In the interest of enhanced privacy, some third-party iOS apps include the option to require a passcode or Face ID authentication before they can be opened, even if the iPhone is already unlocked. This puts app content behind an extra layer of security, but not all apps offer the same capability.
Until recently, Apple didn’t offer a way to individually lock sensitive apps like Photos, and iPhone users had to resort to app limits on screen time as a workaround. Fortunately, however, this is no longer the case, as you can now create an additional security barrier for any app on your iPhone using the Shortcut Action included in iOS 16.4 and later.
Apple has added a few more actions to the Shortcuts app, and the one we’re interested in here is the Lock Screen. The lock screen action essentially allows you to set up a personal automation that automatically locks your iPhone when a specific app is opened.
Of course, this action shouldn’t cause any access issues for you as an iPhone owner, but it does mean that anyone else trying to open the app must first pass facial authentication or enter your passcode even though your iPhone was unlocked when they tapped the app icon.
The following steps guide you through the process of setting up a personal automation that will instantly lock your iPhone when an app of your choice is opened.
- Run it Shortcuts app, tap Automation tab at the bottom of the screen.
- Touch + in the upper right corner, then scroll down the options menu and select application.
- On the next screen, tap Choose to select an app from the app list, then tap Done.
- Be sure Is open and Run now are selected, then tap Following.
- Start typing “Lock Screen” in the text field and select Screen lock when it appears in the results below.
- You should see your new automation “When [app] is open, lock screen” added to the automation list.
Your personal automation is now complete and should be activated automatically the next time you open the selected application.