How to Lock Specific iPhone Apps Behind Face ID or Your Passcode

[MacRumors]

In the interests of enhanced privacy, some third-party iOS apps include an option to require passcode or Face ID authentication before they can be opened, even though the iPhone is already unlocked. This puts the app's contents behind an additional layer of security, but not all apps offer the same facility.

Until recently, Apple did not offer a way to individually lock sensitive apps like Photos, and iPhone users had to resort to Screen Time's App Limits as a workaround. Fortunately however that's no longer the case, because you can now create an additional security barrier for any app on your iPhone using a shortcut action new to iOS 16.4.

Apple has added several new actions to the Shortcuts app, and the one that interests us here is Lock Screen. The Lock Screen action essentially allows you to set up a personal automation that automatically locks your iPhone when a specified app is opened.

Of course, this action should pose no access issues for you as the iPhone owner, but it does mean that anyone else trying to open the app first needs to pass facial authentication or enter your passcode even though your iPhone was unlocked when they tapped the app icon.

The following steps guide you through the process of setting up a personal automation that will instantly lock your iPhone when the app of your choosing is opened.

1. Launch the Shortcuts app on your iPhone.
2. Tap the Automation tab at the bottom of the screen.
3. Tap the + button in the top-right corner, then tap Create Personal Automation.
   
   
   
   Scroll down and tap App.
4. Make sure Is Opened is ticked on the next screen, then tap Choose.
   
   
   
   Select an app from the list, then tap Done.
5. Tap Next, then tap the blue Add Action button on the next screen.
   
   
   
   Start typing "Lock Screen" into the text field and select Lock Screen when it appears in the results below, then tap Next.
6. Toggle off the switch next to Ask Before Running.
   Tap Don't Ask in the pop-up prompt, then tap Done.
   

Your personal automation is now complete and should automatically spring into action the next time you open the chosen app. Note that the same Lock Screen action can also be found in macOS 13.3, but bear in mind that there may be other ways to access the contents of a Mac app without launching it.

Article Link: How to Lock Specific iPhone Apps Behind Face ID or Your Passcode

 

[multipasser]

oh waw!!!! so easy and userfriendly.

Ffs.. without a how-to not a single user will ever figure this out.

 

[klasma]

Hopefully Apple will add this as a simple app toggle in Settings at some point.

 

[ignatius345]

This workaround sounds promising -- but doesn't it just use the same spied passcode that thieves used to unlock the phone in the first place?

 

[klasma]

You’d probably also want to do this for the Shortcuts app itself, to prevent someone from disabling the automation.

Edit: And it turns out you can’t do that, see downthread.

 

[klasma]

This workaround sounds promising -- but doesn't it just use the same spied passcode that thieves used to unlock the phone in the first place?

The use case here is when you give someone your unlocked phone, e.g. to play a game, that they don’t also get access to your sensitive data. Or when you leave your phone unlocked for a minute somewhere by accident.

This will be fun for law enforcement trying to inspect your phone, by the way.

 

[19callum93]

The shortcut is a mess.

 

[Crowbot]

If only you could set this to be a different passcode then the one used to unlock your phone.

Well this method just locks the phone so if you use faceID or Touch ID it will default to that first, not a key input. We'll have to wait for a dedicated app.

 

[klasma]

If only you could set this to be a different passcode then the one used to unlock your phone.

In principle you should be able to set up an automation that asks the user for a specific input. Haven’t tried this though, and the input would be a plain-text input, not a password input.

 

[smythey]

Must get my head around shortcuts sometime.....

 

[one more]

As described in much detail in this hot thread, this would not be of much help if someone obtains our passcode:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/stolen-iphone-criminals-have-full-control-and-apple-cannot-help.2388366/

 

[Newbie67]

Still doesn’t protect access to your passwords on keychain. Even with a workaround of setting up secondary password using screen time to protect making changes to a stolen phone a thief can still get all your passwords from keychain. Apple has serious work to do in this area.

 

[contacos]

I don’t understand why they have not added a toggle in the FaceID settings yet to enable it for any 3rd party app. Why rely on the developers to implement it. Sometimes I don’t get Apples restricted implementations of features.

I guess being able to hide the „hidden“ folder in Photos and lock it was a start

 

[Robort]

Another limitation is that this automation has no apparent affect on Watch instances of the same app.

 

[mongobongo]

Is there a way to set this up for all apps at once?

 

[BvizioN]

This workaround sounds promising -- but doesn't it just use the same spied passcode that thieves used to unlock the phone in the first place?

Is not about thieves. Is about these situations when you pass your phone to someone who you trust, but not enough to look at your very private photo album for example.

 

[wanha]

oh waw!!!! so easy and userfriendly.

Ffs.. without a how-to not a single user will ever figure this out.

Had you even considered this problem before reading this article or did your outrage manifest spontaneously upon reading it?

Note that what is described in the article is a work-around, not an official feature

 

[mongobongo]

Still doesn’t protect access to your passwords on keychain. Even with a workaround of setting up secondary password using screen time to protect making changes to a stolen phone a thief can still get all your passwords from keychain. Apple has serious work to do in this area.

This should be preventable by setting this up for the Settings app which is used to access passwords and keychain on iOS. If a thief has your passcode that's a whole other story though.

 

[cyanite]

This workaround sounds promising -- but doesn't it just use the same spied passcode that thieves used to unlock the phone in the first place?

It’s unrelated to that. If people have access to the device passcode, they can control the device, yes.

Still doesn’t protect access to your passwords on keychain. Even with a workaround of setting up secondary password using screen time to protect making changes to a stolen phone a thief can still get all your passwords from keychain. Apple has serious work to do in this area.

It’s unrelated to that. But this trick can’t protect the Shortcuts app itself, so it’s not really much of a protection.

 

[WiiDSmoker]

Is there a way to set this up for all apps at once?

You can select all apps in the shortcut. Not ideal but works.

 

[cdsapplefan]

Giving your unlocked phone to someone is a No No. if your kids want to play video games, give them there own device for that purpose. I someone needs to make a call, dial the number for them and put the phone on speaker for them.

 

[Alex Cai]

I found an app named “Cloak” that hides the sensitive apps (gone from the App Library) and it is highly protective

‎Cape: Screen Time Master

‎Cape is an advanced screen time management tool that enables you to set daily usage limits on apps and automatically restricts them once the limits are reached. Additionally, you have the option to manually restrict or restore apps as needed. Struggling to stop doomscrolling or gaming? Cape...

apps.apple.com

 

[Freida]

I wanted to try this but I don't have the 'lock screen' option when i type 'lock'. I just get everything else but the screen

 

[mongobongo]

Completely useless since the Shortcuts app itself cannot be protected like this.

 

[marvin_h]

This workaround sounds promising -- but doesn't it just use the same spied passcode that thieves used to unlock the phone in the first place?

If only you could set this to be a different passcode then the one used to unlock your phone.

As described in much detail in this hot thread, this would not be of much help if someone obtains our passcode:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/stolen-iphone-criminals-have-full-control-and-apple-cannot-help.2388366/

Still doesn’t protect access to your passwords on keychain. Even with a workaround of setting up secondary password using screen time to protect making changes to a stolen phone a thief can still get all your passwords from keychain. Apple has serious work to do in this area.

Yeah just about the only app that gets this right is 1Password. It allows biometric locking of itself and most importantly if someone adds a new fingerprint or face to the OS, 1Password locks out biometric authentication until the separate 1Password password is used. This prevents someone who has your passcode from adding their biometrics to the phone and accessing 1Password. (Shockingly, many financial institutions don’t take this step!)