# How to lock Safari on iPhone

> Lock Safari on iPhone: touch and hold its icon and tap Require Face ID (iOS 18+). It can be locked but not hidden. Or use Safari's Locked Private Browsing.

Source: https://lockphotosoniphone.com/lock-app/safari/ · Updated 2026-11-01 · By VaultForYou

![Safari quick actions menu with Require Face ID on iPhone](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/img/lock-app--safari.png)

- Require Face ID
- Can't hide
- In-app: Locked Private Browsing

Built-in Apple app. Safari keeps your open tabs and history, and a borrowed phone often ends up in the browser.

- **Lock:** Yes
- **Hide:** No
- **Needs:** iOS 18+
- **In-app lock:** Yes

**Quick answer:** To lock Safari, touch and hold its icon on the Home Screen and tap **Require Face ID** (Require Touch ID or Passcode on some iPhones). Needs **iOS 18 or later**. Safari came with your iPhone, so it **can be locked but not hidden**. Safari also has its own **Locked Private Browsing**.

What it covers

## What locking Safari covers

- **Require Face ID**Whole app, iOS 18+
- **Hide in App Library**Built-in apps can't hide
- **Safari's own lock**Locked Private Browsing
- **Notification previews**Content kept out when locked
- **Search and Siri suggestions**Content kept out when locked
- **Other devices**Lock doesn't sync via iCloud
- **Someone with your passcode**Passcode still opens it

Good to know about Safari

- Safari came with your iPhone, so it can be locked but not hidden.
- Private windows lock when Safari leaves the foreground, when you switch out of Private Browsing, and when your iPhone locks.
- Normal tabs and history are not covered. Locking the whole app covers them.

3 steps

## Lock Safari with Face ID

Apple's Require Face ID, iOS 18 and later.

**Tap:** Hold icon › Require Face ID › Confirm

1. **Touch and hold the Safari icon.** On the Home Screen, touch and hold the app icon until the quick actions menu opens.
2. **Tap Require Face ID.** Tap **Require Face ID**. iOS 18 or later.
3. **Confirm with Face ID.** Confirm with Face ID or your passcode. From now on the app asks before it opens.

Built into Safari

## Safari's own lock: Locked Private Browsing

**Tap:** Settings › Apps › Safari › Require Face ID to Unlock Private Browsing

Settings › Apps › Safari › **Require Face ID to Unlock Private Browsing**.

- **Opens with:** Face ID, Touch ID or your iPhone passcode
- **Covers:** Private Browsing windows only
- **Own code:** No, uses your passcode

Compare

## Ways to lock Safari, side by side

| Method | Opens with | What it covers | Code separate from passcode | Needs |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Require Face ID](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/glossary/require-face-id/) | Face ID, Touch ID or your iPhone passcode | The whole Safari app | No | iOS 18 or later |
| Locked Private Browsing (in Safari) | Face ID, Touch ID or your iPhone passcode | Private Browsing windows only | No | iOS 17 |
| [Guided Access](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/locks/guided-access/) | A separate Guided Access passcode | Keeps your iPhone in one app while someone holds it | Yes | Any iOS version |

Older iPhones

## Safari on iOS 17 and earlier

Require Face ID and hidden apps arrived in iOS 18. Before that:

- **Locked Private Browsing:** Settings › Apps › Safari › **Require Face ID to Unlock Private Browsing**. iOS 17 or later.
- **Guided Access:** Settings › Accessibility › Guided Access. Keeps your iPhone in one app; [steps](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/locks/guided-access/).
- **Screen Time:** Settings › Screen Time › App Limits. Built for time limits, not privacy.

Questions

## Locking Safari: questions

### How do I lock Safari on iPhone?

Touch and hold the Safari icon on your Home Screen, tap Require Face ID, then confirm with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode. iPhones with Touch ID say Require Touch ID instead. You need iOS 18 or later. From then on Safari asks before it opens, and relocks after you quit it.

### Can I hide Safari on iPhone?

No. Safari came with your iPhone, and Apple only lets you hide apps you download from the App Store. You can still lock it with Require Face ID, so it asks for Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode before it opens. The icon stays where it is.

### Should I use Locked Private Browsing or Require Face ID?

Locked Private Browsing, built into Safari, covers Private Browsing windows only. It opens with Face ID, Touch ID or your iPhone passcode. Require Face ID locks the whole app instead, with Face ID or your passcode. Both accept your iPhone passcode, so neither stops someone who knows it.

### Does locking Safari hide its notifications?

Apple says information inside a locked app won't appear in notification previews, search, Siri suggestions or CarPlay. The lock applies only to the iPhone where you set it; the locked status doesn't sync to your other devices through iCloud, so lock it on each one.

### How do I lock Safari on iOS 17 or earlier?

Require Face ID needs iOS 18. Older versions have no built-in way to lock Safari apart from Locked Private Browsing where your iOS supports it. Guided Access keeps your iPhone in one app while someone holds it. Updating to iOS 18 or later, if your iPhone supports it, adds Require Face ID.

Sources

## Where these facts come from

- [Apple iPhone User Guide: Lock or hide an app](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/lock-or-hide-an-app-iph00f208d05/ios)
- [Apple Support: Locked Private Browsing in Safari](https://support.apple.com/en-us/105028)

iPhone and Apple app names are trademarks of Apple Inc. This site isn't affiliated with Apple.

## Related

- [What is Require Face ID](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/glossary/require-face-id/)
- [Lock Chrome](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/lock-app/chrome/)
- [What is App Library](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/glossary/app-library/)
- [Every app you can lock](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/lock-app/)