--- title: "Signal Privacy on iPhone: Hide, Lock and Limit It (iOS 27)" description: "Signal privacy settings on iPhone: lock it with Face ID, hide it, use screen Lock, disappearing messages and more. Checked for iOS 27." url: https://www.vaultforyou.app/apps/signal lang: en published: 2026-10-31 updated: 2026-10-31 author: "VaultForYou Editorial Team" publisher: VaultForYou --- # Signal privacy on iPhone: every setting > Every way to hide, lock and limit Signal on iPhone, from iOS and from the app itself. Published 2026-10-31 - Updated 2026-10-31 - By VaultForYou Editorial Team - Checked against iOS 27 - Oct 31, 2026 ## Quick answer You can lock Signal with Face ID: touch and hold it and tap Require Face ID. On iOS 18 or later you can also hide it in the locked Hidden folder. Signal has its own lock too: Screen Lock. Inside the app, disappearing messages, hide Screen in App Switcher and archive a chat are available. - **Developer:** Signal Messenger, LLC - **Own lock:** Screen Lock - **Can be hidden:** Yes (iOS 18+) - **iPad app:** Yes You can lock Signal with Face ID: touch and hold it and tap Require Face ID. On iOS 18 or later you can also hide it in the locked Hidden folder. Signal has its own lock too: Screen Lock. Inside the app, disappearing messages, hide Screen in App Switcher and archive a chat are available. This page collects every privacy setting for Signal on iPhone, from iOS and from Signal's own settings, checked against official help pages in October 2026. ## Signal guides | Task | Fastest method | Time | Guide | |---|---|---|---| | Hide apps | Hide and Require Face ID | 10 sec | [How to hide Signal on iPhone](/hide-apps/signal) | | Lock apps | Require Face ID | 10 sec | [How to lock Signal on iPhone](/lock-apps/signal) | | Hide photos | Send View Once media | 1 min | [How to hide photos in Signal](/hide-photos/signal) | ## What iOS can do with Signal | Setting | Available for Signal | Where | |---|---|---| | Lock with Face ID | Yes | Touch and hold the icon -> Require Face ID | | Hide in the Hidden folder | Yes | Touch and hold -> Require Face ID -> Hide and Require Face ID | | Remove from Home Screen | Yes | Touch and hold -> Remove App -> Remove from Home Screen | | Hide notification previews | Yes | Settings -> Notifications -> Signal -> Show Previews | | Exclude from Siri and search | Yes | Settings -> Siri -> Excluded Apps | | Limit with Screen Time | Yes | Settings -> Screen Time -> Time Allowances | ## Signal's own privacy settings ### Screen Lock Locks Signal with your iPhone's Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode, after a Screen Lock Timeout you choose. Your iPhone must have a passcode set first. It is separate from your Signal PIN. ### Disappearing messages In a chat's settings, choose Disappearing messages and set a timer, or a custom time up to 4 weeks. You can also set a default timer for new chats in Signal's Privacy settings. Anyone in the chat can change the timer. ### Hide Screen in App Switcher Go to **Profile -> Settings -> Privacy -> Hide Screen in App Switcher**. Covers Signal with a blue privacy screen in the iPhone app switcher so recent chats are not visible. ### Archive a chat Archiving removes a chat from your main chat list without deleting it. ### Send View Once media A View Once photo or video is not kept in the conversation history for the sender or the recipient after it is opened. ### Save only what you choose Media stays inside Signal. To put something in Photos you must save it yourself from the chat's All Media view or the message menu (Save Image or Save Video). ### Notification previews Go to **Profile -> Settings -> Notifications -> Show**. Choose Name, Content, and Actions; Name Only; or No Name or Content to control what Signal shows in notifications. ## Keep Signal photos out of your camera roll Photos you save from Signal land in the Photos app, outside any app lock. Move private ones into a vault and delete the originals. > **Lock this in VaultForYou.** Keep Signal photos in an encrypted vault that opens only with a pattern you draw. [Download on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/vaultforyou/id0000000000) ## Frequently asked questions ### Can you lock Signal on iPhone? Yes. Touch and hold Signal, tap Require Face ID and confirm. It then needs Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode to open. Signal also has its own lock, Screen Lock. ### Can you hide Signal on iPhone? Yes. On iOS 18 or later, touch and hold Signal, tap Require Face ID, then Hide and Require Face ID. It moves to the locked Hidden folder at the bottom of App Library and leaves search results. ### Does Signal have its own passcode? Signal has Screen Lock. Locks Signal with your iPhone's Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode, after a Screen Lock Timeout you choose. Your iPhone must have a passcode set first. It is separate from your Signal PIN. It uses your iPhone's Face ID or passcode rather than a separate code. ### Do Signal settings sync to my iPad? The iOS lock and hidden status don't sync with iCloud; set them on each device. Signal has an iPad app, so repeat the steps there. ## Sources - [Apple Support: Lock or hide an app on iPhone](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/lock-or-hide-an-app-iph00f208d05/ios) - [Signal Support: Screen Lock](https://support.signal.org/hc/en-us/articles/360007059572-Screen-Lock) - [Signal Support: Screen Security](https://support.signal.org/hc/en-us/articles/360043469312-Screen-Security) - [Signal Support: Set and manage disappearing messages](https://support.signal.org/hc/en-us/articles/360007320771-Set-and-manage-disappearing-messages) - [Signal Support: In-App Notification Options](https://support.signal.org/hc/en-us/articles/360043273491-In-App-Notification-Options) ## Signal guides - [How to hide Signal on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/hide-apps/signal) - [How to lock Signal on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/lock-apps/signal) - [How to hide photos in Signal](https://www.vaultforyou.app/hide-photos/signal) ## Other messaging apps - [Messages privacy on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/apps/messages) - [WhatsApp privacy on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/apps/whatsapp) - [Facebook Messenger privacy on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/apps/messenger) - [Telegram privacy on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/apps/telegram) - [LINE privacy on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/apps/line) - [Viber privacy on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/apps/viber) ## Browse - [All apps](https://www.vaultforyou.app/apps) - [Hide apps on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/hide-apps) - [Lock apps on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/lock-apps) - [Block apps on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/block-apps) - [Hide photos on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/hide-photos) --- Our guides are written and fact-checked by the VaultForYou team against Apple's own documentation. We make VaultForYou, a private vault app for iPhone. Download on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/vaultforyou/id0000000000