Works for The Vault whether or not it has its own passcode. No download needed.
Touch and hold The Vault's icon, tap Require Face ID, then confirm. On iOS 18 and later that puts The Vault 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 The Vault with Face ID
- Find The Vault 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. The Vault now asks for authentication every time it opens.
To test it, close The Vault from the App Switcher and open it again. You should see the Face ID prompt before any content appears.
Hide The Vault in App Library
- Touch and hold The Vault'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 The Vault?
The Vault is a encrypted notes app, the kind of app that tends to hold personal information you would not want on screen if someone borrows your unlocked phone. Notes apps quietly collect some of your most personal writing. 'Encrypted' can mean encrypted in transit, at rest on the server, or end-to-end — only the last keeps the developer out.
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 The Vault sends to its developer; for that, see The Vault's full privacy report.
What the lock does and does not do
It does
- Ask for Face ID, Touch ID or passcode every time The Vault opens
- Hide message previews in notifications
- Keep The Vault'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 The Vault stores data
- Sync to your iPad or other devices
- Remove The Vault 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 The Vault
Notifications
Settings › Notifications › The Vault › Show Previews: When Unlocked keeps message and account details off the Lock Screen.
The Vault's full privacy label
The developer states that no data is collected from this app.
Lock these apps too
After you lock The Vault
Done. You have applied every control the label points to.
FAQ
Does The Vault have its own passcode?
What happens to The Vault's notifications when it is locked?
Can someone who knows my passcode open a locked app?
Is a locked The Vault encrypted?
Why can't I see the Require Face ID option?
Does hiding The Vault remove it from my purchase history?
Is The Vault safe? Full privacy report →Does The Vault track you? →Lock an app: A–Z →All productivity apps →