It is no secret that iOS has several features that Android does not. Yes, iOS 14 offers many upgrades for iPhone users, including new iOS 14 widgets and enhanced home screen personalization. But it still lacks a few fundamental components. For instance, there is no easy way to lock apps on iPhones. These days, many applications, like WhatsApp, have built-in app lock mechanisms. Apple should incorporate this capability naturally so that we may lock whatever app we like, though, as that would be preferable. Here is how to lock applications on your iPhone if you are anxious to lock your iOS apps.
Lock Apps on iPhone (2021)
Lock iPhone Apps with Passcode
Here’s what you need to do if you want to lock your iPhone apps with a passcode. Remember that this method is a workaround because Apple does not provide an app locking mechanism, although it does work pretty nicely.
1. Set up a Screen Time Passcode on your iPhone by going to Settings > Screen Time. At this stage, you can also decide whether to turn on Touch ID or Face ID.
2. Next, click Add Limit after selecting App Limits.
3. Choose the application you want to lock by tapping the category (left image) first, and then choosing the application (right image). Let’s use the scenario that I wish to lock Snapchat. I’ll tap on the Social tab and choose Snapchat from the list to accomplish this.
4. Next, press Next, choose a 1-minute time restriction, then tap Add in the top right corner. Make sure Block at End of Limit is enabled by turning on the toggle next to it.
Your chosen app will lock itself after one minute of use. For apps that you access numerous times per day, like Snapchat in my case, one minute is hardly anything. So, this approach to locking iPhone apps is a really good workaround. You will have to input your Screen Time passcode to access the app after it has been locked.
The iPhone passcode is distinct from the Screen Time passcode. Because it is challenging to reset the Screen Time passcode, make sure you remember the password you selected for your iPhone. If you ever forget, you can always refer back to our helpful guide by clicking the linked link.
Lock Apps on iPhone Using Siri Shortcuts
As an alternative, Siri Shortcuts can be used to lock iPhone apps. Additionally, you can perform some enjoyable tricks with them.
1. Create a new shortcut in Shortcuts on your iPhone.
2. Select Ask for Input after selecting Add Action and searching for it.
3. You have a variety of options, including Text, Number, URL, and others. I’ll use Number as the input in this example. Additionally, you may add a prompt for the passcode by selecting Prompt and entering whatever text you like.
4. Include one more action now. Add If to your shortcut by searching for it. Click on Condition, then select is.
5. Tap on Number in the first action once more, and then type the desired password. I’m using the password 1234 in this example (you should not usesuch weak passwords).
The fundamental framework for locking an app has now been established. Let’s continue and wrap things up.
6. Include a fresh Open App action and drag it between the If and Otherwise blocks of the shortcut.
7. Decide which app to lock. I’m going to lock the Calculator app for the purposes of this lesson.
Finally, this shortcut can be used. At this point, the Shortcut will ask us for the password, and if we input the right one (1234), the Calculator will open. Otherwise, nothing will happen.
But surely that’s not compelling enough? We should be aware of the offender if they are attempting to use our encrypted calculator app. So let’s include some traps in this.
8. Increase the shortcut’s action count.
Find Take Photo and switch the back camera to the front camera.
9. Click Show More and turn off the toggle for the camera preview.
10. Move this command between the End If and Otherwise blocks.
11. After that, slide the Save to Photo Album action beneath the Take Photo block on the shortcut.
So what exactly did we do here? Your iPhone will take a photo with the front camera and store it to the Recents album if the wrong password is entered. You may now see who attempted to access one of your password-protected applications.
Our shortcut is now almost finished. Now all we have to do is add our Shortcut to your iPhone’s home screen in place of the actual app icon. Let’s carry it out right away.
12. Give your Shortcut a name and tap Next in the top right corner. It has the name Bifrost. Tap Done after you have entered the name.
13. Click the three dots icon to open the shortcut from your Shortcut Gallery. Choose the Add to Home Screen option here.
Set the shortcut’s name to the name of the locked programme (in this case, Calculator) and its icon to a calculator icon. You can put anything here, but to make the trap more effective, I’d suggest picking an icon that looks similar. To see the shortcut appear on your home screen, tap Add.
14. This shortcut will prompt you for the password when you tap it. Just input your password to launch the application. The Shortcut will take a picture and save it to your Photos app if you enter an invalid password. Cool, huh?
Protect Your Apps from Peeping Toms
Additionally, you need to replace the actual app on your home screen with your Shortcut. Therefore, anyone attempting to spy on your iPhone will open the Shortcut rather than the actual programme.