According to multiple sources familiar with the matter, iOS 18 will introduce a new security feature that allows users to lock individual apps.
This feature gives users an extra layer of privacy and security, giving them the ability to lock built-in iPhone apps like Mail, Messages, Notes, Phone, Photos, Safari, Settings and more. Face ID authentication is required to open the app, and the feature will likely also work with Touch ID or an iPhone passcode.
We haven’t confirmed if the feature works with third-party apps from the App Store.
Apple already allows some content to be locked behind Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode, such as notes in the Notes app and recently deleted and hidden album photos in the Photos app. The new iOS 18 feature takes things even further by allowing entire apps to be locked, even if the iPhone is normally unlocked.
iPhone users have already found ways to lock apps using Screen Time or shortcuts, but iOS 18 will no longer require these methods.
Apple will unveil iOS 18 during its WWDC keynote on Monday. The first beta version of iOS 18 is expected to be made available to members of the Apple Developer Program shortly after the keynote. The update is scheduled to be released in September.
