Your iPhone apps could be more secure in iOS 18, with a potential FaceID upgrade

HomeKit Secure Video Face Recognition settings in the Home app displayed on an iPhone on top of a keyboard.
(Image credit: Christopher Close / iMore)

FaceID is, easily, one of the most useful features on the iPhones that you can buy right now. It lets you securely lock your phone and keep it away from prying eyes, while being quicker and more convenient than a normal numerical or letter-based password via its facial recognition system. Now, as a part of WWDC 2024 announcements today, it looks like Apple could be bringing the security feature individually to some of the most used apps on your iPhone.

According to MacRumors, you’ll be able to lock the likes of Messages, Mail, Phone, Mail, Photos, and more, with FaceID so that you have an extra layer of security on your personal apps. That means your apps will have a second lock on them, even if the phone itself is unlocked.

But like, what’s the point?

It’s easy to think of some uses, and why you might want to lock down your apps. If you hand an unlocked phone to your kids, for example, it means they can’t muck about with all your stuff, or accidentally send a message to grandma. If nothing else, it gives more peace of mind that all the things in your iPhone are kept just a little more secure, with another layer on top of what is already there.

There are likely to be even more exciting upgrades to iOS 18 during WWDC as well, including the potential introduction of AI which Apple is calling ‘Apple Intelligence' (because of course it is). There are also going to be improvements to Siri, along with other security features for your iPhone. The show is today at 10 am PT, and we’re tracking the whole thing with our WWDC 2024 live blog, packed with information, insights, and progressively tired additions as WWDC takes its excitable toll on the iMore team. Get involved, and watch the event with us!

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Tammy Rogers
Senior Staff Writer

As iMore's Senior Staff writer, Tammy uses her background in audio and Masters in screenwriting to pen engaging product reviews and informative buying guides. The resident audiophile (or audio weirdo), she's got an eye for detail and a love of top-quality sound. Apple is her bread and butter, with attention on HomeKit and Apple iPhone and Mac hardware. You won't find her far away from a keyboard even outside of working at iMore – in her spare time, she spends her free time writing feature-length and TV screenplays. Also known to enjoy driving digital cars around virtual circuits, to varying degrees of success. Just don't ask her about AirPods Max - you probably won't like her answer.

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