iOS · iPhone & iPad
Lock the Messages App with Face ID on iPhone
Source-checked About 10 minutes
Answer
On current iOS, touch and hold Messages on the Home Screen, choose Require Face ID, Touch ID, or Passcode, and authenticate. The app relocks after you leave it.
Check the iOS version
Install the current iOS update. Native app locking is available on modern iOS releases; older Screen Time workarounds are not equivalent.
Lock Messages
On the Home Screen, touch and hold Messages, tap Require Face ID, Touch ID, or Passcode, then authenticate and confirm.
Open the locked app
Tap Messages and authenticate. After you leave the app, it locks again.
Protect notification previews
Open Settings > Notifications > Messages > Show Previews and choose When Unlocked or Never so message text is not exposed on the Lock Screen.
Remove the lock
Touch and hold Messages, choose Don't Require Face ID, Touch ID, or Passcode, and authenticate.
Video walkthrough
If it does not work
- If Require Face ID is unavailable, check iOS version, Screen Time, management, and app eligibility. Do not install a third-party vault that requests Messages access.
Sources and verification
Checked against official documentation on . Scope: iPhone & iPad.
Reviewed against the linked first-party guidance; interface labels can vary by current app, service, or operating-system version.