Disable These Lock Screen Options to Make Your iPhone Much More Secure

Despite the iPhone’s many security features, the Lock Screen still shows a lot of things that you probably want to hide. Whether it’s notifications, your Today View, or even your widgets, the Lock Screen isn’t as private as some of us may like.

It’s not always a bad thing, though. Many people like to have access to their camera, notifications, and other things, even if the iPhone is locked. Still, if you feel like you don’t want to share that much, there are a few things you might want to hide from your Lock Screen. Here’s how to do it.

What Does the iPhone’s Lock Screen Show?

Believe it or not, the iPhone’s Lock Screen shows quite a lot of information, and it also lets you access many features without even unlocking your device. As of right now, this is what your iPhone lets you access when your screen is locked:

1. Today View.
2. Notification Center.
3. Control Center.
4. Siri.
5. You can reply in the Message app.
6. You can return missed calls.
7. Home control.
8. Apple Wallet.
9. Allow USB accessories.
10. Disable your Focus profile.

There are quite a lot of things here. Sure, returning a miss call is probably not that big of a deal. But letting someone have access to your Notification Center or Wallet might be too much to allow when your iPhone is locked. Fortunately, you can change this immediately. 

How to Disable Options to Secure Your iPhone’s Lock Screen

By default, almost every option we listed above is likely enabled on your iPhone. The good news is you can change this any time you want. Just follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Scroll down and go to Face ID & Passcode.
3. Enter your passcode.
4. Scroll down to the bottom.
5. Disable all the options that you don’t want to access from your Lock Screen.

And that’s it! You can now control basically everything that’s available on your iPhone’s Lock Screen. Although, you may want to customize it a little bit further so your Lock Screen is even more secure. 

How to Hide Notification Previews from Specific Apps

It’s possible that you just want to hide the notifications you get from a specific app. If that’s the case, you won’t want to lose access to the Notification Center on your Lock Screen. Fortunately, you can make it so that a specific app won’t show a preview on the Lock Screen. That way, you can still access the notification without revealing too many details. Just follow these steps:

1. Go to the Settings app.
2. Tap on Notifications.
3. Select the app you want to change. 
4. Tap on Show Previews.
5. Select Never.

If you don’t want to pick and choose which apps are going to show previews, you can change it in the Notifications settings. Just tap Show Previews and then select Never.

You can also disable notifications for a specific app in the Notification settings. That way, you won’t have to worry about any banners popping on your screen. Just select the app you want to change and then toggle Allow Notifications off. 

How to Disable Your Camera from Your iPhone’s Lock Screen

You probably noticed that you can still access your camera even if your iPhone is locked. The good news is that you can block your camera from your Lock Screen. The bad news is you won’t be able to use it. It’s a bit much, but this is the only way to hide your camera completely if you want full control. We don’t recommend doing this, but fortunately, it’s still pretty easy to disable or enable your camera from your Lock Screen with a few taps.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap on Screen Time.
3. If you’re not currently using Screen Time, follow the instructions on the screen first to enable it.
4. Scroll down and tap on Content & Privacy Restrictions.
5. Select Allowed Apps.
6. Toggle Camera off. 

Give it go. Lock your screen and try to access your camera without unlocking your iPhone. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to find the Camera app on your iPhone until you go back and enable the camera again by following the steps above.

Last but not least, you can make it so your iPhone won’t show you any notification banners when your iPhone is locked. Just select the app you want to change and, under Alerts, disable the Lock Screen option. Keep in mind, though, you’ll still be able to watch the notification on your Lock Screen, but it won’t show a banner to alert you.