to require Face ID or Touch ID when opening certain apps. This is the easiest way to protect your private apps on iPhone and iPad.

Step 1. Go to your Home screen of your iPhone or iPad. Find the app you want to lock.

Step 2. Long-press on the app icon.

Step 3. Tap Require Face ID or Require Touch ID from the menu.

Step 4. Confirm your selection when prompted.

Once set it up, the app will be locked instantly. And authentication will be required every time you try to open it.

 

How to lock an app on iPhone with Shortcuts

Applies to: iOS 12 and later

Shortcuts originated from an application called Workflow on the AppStore. It can connect multiple apps and form a set of instructions to complete tasks automatically. It does not require the user to open several applications. Just press a button, and then Shortcuts will complete the work automatically. With Shortcuts, we can automate many things such as lock iOS apps. Now Shortcuts is a built-in app on iOS 12 and later. Below I’m going to show you how to lock apps on iPhone with Shortcuts.

Step 1: Set up the Timer Settings

1. Go to search bar and search for Timer app. Open it.

2. Tap on the option: When Timer Ends. Scroll down and choose Stop Playing. Tap Set.

Step 2: Set up the Automation in Shortcuts app

1. Go to the search bar and search for Shortcuts app. Open it.

2. Click Automation on the bottom. Then click on Create Personal Automation.

3. Scroll down then you’ll see an option called App. Click it. Then choose the app you want to lock. Click Next.

4. Tap on the Add Action button. Search for Timer from the search box of pop-up window. Choose Start Timer.

5. Set up the time to 1 second. Click Next.

6. Turn off the Ask Before Running option. Tap Don’t Ask. Then click Done at the upper-right corner.

Now you have created the automation successfully. Shortcuts will require a passcode, Face ID or Touch ID to unlock this app.

 

How to lock apps on iPhone and iPad with Cisdem AppCrypt

Applies to: iOS 16 and later

Cisdem AppCrypt is an easy-to-use app locker for iPhone and iPad. It allows you to easily lock individual apps on your iOS devices. It also supports locking categories of apps, such as Social, Games, etc.

Follow the steps below to lock apps on your iOS devices using this app:

Step 1. Download Cisdem AppCrypt from the App Store.

Download on theApp Store

Step 2. Click App Lock. Click Add/Remove.

Step 3. Select applications that you want to lock on your iPhone or iPad. Add it to the block list.

You can also select a category of apps.

Now the apps are locked.

Step 4. It's recommeded to set a password to lock your settings. To do that, click Preferences. Click Notifications. Turn on the options of Notification and Notification unlock. Then it'll prompt you to set the password.

 

FAQs

What’s the best way to lock apps on iPhone from myself?

If you want to stop yourself from opening certain apps (for example, social media or games), the best way is to use Cisdem AppCrypt. It let you completely block access to certain apps or a category of apps. It even allows you to set schedules so you can block distracting apps during work hours.

Can I lock apps on iPhone without passcode?

Yes. You can use your Face ID or Touch ID to lock certain apps on your iPhone. Long-press on the app icon and select “Require Face ID” or “Require Touch ID”. Keep in mind that this feature is only available for iOS 18 or later.

Can I hide certain apps on iPhone?

Yes, you can hide apps on your iPhone by long-pressing on the app icon from the Home screen. Then select Remove App > Remove from Home Screen.