A Practical Guide To iPhone Security That Doesn’t Involve New Apps

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Most modern smartphones are already secure by default. What’s missing is custom configuration.

Buried inside your phone’s settings are extra security layers designed for real-world risks, like someone borrowing your phone, a child opening the wrong app, or sensitive information showing up when it shouldn’t. You don’t need third-party apps to fix this. You just need to turn the right switches on.

Lock Individual Apps Without Locking Your Entire Phone

On newer iPhones, apps can now be locked individually using Face ID or Touch ID. Once enabled, the app won’t open unless your face or fingerprint is recognised — even if the phone itself is already unlocked.

This is useful for banking apps, password managers, photo galleries, and messaging apps that hold private conversations. It also helps in situations where you hand your phone to someone briefly and don’t want them wandering.

There’s no extra password to remember, and no visible indication that the app is protected until someone tries to open it.

Hide Apps Completely From View

Beyond locking apps, you can now remove them from plain sight altogether.

Hidden apps disappear from the Home Screen, App Library, and search results. They don’t show previews in notifications either. The apps still exist on your device, but they’re tucked away behind biometric authentication.

This is designed less for secrecy and more for privacy. Think finance apps, health trackers, work tools, or anything you don’t want visible during screen sharing, presentations, or casual phone use around others.

Control What Shows Up When Your Phone Is Locked

A locked phone can still leak information.

By default, notifications may show message previews, email subjects, or OTP codes on the Lock Screen. Tightening this is one of the simplest security upgrades you can make.

You can choose to hide notification content until the phone is unlocked, or disable previews entirely for sensitive apps. This prevents anyone nearby from reading private messages just because your screen lights up.

READ MORE: 3 iPhone Security Settings That Could Save You From Theft

Focus modes are often framed as productivity features, but did you know that they actually double as powerful security filters?

Each Focus mode can control:

A “Work” Focus can hide personal apps. A “Sleep” Focus can silence notifications from everything and everyone so you can have your alone time. A “Kids” Focus can restrict access to everything except a few approved apps.

Because Focus modes switch automatically based on time, location, or activity, they add security without requiring constant manual control.

Lock Down Account Changes With Screen Time

Screen Time isn’t just for monitoring usage. It can also lock critical system settings.

You can restrict changes to:

Once locked, these settings require a separate Screen Time passcode. Even someone who unlocks your phone won’t be able to change security controls without it.

This is especially useful for shared devices, family phones, or tablets used by children.

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