Works for AWS Wickr whether or not it has its own passcode. No download needed.
Touch and hold AWS Wickr's icon, tap Require Face ID, then confirm. On iOS 18 and later that puts AWS Wickr 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 AWS Wickr with Face ID
- Find AWS Wickr 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. AWS Wickr now asks for authentication every time it opens.
To test it, close AWS Wickr from the App Switcher and open it again. You should see the Face ID prompt before any content appears.
Hide AWS Wickr in App Library
- Touch and hold AWS Wickr'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 AWS Wickr?
AWS Wickr is a secure messenger, the kind of app that tends to hold personal information you would not want on screen if someone borrows your unlocked phone. Messengers see who you talk to as well as what you say. Even with end-to-end encrypted content, contact lists and metadata can be collected and linked to you.
Productivity apps tend to collect the work you do in them — documents, notes and files — so User Content is common. The question is whether it syncs to the developer's servers and how it is protected there.
A lock answers one question — who can open the app on this iPhone. It does not change what AWS Wickr sends to its developer; for that, see AWS Wickr's full privacy report.
What the lock does and does not do
It does
- Ask for Face ID, Touch ID or passcode every time AWS Wickr opens
- Hide message previews in notifications
- Keep AWS Wickr'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 AWS Wickr stores data
- Sync to your iPad or other devices
- Remove AWS Wickr 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 AWS Wickr
Tracking
Settings › Privacy & Security › Tracking. If “Allow Apps to Request to Track” is off, apps cannot ask, and they are told to treat you as having declined. You can also turn it off for this app alone.
Contacts
Settings › Privacy & Security › Contacts. Limited Access shares only the people you select instead of your whole address book.
Microphone & camera
Settings › Privacy & Security › Microphone and Camera. The orange and green dots in the status bar show when either is in use.
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 › AWS Wickr › Show Previews: When Unlocked keeps message and account details off the Lock Screen.
AWS Wickr's full privacy label
None declared
None declared
Lock these apps too
After you lock AWS Wickr
Done. You have applied every control the label points to.
FAQ
Does AWS Wickr have its own passcode?
What happens to AWS Wickr's notifications when it is locked?
Can someone who knows my passcode open a locked app?
Is a locked AWS Wickr encrypted?
Why can't I see the Require Face ID option?
Does hiding AWS Wickr remove it from my purchase history?
Is AWS Wickr safe? Full privacy report →Does AWS Wickr track you? →Lock an app: A–Z →All productivity apps →