Works for Personal Diary whether or not it has its own passcode. No download needed.
Touch and hold Personal Diary's icon, tap Require Face ID, then confirm. On iOS 18 and later that puts Personal Diary 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 Personal Diary with Face ID
- Find Personal Diary 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. Personal Diary now asks for authentication every time it opens.
To test it, close Personal Diary from the App Switcher and open it again. You should see the Face ID prompt before any content appears.
Hide Personal Diary in App Library
- Touch and hold Personal Diary'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 Personal Diary?
Personal Diary's privacy label lists location — 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 Personal Diary sends to its developer; for that, see Personal Diary's full privacy report.
What the lock does and does not do
It does
- Ask for Face ID, Touch ID or passcode every time Personal Diary opens
- Hide message previews in notifications
- Keep Personal Diary'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 Personal Diary stores data
- Sync to your iPad or other devices
- Remove Personal Diary 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 Personal Diary
Location
Settings › Privacy & Security › Location Services › Personal Diary. Choose While Using or Never, and switch off Precise Location if a city-level answer is enough.
Notifications
Settings › Notifications › Personal Diary › Show Previews: When Unlocked keeps message and account details off the Lock Screen.
Personal Diary's full privacy label
None declared
None declared
Lock these apps too
After you lock Personal Diary
Done. You have applied every control the label points to.
FAQ
Does Personal Diary have its own passcode?
What happens to Personal Diary's notifications when it is locked?
Can someone who knows my passcode open a locked app?
Is a locked Personal Diary encrypted?
Why can't I see the Require Face ID option?
Does hiding Personal Diary remove it from my purchase history?
Is Personal Diary safe? Full privacy report →Does Personal Diary track you? →Lock an app: A–Z →All lifestyle apps →