With iOS 17.4, Apple is making Stolen Device Protection even better by adding a new layer of protection when your iPhone is stolen or lost. However, criminals may try to steal your bank details or other sensitive information.
BGR has already explained how Screen Time can help you prevent criminals from exploiting your data by locking your iPhone apps behind them, although it’s not a perfect solution. Fortunately, there’s now an even better way to protect your data from prying eyes or if someone steals your iPhone.
In this article, we will explain how to lock any iPhone app right behind Face ID thanks to a shortcut called Face ID App Locker.
This complex shortcut allows you to lock any application
A redditor shared his custom shortcut. As the name suggests, Face ID App Locker locks any iPhone app behind Face ID after it is opened for the first time. As you’d expect, it’s free to use, and a Redditor was kind enough to walk you through step-by-step how to add a shortcut and use it.
- With an iPhone running iOS 16.4 or later, download the shortcut here.
- What’s different about this shortcut is that there’s no delay, which ensures that you’re protected when someone tries to open one of your apps. Plus, it has a relock interval feature, so it doesn’t interrupt your use of those apps.
With that said, here’s how to create an automation for your app:
- Open the Shortcuts app, then tap the “Automation” tab.
- Tap the ‘+’ icon in the top right corner to create a new automation.
- Scroll down the list and select “Application”
- On the ‘When’ page, select the app you want to lock from the list provided. Then select ‘opens’ to have the shortcut launch when the selected app opens.
- On the ‘When’ page, select ‘Launch now’ and make sure ‘Notifications on startup’ is turned off
- Tap ‘Next’ and search for ‘Face ID App Locker’
Once you’re done with this automation, you can return to the “When” page and select additional apps.
In a thread on Reddit, the shortcut creator explains a little more about the feature and how it securely locks iPhone apps behind Face ID.