Every time you take your smartphone out of your pocket, some nosy friends take the opportunity to poke their noses into your apps? Do you often find yourself lending your smartphone to other people and would like to prevent them from accessing some private information, such as WhatsApp chats or photos? So I really believe that you need to take some solutions in this regard and that you need to protect your most “precious” apps with a password or a PIN.
How do you say? Have you already thought about it but, not being particularly knowledgeable in the technological field, you don’t know how to proceed? Don’t worry, you’ve come to the right place at the right time! With today’s tutorial, in fact, I will explain how to password applications using some solutions designed ad hoc and some security measures included “standard” in operating systems for smartphones.
You can rest assured that by carefully following the directions I am about to give you, you will be able not only to protect your most private information with a PIN, but also to discourage nosy friends from taking your phone and using it without your explicit permission. So, what are you waiting for to start? Find all the information you need right below!
Index
- How to password applications on Android
- Xiaomi
- Samsung
- HUAWEI
- OPPO
- App to put passwords to applications
- How to password applications on iPhone
- How to password applications on Windows
- How to password applications on Mac
How to password applications on Android
You have had an Android smartphone for some time now, but you have not yet managed to find the right setting to be able to password applications. Well I understand you, the Android OS is really feature rich and often some of them are hard to find. Don’t worry though, I’ll help you. Below I will show you how to password applications on Android on the devices of the main brands.
Xiaomi
You are really happy to use your Xiaomi smartphone on a daily basis because it comes with software that is really feature rich. However, there is only one thing that you still miss, in fact you have not yet been able to understand how to put the password to Android applications . Don’t despair, it’s easier than you think.
Xiaomi devices directly integrate an app lock function that allows you to set a password to applications, thus preventing unauthorized access to the latter. To activate this feature, open the Settings app , recognizable by the gear icon in the applications menu, tap on the App item and then on the App Lock item .
On the next screen, press the Activate button at the bottom and set a sequence , which will be requested whenever you want to access a blocked app. If you do not want to use the sequence, just tap on the Change password item and select the PIN or Password item , depending on your preferences (recommended operation). Once you have entered the pattern, PIN or password, tap the Next button .
Now you will be prompted to add your Mi account , which is the account you need to take full advantage of Xiaomi smartphones, which in this case could help you if you forget your PIN or password. To insert it, tap on the Login and add item ; if you prefer not to do it, click on the item Not now and then on the button Not now from the pop-up that appears.
Well, finally here we are: now you simply have to choose which apps to block access via PIN, password or pattern. Initially, not all installed apps will appear, but only some of them, for example Instagram , WhatsApp and Facebook . Then select the app you want to block, if it is in the list, and tap the Use App Lock button . On the next screen, there will be both the list of blocked apps, and the whole list of all installed apps not yet blocked. To block another app, all you have to do is set the activation lever next to its name to ON .
How do you say? You no longer need this feature and want to remove the app lock password? Don’t worry: to do this, just go back to the App lock section as I showed you previously, enter the key or the sequence to access this function (the same one you use to unlock locked apps) and set the activation lever to OFF placed next to the apps you have blocked.
Samsung
You have a Samsung smartphone and you really love the graphical interface made by the manufacturer, which is really feature-rich. Unfortunately, however, you have not yet figured out how to password applications on Samsung . Don’t worry, I’m here to help you.
Grab your Samsung smartphone and open the Settings app , usually recognizable by the gear icon in the application menu. Then tap on the Advanced Features item , scroll down and tap the Application Lock item .
On the next screen, activate the function by setting the activation lever at the top to ON and, after a few seconds, a screen will appear in which you will have to choose what type of lock to set, including Sign , PIN and Password . Furthermore, once you have chosen one of these, you can also decide to enable, or not, authentication via Face or Fingerprint .
Once the password is set, a list will open with all the apps installed on your device. To block one, all you have to do is set the activation lever next to the name of each individual app to ON . Once you have activated the app lock, you will see that every time you want to open a certain app, you will be asked to enter your PIN, password or pattern.
How do you say? Have you changed your mind and want to disable the login password for a particular app? To deactivate the password, all you have to do is re-enter the Application Lock section as I explained above, enter the PIN, password or sequence to confirm access and set the activation lever next to the name of the device to OFF. app you no longer want to be blocked from.
HUAWEI
If you have a HUAWEI smartphone , you can block access to some apps with a password, PIN or biometric authentication very easily, with an integrated function.
To be able to password applications, open Settings (the gear icon in the application menu) and go to Security> App lock . At this point, choose whether to use the unlock PIN of your device (or set it, if it is not yet set) or whether to create an ad hoc one for application blocking. I point out that in the first case you can unlock the apps even with only a fingerprint or face.
Alternatively, you can go to Settings> Biometrics and passwords and press on an item between Fingerprint ID and Face Recognition , whichever you prefer. Enter, therefore, the unlock PIN of your device (or set it, if it is not yet set) and, among the different items available, then activate the Access Lock app item , setting the activation lever next to the item to ON and by tapping the Activate button from the pop-up that appears on the screen. In the App Lock screen, then tap the Activate button at the bottom, and that’s it.
Now, regardless of the path taken, choose which apps to block by setting the activation lever next to their name to ON . Once you have activated the lock on a particular app, every time you want to open it you will necessarily have to authenticate yourself with a password, PIN or biometric authentication.
If you decide to remove the lock from a particular app, all you have to do is go back to the App lock section as I showed you previously and set its activation lever to OFF .
OPPO
You recently bought an OPPO smartphone but still struggle to familiarize yourself with the graphical interface of its operating system and can’t find some features. For this reason you still haven’t figured out how to put the password to Android applications on OPPO . Quiet, that’s what I’m here for.
Open, therefore, the Settings app , recognizable by the icon of a gear in the application menu, tap on the Privacy item and then on the App Lock item . In the screen that is proposed to you, now tap on the Settings button , in order to set the PIN, password or sequence through which you can unlock the locked apps.
The list of all the applications on your smartphone will appear. To block one, all you have to do is set the activation lever next to its name to ON . Once the lock is activated, the app will ask for the password before it can be opened.
If you have decided that this function does not interest you, you have to do is reopen the section app lock as I explained earlier you enter your PIN, password, or the sequence and set off the activation lever located next to name of the app that you no longer care about having the block active.
App to put passwords to applications
If you have a smartphone other than the ones mentioned in the previous chapters, you might think about using a third-party app to manage app blocking. On the Play Store and on the alternative markets there are several apps to put passwords to applications , but it often happens that not all of them are reliable. On the contrary. And given the high permissions that the latter require to function, it is good to pay close attention to this aspect.
In order not to take unnecessary risks, I suggest you take a look at my tutorial on apps to block apps , in which I explain everything in detail.
How to password applications on iPhone
You have been using an Apple smartphone for some time now , but despite this you still haven’t figured out how to password applications on iPhone .
Contrary to what happens on Android, it is not possible to enter a password to applications on the iPhone, but don’t worry, there is a workaround that could be for you. Starting with iOS 12 , Apple introduced the Screen Time feature that allows you to block access to applications. In this case, however, this function is more expressly indicated to limit the use of certain applications, such as games or social networks, but at the same time it can be used as an alternative method to block apps .
How do you say? Are you very curious and want to give it a try? Well, then open the Settings app , easily recognizable by the gear icon in the application menu, and tap the Usage time item . In this section, scroll down, tap on Use the “Usage time” code and set a PIN that will then be used to lock or unlock apps. Finally, enter your Apple ID , which will be used to retrieve the code in case you forget it.
Once this is done, you have to choose on which apps to apply this usage limit and, consequently, enable the PIN which will block access. On the Screen of Usage Time , tap on the item App restrictions , then on the item Add usage limitation and confirm the operation by entering the PIN created previously.
On the next screen, the system will offer you the list of all the apps divided by category, but to select only one in particular, just tap on a certain category and then select a specific app: for example, if you want to block Instagram , tap on the Social category and then on the Instagram item . Once you have selected all the apps you want to limit, tap the Next button at the top right.
On the next screen you will be asked how long to block the app. The minimum you can set is one minute , so after a minute inside the app or from when it has been opened, the app will lock and ask for the PIN code in order to log in. Make sure that the item Block at the end of the limit is active and tap the Add button at the top.
Once you have opened the app for more than a minute, you will see that a screen will appear warning you that you have reached the limit of time of use allowed.
If you want to unlock it and use it, all you have to do is tap on the entry Enter the code for “Usage time” and decide to use the app for 15 minutes, an hour or for the whole day . I also point out that from time to time you may be allowed to use it for another minute despite the block being active, by pressing the options Request more time and One more minute that will appear on the screen.
How do you say? Not happy with this feature and would like to disable it? To do this, open the Settings app , tap on the Usage time item and then on the App limitations item .
If you want to disable this function for all apps, just set the activation lever next to the App Limitations item to OFF . If, on the other hand, you simply want to disable a specific app, just tap on it from the list and then tap on the Delete limitation button .
How to password applications on Windows
Your Windows PC often ends up being used by other family members as well, but you may want to keep some applications private. For this reason, you wondered how to password applications on Windows , right?
I have good news for you. A password can also be set on a Windows PC to protect programs and applications from prying eyes. If you just want to block access to certain applications, programs or games, you can take a look at my tutorial on how to protect programs and games with a password , in which I show you several alternatives that may come in handy.
If, on the other hand, you need to have a child use the PC, you could opt for the use of the Parental Control function available on Windows 10 and later, thanks to which you can create an account specifically dedicated to a child, with all the limitations of the case, or for another family member. In this way, for example, you can create an environment suitable for a child, in order to protect them from the dangers of the Internet and at the same time you can limit access to certain applications.
If you want to know more, you can take a look at my tutorial on how to activate the parental control where I explain the whole procedure in detail.
How to password applications on Mac
It often happens that you have to let different members of your family use your Mac, but you would like to have some privacy. For this reason you are wondering how to password applications on Mac , right?
Natively on Mac it is not possible to block access to apps with a password, but in your case it might be useful to be able to use the Parental Control system , which in a similar way to what happens on iOS / iPadOS, if configured well, can prevent access. to some applications to other people. This function is also very useful when you want to leave your Mac to a child, in fact you can decide whether or not to limit the display of certain websites.
