Works for My Life Journal whether or not it has its own passcode. No download needed.
Touch and hold My Life Journal's icon, tap Require Face ID, then confirm. On iOS 18 and later that puts My Life Journal behind Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode; choose Hide and Require Face ID instead to move it into App Library's Hidden folder as well.
Lock My Life Journal with Face ID
- Find My Life Journal on your Home Screen or in App Library.
- Touch and hold the icon until the quick-actions menu opens.
- Tap Require Face ID (or Require Touch ID / Require Passcode, depending on your iPhone).
- Tap Require Face ID again to confirm. My Life Journal now asks for authentication every time it opens.
To test it, close My Life Journal from the App Switcher and open it again. You should see the Face ID prompt before any content appears.
Hide My Life Journal in App Library
- Touch and hold My Life Journal's icon and tap Require Face ID.
- Choose Hide and Require Face ID instead of Require Face ID.
- Confirm. The icon leaves your Home Screen and moves to the Hidden folder at the bottom of App Library.
- To open it later, swipe to App Library, tap Hidden and authenticate.
Hiding also locks the app. To undo either, touch and hold the icon again and choose Don't Require Face ID.
Why lock My Life Journal?
My Life Journal's privacy label lists location and user content — the kind of data you would not want on screen if someone borrows your unlocked phone. Journals collect your private thoughts, moods and often your location and photos. A lock screen inside the app is not the same as encryption of the synced entries.
Lifestyle apps cover family, home and personal organisation, and often combine location, contacts and photos in one place.
A lock answers one question — who can open the app on this iPhone. It does not change what My Life Journal sends to its developer; for that, see My Life Journal's full privacy report.
What the lock does and does not do
It does
- Ask for Face ID, Touch ID or passcode every time My Life Journal opens
- Hide message previews in notifications
- Keep My Life Journal's content out of Spotlight and Siri suggestions
- With Hide, remove the icon from the Home Screen
It does not
- Stop someone who knows your passcode
- Encrypt or change how My Life Journal stores data
- Sync to your iPad or other devices
- Remove My Life Journal from purchase history or Screen Time reports
Don't see Require Face ID?
- Update to iOS 18 or later in Settings › General › Software Update.
- Make sure a passcode is set in Settings › Face ID & Passcode; the lock needs one.
- Some Apple apps (Settings, Calculator, Camera, Maps, Find My, Clock) cannot be locked or hidden.
- If your iPhone is managed by work or school, the option may be restricted.
Other settings worth checking for My Life Journal
Location
Settings › Privacy & Security › Location Services › My Life Journal. Choose While Using or Never, and switch off Precise Location if a city-level answer is enough.
Photos
Settings › Privacy & Security › Photos. Limited Access lets you pick exactly which pictures the app can see; Add Photos Only lets it save without reading your library.
Sign-in
When creating an account, Sign in with Apple can give the app a relay address from Hide My Email instead of your real one.
Notifications
Settings › Notifications › My Life Journal › Show Previews: When Unlocked keeps message and account details off the Lock Screen.
My Life Journal's full privacy label
None declared
None declared
Lock these apps too
After you lock My Life Journal
Done. You have applied every control the label points to.
FAQ
Does My Life Journal have its own passcode?
What happens to My Life Journal's notifications when it is locked?
Can someone who knows my passcode open a locked app?
Is a locked My Life Journal encrypted?
Why can't I see the Require Face ID option?
Does hiding My Life Journal remove it from my purchase history?
Is My Life Journal safe? Full privacy report →Does My Life Journal track you? →Lock an app: A–Z →All lifestyle apps →