Protecting sensitive data on your iPhone in the event of theft is one of our top priorities. Although Apple is expanding iPhone security by introducing anti-theft protection, which requires users to double-authenticate major changes to iOS, sometimes this is not enough to prevent criminals from accessing our bank account, photos or other data.
Previously, BGR covered by App Lock, which can help you add a layer of privacy to your iPhone and Mac. Developed by Lilucat, App Lock is a privacy app designed to keep your sensitive apps private and secure on your device. The developers say the app lets you “easily block any app you want, ensuring you stay private and out of sight of prying eyes.”
While this feature is already good enough, BGR recently revealed how to instantly lock any iPhone app behind Face ID – for free, thanks to a shortcut. However, I think the developers behind Lilucat have outdone themselves by adding a new feature that hides apps, making them disappear from your home screen, app library, and search until you want them back.
How to hide iPhone apps using App Lock
Here’s how to hide your iPhone apps using this app:
- After downloading App Lock, just tap on the “Hide apps” tab.
- You can select up to 50 applications
- When you are done, select the “Start” option.
From now on, all selected apps are hidden and you won’t be able to find them in Search, App Library or Home screen.
For ultimate protection, I recommend going to the “Lock apps” tab and locking the same apps you’re hiding. In this way, you fully protect your most sensitive data.
Here’s why App Lock might be the best solution for protecting your data
What I like most about this app is the fact that the developers thought of every loophole that criminals could exploit. Listen to me:
- If you hide an app, you can unhide it by searching for it in Settings;
- But if they are discovered, you might as well lock it immediately;
- Additionally, instead of using your Face ID to access App Lock, which could turn off all of these features, you can use a different PIN than your iPhone Lock Screen PIN to fully protect your data.
- And if you think someone might just delete the app to lose these settings, think again. In the “Advanced” tab, you can refuse to install or remove the application. You can even prevent people from changing your device passcode, lock the app’s mobile data, and more.
Wrap
App Lock is free to download, but requires a monthly ($4.99) or annual ($14.99) subscription to unlock these features: up to 50 locked apps, unlimited sessions, faster email response and priority access to new features. Additionally, you can try three free sessions to see if the app is useful at first, but then a subscription is required.
You can find it here in the App Store. Requires iOS 16 or later and a Mac with an Apple M1 chip or later running at least macOS 13.