--- title: "How to Lock Signal on iPhone: 4 Ways (iOS 27)" description: "Lock Signal on iPhone with Face ID in 10 seconds: touch and hold it, tap Require Face ID. Plus Signal's own Screen Lock and what each lock protects." url: https://www.vaultforyou.app/lock-apps/signal lang: en published: 2026-10-31 updated: 2026-10-31 author: "VaultForYou Editorial Team" publisher: VaultForYou --- # How to lock Signal on iPhone > Face ID can guard Signal in 10 seconds. Signal's own lock goes further. Published 2026-10-31 - Updated 2026-10-31 - By VaultForYou Editorial Team - Checked against iOS 27 - Oct 31, 2026 ## Quick answer Touch and hold the Signal icon, tap Require Face ID, then tap it again to confirm. Signal then asks for Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode every time it opens. It works on iOS 18 or later and takes about 10 seconds. Signal also has its own lock: Screen Lock. - **Fastest way:** Touch and hold -> Require Face ID -> confirm. - **Own lock:** Screen Lock. - **Opens with:** Face ID, Touch ID or your iPhone passcode. - **Other devices:** The iOS lock doesn't sync. Set it on each device. - **iOS version:** iOS 18 or later - **Time needed:** About 10 seconds - **Difficulty:** Easy - **Needs an app?:** No - **Reversible?:** Yes - **Separate code?:** No iOS can lock Signal with Face ID in about 10 seconds, and Signal adds Screen Lock. Below: 4 ways to lock it, and what each one does and doesn't protect. We checked the iOS steps against Apple's iOS 27 documentation and Signal's settings against its official help pages in October 2026. ## Method 1: Lock Signal with Face ID (iOS 18 and later) 1. **Find Signal on your Home Screen** Touch and hold the Signal icon until the quick actions menu opens. 2. **Tap Require Face ID** On iPhones with Touch ID it says Require Touch ID. Require Passcode is also offered. 3. **Confirm** Tap Require Face ID again and authenticate. Signal now asks for Face ID every time it opens. Signal relocks each time you leave it. Apple says information inside a locked app won't appear in notification previews, search or Siri suggestions. **What this does not do:** your iPhone passcode opens every locked app. So does anyone whose face or fingerprint is enrolled on your phone. ## Method 2: Signal's own lock ### 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. This lock uses the same Face ID or passcode as your iPhone, so it adds a second prompt, not a second secret. ## iOS lock vs Signal's own lock | | iOS Require Face ID | Screen Lock | |---|---|---| | Opens with | Face ID, Touch ID or iPhone passcode | Face ID, Touch ID or iPhone passcode | | Separate from iPhone passcode | No | No | | Hides notification content | Yes | Depends on the app | | Set where | Home Screen, touch and hold the icon | Inside Signal | ## Method 3: Lock and hide Signal together In the same menu, **Hide and Require Face ID** locks Signal and moves it to the Hidden folder in App Library. See [how to hide Signal](/hide-apps/signal). ## Locking Signal doesn't lock its photos Photos you saved from Signal are in your camera roll, outside the lock. Move them into a vault and delete the originals from Photos. > **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) ## How to unlock Signal again Touch and hold Signal, tap **Don't Require Face ID**, then authenticate. To stop Signal using Face ID for its own sign-in, go to **Settings -> Face ID & Passcode -> Other Apps** and turn it off. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can I lock Signal on my iPhone? Yes. On iOS 18 or later, touch and hold Signal, tap Require Face ID, then confirm. It then needs Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode every time it opens. Signal also has its own lock, Screen Lock. ### How do I lock Signal without Face ID? Use the same menu. On iPhones with Touch ID it reads Require Touch ID, and you can choose your passcode instead. Screen Time with a Screen Time passcode is another option that uses a different code. ### Can someone open Signal if they know my passcode? Yes, if you only use Require Face ID: it accepts your iPhone passcode. To stop someone who knows your passcode, you need a lock with its own separate code, such as a Screen Time passcode. ### Does locking Signal hide its notifications? It hides what's inside them. Apple says information from a locked app won't appear in notification previews, search or Siri suggestions. The icon stays on your Home Screen. To hide the icon too, use Hide and Require Face ID. ### Does a lock on Signal carry over to my iPad? No. Apple says locked and hidden apps don't sync with iCloud. The lock only applies to the iPhone where you set it. Lock Signal separately on your iPad with the same menu (iPadOS 18 or later). ## Bottom line Require Face ID locks Signal in about 10 seconds. Signal's Screen Lock adds a second prompt inside the app. ## Sources - [Apple Support: Lock or hide an app on iPhone](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/lock-or-hide-an-app-iph00f208d05/ios) - [Apple Personal Safety User Guide: Lock or hide apps on your iPhone](https://support.apple.com/guide/personal-safety/ipsd0be4c185/web) - [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) ## More Signal privacy guides - [How to hide Signal on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/hide-apps/signal) - [How to hide photos in Signal](https://www.vaultforyou.app/hide-photos/signal) - [Signal privacy on iPhone: every setting](https://www.vaultforyou.app/apps/signal) ## Lock apps for other apps - [How to lock WhatsApp on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/lock-apps/whatsapp) - [How to lock Facebook Messenger on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/lock-apps/messenger) - [How to lock Telegram on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/lock-apps/telegram) - [How to lock LINE on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/lock-apps/line) - [How to lock Photos on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/lock-apps/photos) - [How to lock Safari on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/lock-apps/safari) - [All lock-app guides](https://www.vaultforyou.app/lock-apps) ## The full guide - [How to lock apps on iPhone, with Face ID or without it](https://www.vaultforyou.app/blog/lock-apps-iphone) --- 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