Works for Timeline whether or not it has its own passcode. No download needed.
Touch and hold Timeline's icon, tap Require Face ID, then confirm. On iOS 18 and later that puts Timeline 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 Timeline with Face ID
- Find Timeline 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. Timeline now asks for authentication every time it opens.
To test it, close Timeline from the App Switcher and open it again. You should see the Face ID prompt before any content appears.
Hide Timeline in App Library
- Touch and hold Timeline'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 Timeline?
Timeline is a journal & diary app, the kind of app that tends to hold personal information 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.
Health and fitness apps can read Apple Health data only for categories you approve, one by one. What they collect themselves is shown on the label.
A lock answers one question — who can open the app on this iPhone. It does not change what Timeline sends to its developer; for that, see Timeline's full privacy report.
What the lock does and does not do
It does
- Ask for Face ID, Touch ID or passcode every time Timeline opens
- Hide message previews in notifications
- Keep Timeline'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 Timeline stores data
- Sync to your iPad or other devices
- Remove Timeline 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 Timeline
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.
Health
Health app › your profile picture › Apps › Timeline. Turn categories on one at a time; the app cannot tell which ones you declined.
Notifications
Settings › Notifications › Timeline › Show Previews: When Unlocked keeps message and account details off the Lock Screen.
Timeline's full privacy label
None declared
None declared
Lock these apps too
After you lock Timeline
Done. You have applied every control the label points to.
FAQ
Does Timeline have its own passcode?
What happens to Timeline's notifications when it is locked?
Can someone who knows my passcode open a locked app?
Is a locked Timeline encrypted?
Why can't I see the Require Face ID option?
Does hiding Timeline remove it from my purchase history?
Is Timeline safe? Full privacy report →Does Timeline track you? →Lock an app: A–Z →All health & fitness apps →