How to lock the Photos app with Face ID on iPhone
Require Face ID locks the Photos app. It does not change who can open it.
In short
On the Home Screen, touch and hold the Photos app, tap Require Face ID (or Touch ID, or Passcode), then confirm. Photos then asks for authentication each time it opens and locks again when you quit it. The lock accepts your iPhone passcode, applies to that iPhone only, and Photos — a built-in app — cannot be hidden.
Key takeaways
- Locked apps relock every time you quit them.
- The lock opens with your iPhone passcode, not a separate secret.
- It applies only to that iPhone, not to your iPad or Mac.
How to lock the Photos app
- Go to the Home Screen and find the Photos app.
- Touch and hold its icon until the Quick Actions menu opens.
- Tap Require Face ID (or Require Touch ID, or Require Passcode).
- Tap it again to confirm, then authenticate.
To remove the lock, touch and hold the icon again, tap Don’t Require Face ID and authenticate.
What the lock does
- Photos asks for Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode every time it opens.
- Opening it does not unlock it for good: it locks again as soon as you quit the app.
- According to Apple, information inside a locked app does not appear in places such as notification previews, search, Siri suggestions and call history.
That makes it useful when you hand your phone to someone to make a call or look at a map: they cannot wander into your camera roll without your face or your code.
What it does not do
It accepts your iPhone passcode
If Face ID fails, the passcode works. A partner, a relative or anyone who has watched you type it can open Photos as easily as you can.
It stays on this iPhone
Apple notes that the locked status of an app does not sync with iCloud. If you use iCloud Photos, the same library opens freely on your iPad, your Mac or a shared family computer unless you protect those separately.
Photos cannot be hidden
Only apps downloaded from the App Store can be hidden. Photos comes with the iPhone, so its icon stays on the Home Screen, locked but visible.
It does not touch other apps’ permissions
Apps you have allowed to access your photos are listed in Settings › Privacy & Security › Photos. That access is a separate setting; review it there.
Locked app or Hidden album?
The two stack. The Hidden album, locked by default since iOS 16, protects selected photos even when Photos itself is open. Locking the app protects the whole library at the door. Both open with the same passcode, so together they slow down a curious glance rather than a determined person.
If you need a separate secret
A vault such as Latent opens with its own 5×5 pattern or password, independent from the iPhone passcode, and encrypts each file itself. Knowing your passcode is then not enough to see what is inside.