Locking apps on your iPhone will be able to help you set up an extra layer of security for sensitive and personal information. Also, it can help limit how often you use the more addictive ones. Unfortunately, Apple does not offer an official method to lock each app, but there is a Screen Time hack which temporarily allows you to guard your apps. By the way, how to lock apps on your iPhone without Screen Time? You are able to read this entire article to get the answer.
Locking Apps on iPhone With Screen Time
First, we are going to inform you of the way to lock apps on your iPhone with Screen Time. With Apple’s Screen Time feature, you are able to limit how long you are allowed to use a certain app in a day, and when that timer runs out. Effectively, this will lock the app for the day, but you will need to reach the limit on a daily basis.
-
- On your iPhone, you have to head to the Settings app
- Please navigate to Screen Time, tap “Use Screen Time Passcode,” and then set a new passcode for Screen Time limits.
- Once done, you are able to tap on “App Limits,” and hit the “Add Limit” choice.
- Now, you have to find the category or specific app that you want to lock, and tap on “Next.”
- In the time menu, you need to set the limit to the number of hours or minutes you want. To lock the app, just set the time to one minute.
- Please enable the “Block at End of Limit” toggle, and choose “Add.”
After the app reaches its time limit, it will prompt you if you want to add a set amount of time to use the app. But, you will need to input the Screen Time passcode to use them. Also, you are able to share this limit across all your devices, including on iPad.
Locking Apps on iPhone Without Screen Time – Here’s Way
If you do not want to lock apps on your iPhone with Screen Time feature, then you are able to do other methods.
Here are some methods you can do to lock apps on your iPhone without Screen Time feature:
Method 1: Lock Apps by Creating an Automation
-
- At the first step, open the ‘Shortcuts’ app from your iPhone’s home screen.
- After that, tap on Automation.
- Then, tap on Create Personal Automation.
- Please scroll down and tap on ‘App.’
- Please tap the ‘Choose’ option to pick the apps you want to lock.
- Choose the apps you want to lock. After you are done selecting, tap on Done. For note: You are able to choose multiple apps in this step.
- Please tap on Next.
- Then, tap on + Add Action.
- In the search bar at the top, search for ‘timer’ and tap on ‘Start Timer’ from your search results.
- Now, you are able to change the minutes to ‘1’ once the action has been added to your automation.
- Similarly, you are able to change ‘minutes’ to ‘seconds’ by tapping on the same.
- Please tap on second.
- After you are done, you are able to tap on ‘Next’.
- Please tap and disable the ‘Ask Before Running’ toggle.
- Once asked, tap on ‘Don’t Ask’.
- Ensure the ‘Ask Before Running’ and ‘Notify When Run’ choices are disabled. Then, simply tap on Done. Now, automation has been created.
- In this step, you are able to open the ‘Clock’ app on your device.
- Please tap on the Timer. Then, tap on the ‘When Timer Ends’.
- Please scroll down and tap on the ‘Stop Playing’ choice.
Well, the automation required to lock the app has been created. Let us test it.
-
- Please open the locked app on your device.
- After a second, automatically your device will be locked. To get access to the app or device, you have to unlock your device.
Method 02: Lock Apps on iPhone Using Guided Access
The Guided Access feature on your iPhone works in an entirely different way. This choice can be used to lock the current user in the app they are using at the time guided access is triggered. When this feature is triggered, the user will be locked in the app. This Guided Access feature can be useful when the primary user of an iPhone does not want the secondary user to pry on any other apps on their iPhone.
-
- At the first step, you have to open the ‘Settings’ app from your iPhone’s home screen.
- After that, scroll down and tap on Accessibility.
- Under the ‘GENERAL’ section, you are able to tap on the ‘Guided Access’ option.
- Then, tap on the Guided Access toggle button to enable it.
- Please tap on Passcode Settings and tap on the ‘Set Guided Access Passcode’ option.
- Now, you are able to enter a passcode for using the Guided Access feature.
- Also, you are able to link your Face ID with the Guided Access feature. Just tap on the corresponding toggle button to enable it. The toggle button turns green upon enabling.
Now that Guided Access is enabled, let us see how you can use this feature on the Facebook app you lock, for example.
-
- Firstly, open the Facebook app from your iPhone’s home screen.
- Once the app is opened, you are able to press the side button or the home button from your iPhone 3 times to start the Guided Session.
- Also, a Guided Session will allow you to disable specific areas on your screen. To do that, you are able to tap and drag your finger over the area you want to disable. This will make a selection area which can be further resized according to your preference.
- Now, you have to tap on the ‘Start’ icon.
- You are going to see a notification, telling you that the Guided Access Session has started.
- You are able to browse Facebook app in this isolated session, without having to worry about the user having access to other apps on your iPhone.
- To exit this Guided Access session, you have to triple-click the side button or home button on your iPhone.
AUTHOR BIO
On my daily job, I am a software engineer, programmer & computer technician. My passion is assembling PC hardware, studying Operating System and all things related to computers technology. I also love to make short films for YouTube as a producer. More at about me…
Leave a Reply