# How to lock WhatsApp on iPhone

> Lock WhatsApp on iPhone: touch and hold its icon and tap Require Face ID (iOS 18+). You can also hide it in App Library. Or use its Screen Lock.

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

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

- Require Face ID
- Can hide
- In-app: Screen Lock and Chat lock

App Store app by Meta. Chats, photos and voice notes all sit one tap from the Home Screen.

- **Lock:** Yes
- **Hide:** Yes
- **Needs:** iOS 18+
- **In-app lock:** Yes

**Quick answer:** To lock WhatsApp, 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**. To also hide it, choose **Hide and Require Face ID**, then **Hide App**: it moves to the locked Hidden folder in App Library. WhatsApp also has its own **Screen Lock and Chat lock**.

What it covers

## What locking WhatsApp covers

- **Require Face ID**Whole app, iOS 18+
- **Hide in App Library**Hidden folder, locked
- **WhatsApp's own lock**Screen Lock and Chat lock
- **Notification previews**Content kept out when locked
- **Search and Siri suggestions**Content kept out when locked
- **Call history**Calls kept out when locked
- **Other devices**Lock doesn't sync via iCloud
- **Someone with your passcode**Passcode still opens it

Good to know about WhatsApp

- Calls from a locked WhatsApp stay out of your iPhone call history, per Apple.
- With Screen Lock on, WhatsApp says you can still reply from notifications and answer calls.
- **Chat lock** moves single chats into a Locked chats folder, with an optional secret code that differs from your passcode.
- Notifications from a locked chat show "WhatsApp" instead of the sender, per WhatsApp.

6 steps

## Lock and hide WhatsApp

Steps 1–3 lock it. Steps 4–6 also hide it.

**Tap:** Hold icon › Require Face ID › Hide and Require Face ID › Hide App

1. **Touch and hold the WhatsApp 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.
4. **Tap Hide and Require Face ID.** After **Require Face ID** in the quick actions menu, tap **Hide and Require Face ID** (Touch ID or Passcode on some iPhones), then authenticate.
5. **Tap Hide App.** Tap **Hide App**. WhatsApp leaves your Home Screen and moves to the **Hidden** folder at the bottom of App Library.
6. **Open it from App Library.** Swipe left past your last Home Screen page, tap **Hidden** at the bottom of App Library, authenticate, then tap the app.

Built into WhatsApp

## WhatsApp's own lock: Screen Lock and Chat lock

**Tap:** WhatsApp Settings › Privacy › Screen Lock › Require Face ID

WhatsApp Settings › Privacy › **Screen Lock** › Require Face ID (Account › Privacy on older versions).

- **Opens with:** Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode; locked chats can add a secret code
- **Covers:** The whole app, or single chats
- **Own code:** No, uses your passcode

Compare

## Ways to lock WhatsApp, 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 WhatsApp app | No | iOS 18 or later |
| Hide in App Library | Face ID, Touch ID or your iPhone passcode | Removes the icon from Home Screen, App Library and search | No | iOS 18 or later |
| Screen Lock and Chat lock (in WhatsApp) | Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode; locked chats can add a secret code | The whole app, or single chats | No | Any recent WhatsApp version |
| [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

## WhatsApp on iOS 17 and earlier

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

- **Screen Lock and Chat lock:** WhatsApp Settings › Privacy › **Screen Lock** › Require Face ID (Account › Privacy on older versions). Doesn't need iOS 18.
- **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.
- **Photos you want locked:** The [Hidden album](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/locks/hidden-album/) locks on iOS 16+, or a [locked note](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/locks/locked-note/).

> Photos and videos behind a lock your passcode can't openVaultForYou keeps the photos, videos and documents you choose in a private vault that opens only with a pattern you draw. [Get VaultForYou](https://www.vaultforyou.app/)Free to download · iPhone, iOS 16 or later

Questions

## Locking WhatsApp: questions

### How do I lock WhatsApp on iPhone?

Touch and hold the WhatsApp 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 WhatsApp asks before it opens, and relocks after you quit it.

### Can I hide WhatsApp on iPhone?

Yes. WhatsApp comes from the App Store, so after Require Face ID you can tap Hide and Require Face ID, then Hide App. It moves to the locked Hidden folder at the bottom of App Library. Its name still appears in Screen Time, battery usage and App Store purchases.

### Should I use Screen Lock and Chat lock or Require Face ID?

Screen Lock and Chat lock, built into WhatsApp, covers the whole app, or single chats. It opens with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode; locked chats can add a secret code. 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 WhatsApp hide its notifications?

Apple says information inside a locked app won't appear in notification previews, search, Siri suggestions, CarPlay or your call history. 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 WhatsApp on iOS 17 or earlier?

Require Face ID needs iOS 18. On older versions, use Screen Lock and Chat lock inside WhatsApp. 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)
- [WhatsApp Help Center: Touch ID or Face ID for WhatsApp](https://faq.whatsapp.com/876873509397404/)
- [WhatsApp Help Center: Turn chat lock on or off](https://faq.whatsapp.com/764072925284841/)

WhatsApp is a trademark of its owner. This site isn't affiliated with Meta or Apple.

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