# How to lock YouTube on iPhone

> Lock YouTube on iPhone: touch and hold its icon and tap Require Face ID (iOS 18+). You can also hide it in App Library. Steps, limits and FAQ.

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

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

- Require Face ID
- Can hide
- No in-app lock found

App Store app by Google. YouTube shows your watch history and recommendations, and kids pick it up first.

- **Lock:** Yes
- **Hide:** Yes
- **Needs:** iOS 18+
- **In-app lock:** None found

**Quick answer:** To lock YouTube, 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.

What it covers

## What locking YouTube covers

- **Require Face ID**Whole app, iOS 18+
- **Hide in App Library**Hidden folder, locked
- **YouTube's own lock**None found in its help
- **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 YouTube

- For a child's phone, Screen Time limits fit better than a Face ID lock: they use a separate Screen Time passcode.

6 steps

## Lock and hide YouTube

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 YouTube 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**. YouTube 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.

Compare

## Ways to lock YouTube, 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 YouTube 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 |
| [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

## YouTube on iOS 17 and earlier

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

- **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 YouTube: questions

### How do I lock YouTube on iPhone?

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

### Can I hide YouTube on iPhone?

Yes. YouTube 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.

### Does YouTube have its own lock?

We found no app lock for iPhone in Google's help center, so Require Face ID is the built-in way to lock YouTube. It works on iOS 18 and later and opens with Face ID, Touch ID or your iPhone passcode, so anyone who knows your passcode can still open it.

### Does locking YouTube 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 YouTube on iOS 17 or earlier?

Require Face ID needs iOS 18. Older versions have no built-in way to lock YouTube. 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 iPhone User Guide: Block features or content with Screen Time](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/block-features-or-content-with-screen-time-iph3ff83f3b1/ios)

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

## Related

- [Lock TikTok](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/lock-app/tiktok/)
- [Guided Access](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/locks/guided-access/)
- [What is App Library](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/glossary/app-library/)
- [Every app you can lock](https://lockphotosoniphone.com/lock-app/)