--- title: "YouTube Privacy on iPhone: Hide, Lock and Limit It (iOS 27)" description: "YouTube privacy settings on iPhone: lock, hide, limit and keep its photos private. Every iOS and in-app setting, checked for iOS 27." url: https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/apps/youtube lang: en-gb published: 2026-10-31 updated: 2026-10-31 author: "VaultForYou Editorial Team" publisher: VaultForYou --- # YouTube privacy on iPhone: every setting > Every way to hide, lock and limit YouTube 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 - 31 Oct 2026 ## Quick answer You can lock YouTube 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. YouTube has no lock of its own. Inside the app, turn on Incognito, delete or pause search and watch history, make a playlist private and keep your subscriptions private are available. - **Developer:** Google - **Own lock:** None - **Can be hidden:** Yes (iOS 18+) - **iPad app:** Yes You can lock YouTube 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. YouTube has no lock of its own. Inside the app, turn on Incognito, delete or pause search and watch history, make a playlist private and keep your subscriptions private are available. This page collects every privacy setting for YouTube on iPhone, from iOS and from YouTube's own settings, checked against official help pages in October 2026. ## YouTube guides | Task | Fastest method | Time | Guide | |---|---|---|---| | Hide apps | Hide and Require Face ID | 10 sec | [How to hide YouTube on iPhone](/en-gb/hide-apps/youtube) | | Block apps | Time Allowance | 2 min | [How to block YouTube on iPhone](/en-gb/block-apps/youtube) | ## What iOS can do with YouTube | Setting | Available for YouTube | 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 -> YouTube -> Show Previews | | Exclude from Siri and search | Yes | Settings -> Siri -> Excluded Apps | | Limit with Screen Time | Yes | Settings -> Screen Time -> Time Allowances | ## YouTube's own privacy settings ### Turn on Incognito Go to **Profile picture -> Accounts -> Turn on Incognito**. Your searches aren't saved, and your subscriptions and watch history don't shape what you see. You have to be signed in to use it. ### Delete or pause search and watch history Go to **Profile photo -> Settings -> Manage all history**. Tap close next to an item, or tap DELETE to remove a date range; deleting this way removes both search and watch history. To pause, open the Controls tab and uncheck Include your searches on YouTube or Include the YouTube videos you watch. ### Make a playlist private Go to **Profile picture -> Playlists -> View all -> choose the playlist -> Edit -> Privacy -> Save**. Set a playlist you made to private so only you can see it. ### Keep your subscriptions private Go to **Profile picture -> Settings -> Privacy**. This is on by default, so your account doesn't show in a channel's subscriber list. ### Notification previews Go to **Profile picture -> Settings -> Notifications**. Choose which YouTube notifications you get. ### Remind me to take a break Go to **Profile picture -> Settings -> General -> Remind me to take a break**. Turn it on and choose how often YouTube reminds you to take a break. A bedtime reminder is also available on iPhone, but not iPad. ### Restricted Mode Go to **Profile photo -> Settings -> General -> Restricted Mode**. Filters out potentially mature videos in the app. ### Supervised teen accounts A parent and teen can link their accounts. The parent can then see the teen's channel activity and set take-a-break and bedtime reminders from Family Center. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can you lock YouTube on iPhone? Yes. Touch and hold YouTube, tap Require Face ID and confirm. It then needs Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode to open. YouTube has no separate lock of its own. ### Can you hide YouTube on iPhone? Yes. On iOS 18 or later, touch and hold YouTube, 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 YouTube have its own passcode? No. YouTube relies on iOS for locking. Use Require Face ID, which accepts Face ID, Touch ID or your iPhone passcode. For a separate code, Screen Time with its own passcode is an option. ### Do YouTube settings sync to my iPad? The iOS lock and hidden status don't sync with iCloud; set them on each device. YouTube 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) - [YouTube Help: Browse YouTube while incognito on mobile devices](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9040743?co=GENIE.Platform%3DiOS) - [YouTube Help: View or delete your YouTube search history (iPhone & iPad)](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/57711?co=GENIE.Platform%3DiOS) - [YouTube Help: Change playlist privacy setting (iPhone & iPad)](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/3127309?co=GENIE.Platform%3DiOS) - [YouTube Help: Take a break reminder (iPhone & iPad)](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9012523?co=GENIE.Platform%3DiOS) ## YouTube guides - [How to hide YouTube on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/hide-apps/youtube) - [How to block YouTube on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/block-apps/youtube) ## Other social apps - [Instagram privacy on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/apps/instagram) - [Snapchat privacy on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/apps/snapchat) - [TikTok privacy on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/apps/tiktok) - [Facebook privacy on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/apps/facebook) - [Reddit privacy on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/apps/reddit) - [Discord privacy on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/apps/discord) ## Browse - [All apps](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/apps) - [Hide apps on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/hide-apps) - [Lock apps on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/lock-apps) - [Block apps on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/block-apps) - [Hide photos on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/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