Have you ever mindlessly scrolled through Instagram for way too long when you should‘ve been working? Or handed your unlocked phone to your kids, only to find lots of inadvertent in-app purchases later?
We‘ve all been there!
Locking individual apps on your iPhone can help avoid these common issues. In this guide, I‘ll show you how app locking works and the various methods available to take control.
Whether you want to curb distraction, limit kids‘ access, or add privacy protections, locking apps is simple and effective. Let‘s get started!
Why Bother Locking Apps?
Before jumping into the how-to, understanding why locking apps is advantageous will help motivate you to put safeguards in place:
Curb Digital Distraction
We‘ve all experienced falling into the social media scrolling vortex. Locked app limits snap you out by blocking access after a set time. No more losing hours to endless browsing!
Enhance Mobile Security
Unlocked phones are ripe targets for thieves and snoops. Protect sensitive data in banking, email, and other apps by throwing up an access barrier.
Monitor Kids‘ Usage
It‘s all too easy for children to ring up charges from accidental in-app purchases. App locks reel in expenses and screen time.
Clearly, keeping a handle on iOS app access delivers many practical benefits. Next I‘ll overview your options, then explain step-by-step how to lock down apps.
Locking Options at a Glance
You have a couple built-in ways to lock iPhone apps. Here‘s an overview before we dive into specifics:
| Method | How it Works | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Screen Time | Set time limits per app enforced by passcode | Strict schedules by user/app |
| Face ID/Touch ID | Leverage existing biometrics to permit access | Simple overall access rules |
Both methods have pros and cons depending on your priorities. Now let‘s look at exactly how to set them up.
Use Screen Time to Lock Apps
The Screen Time functionality built into iOS allows granular control over app limits tied to a custom numeric passcode. Walk through these steps to get started:
Step 1: Enable Screen Time Passcode
In Settings, open Screen Time > Use Screen Time Passcode. Enter and confirm a secure passcode you can remember. This locks down your Screen Time configuration.
Having a separate passcode just for Screen Time allows flexible management without compromising your device unlock passcode security.
Step 2: Choose App Limits
Still within Screen Time, select App Limits. Tap Add Limit to choose which app categories to restrict. For example: Social Networking, Games, etc.
Start broad by limiting entire categories, then refine over time per app if needed.
Step 3: Set Usage Allowance
For each category, use the slider or number field to indicate the amount of Daily usage allowed – from a minute to 23 hours and 59 minutes. You‘ll need to enter your custom Screen Time passcode from Step 1.
This allocates the total daily access duration once the limit is reached. If you pick multiple categories, limits accrue separately.
Step 4: Block or Extend Access
Next choose what happens when the usage limit expires:
- Ask For More Time: Prompts to enter Screen Time passcode to keep using the app
- Block: Closes the app until the next calendar day
We recommend Ask for More Time – it stops you in the moment while allowing access if truly needed.
And that‘s the basics of using Screen Time to lock down apps! When the limit pops, just enter your custom passcode to keep going or wait until tomorrow.
Pretty easy with huge distraction, security and monitoring benefits!
Lock Apps with Face/Touch ID
If you already use Face ID or Touch ID, you can leverage your biometric authentication to gate access to all apps.
Rather than custom limits, this simply adds a blanket step to permit access. But avoids introducing yet another PIN code to remember!
Here‘s all you need to do:
- Enable Face ID/Touch ID at the OS level as usual
- Toggle on app-level authentication under Face ID/Touch ID settings
Then just use your face or fingerprint to unlock apps after initial launch!
This doesn‘t offer per-app controls. But provides a quick way to guard access across the board. Great for privacy protection without all the Schedule fuss.
What Happens at the Limit?
When your allocated time expires, what occurs depends on the Screen Time setting chosen:
- Ask for More Time: Prompts for passcode entry to extend usage
- Block: Closes the app completely until tomorrow
If you select Ask for More Time, choose the duration of additional access carefully. You won‘t be able reduce it without resetting the entire Screen Time passcode.
Also, app limits sync across multiple iOS/iPadOS devices using your Apple ID. So locked time accrues cumulatively across all your registered platforms.
Locking Apps on Other Platforms
Those familiar with Android may know of third-party apps that enable advanced app locking controls.
Unfortunately iOS does not permit similar utilities. Outside of what Apple provides natively, the only option is device jailbreaking.
However, jailbreaking seriously compromises iPhone security protections. As an enterprise mobile architect, I strongly advise against it. Stick to leveraging Screen Time, Touch ID and Face ID.
To Sum Up…
Hopefully this guide gave you a comprehensive introduction to locking down iPhone apps!
The key takeaways around app locking best practices:
- Use Screen Time for granular, schedule-based limits
- Leverage Face/Touch ID for quick, blanket access rules
- Mind the limit behavior based on Block vs. More Time setting
- Avoid jailbreaking to retain security protections
Application locking delivers immense benefits around distraction management, parental controls, and data privacy.
Let me know if any other questions pop up! Happy app locking!
