---
title: "What Is Require Face ID on iPhone? The iOS App Lock Explained"
description: "Require Face ID is the iOS 18+ app lock: an app then asks for Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode every time it opens. What it hides, and what it doesn't."
url: https://www.vaultforyou.app/glossary/app-lock
lang: en
published: 2026-10-31
updated: 2026-10-31
author: "VaultForYou Editorial Team"
publisher: VaultForYou
---

# What is App lock (Require Face ID)?

Published 2026-10-31 - Updated 2026-10-31 - By VaultForYou Editorial Team - Checked against iOS 27 - Oct 31, 2026

## Quick answer

Require Face ID is Apple's app lock, added in iOS 18. A locked app asks for Face ID, Touch ID or your iPhone passcode every time it opens, and its content stops appearing in notification previews, search, Siri suggestions, CarPlay and call history.

- **Turn on:** Touch and hold the app -> Require Face ID -> Require Face ID.
- **Opens with:** Face ID, Touch ID or your iPhone passcode.
- **Can't lock:** Some built-in apps, such as Camera, Calculator and Settings.

The lock relocks every time you quit the app. To remove it, touch and hold the app, tap **Don't Require Face ID** and authenticate.

It isn't a separate password: your iPhone passcode opens every locked app, and so does any face or fingerprint enrolled on the phone. Apple has listed some built-in apps that can't be locked, including Calculator, Camera, Clock, Contacts, Find My, Maps, Shortcuts and Settings. Lock status doesn't sync to your other devices.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can someone open a locked app with my passcode?

Yes. Require Face ID accepts Face ID, Touch ID or your iPhone passcode, so anyone who knows the passcode can open every locked app. To protect something from that person, you need a lock with its own separate code, which a few apps offer.

### Does Require Face ID hide the app icon?

No. A locked app keeps its icon on the Home Screen. To hide the icon too, choose Hide and Require Face ID in the same menu, which moves an App Store app into the locked Hidden folder in App Library.

## Sources

- [Apple Support: Lock or hide an app on iPhone](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/lock-or-hide-an-app-iph00f208d05/ios)

## Guides that use this term

- [How to lock apps on iPhone, with Face ID or without it](https://www.vaultforyou.app/blog/lock-apps-iphone)
- [How to lock photos on iPhone: 4 ways, and what each one really locks](https://www.vaultforyou.app/blog/lock-photos-on-iphone)
- [Lock apps on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/lock-apps)

## Related terms

- [Hidden folder](https://www.vaultforyou.app/glossary/hidden-folder)
- [Screen Time passcode](https://www.vaultforyou.app/glossary/screen-time-passcode)

## Browse

- [All glossary terms](https://www.vaultforyou.app/glossary)

---

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