Swiping left on your iPhone’s lock screen opens the camera. This quick access feature is usually handy, but it can also be annoying or unwanted. For instance, since the Camera app opens without needing to unlock your phone, anyone can access it and take unauthorized photos. So you might want to disable the camera from your iPhone lock screen, follow these handy steps.
- How to remove camera access from iPhone lock screen
- Disable Control Center, Siri, Notification Center from iPhone lock screen
How to remove camera access from iPhone lock screen
- Go to Settings → Screen Time.
- If it is your first time using Screen Time, you will see a summary of the feature. Now, tap on Continue. You will be asked if the iPhone belongs to you or your children. Select the appropriate option.
- Scroll down, select Content & Privacy Restrictions, and toggle it ON.
- Now, on the same screen, tap on Allowed Apps.
- Toggle off Camera.
That’s it. Now, when you lock your screen and swipe left, the camera app will no longer open.
However, when you use Screen Time to turn off camera access from your iPhone lock screen, the camera app is also removed from the home screen. So you will no longer be able to use the app at all. But not to worry, there are many other excellent camera apps you can try.
Of course, if you want to restore access to the default camera, just follow the steps above and toggle on the app under Allowed Apps.
If your iPhone is running iOS 11 or earlier, you can prevent camera access from the Lockscreen of your iPhone by enabling Restrictions.
Once you have set up Restrictions, follow the steps below:
- Open the Settings on your iPhone
- Tap on General → Restrictions.
- Enter your Restrictions passcode that you set up when enabling Restrictions.
- Toggle off the Camera option.
That’s it! From now on, the Camera won’t be accessible from the lock screen and will also be missing on your iPhone. You can get it back at any time by repeating the steps above and toggling ON the Camera option.
Disable Control Center, Siri, Notification Center from iPhone lock screen
iOS allows you to turn off other lock screen options such as Control Center, Today View, Siri, Notification Center, etc.
- Open the Settings app and tap on Face ID & Passcode (or Touch ID & Passcode on older devices).
- Enter your passcode.
- Scroll down and select Allow Access When Locked.
- Here, you can toggle off whichever features you want to remove from your iPhone’s lock screen.
It’s easy to toggle on the features later on if you want them back. Also, removing these options from the lock screen will not disable them on your home screen. So they remain accessible as usual when you unlock your phone.
Summing Up!
Do you prefer to access the camera from your lock screen to capture photos in a jiffy? Or will you remove it to prevent unauthorized or accidental use? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
You might want to refer these posts as well:
- How to Protect Missed Calls from iPhone Lockscreen
- Undo and Redo Typing On an iPad and iPhone
- How to fix? If your iPhone Camera upside down
Jibin Joseph is the Content Editor at iGeeksBlog and has excellent attention to detail. He is a voracious reader, with interests ranging from philosophy and history to geopolitics and tech. When not reading or correcting grammar, you’d find him engaging in discussions about football. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @4ibin.
These third party apps will not work if you switch off the camera app as you’ve described (I tried two myself). Unless you can recommend an iphone camera app that doesn’t need the original camera app.? It’s extremely annoying that you can’t just remove it from the lock screen…
There should be no access allowed to any app when the screen is locked.
It is indeed quite annoying. I hope Apple could soon correct the issue.
This is a rather stupid solution… I just want camera access from the lock screen removed, NOT the entire camera app removed!
Hello,
Unfortunately, that’s the only solution/workaround right now. For whatever reason, Apple doesn’t offer a ‘disable’ option. The only good thing is that no one can access your photo library, edit or share the photos; they’ll need to unlock the device for that.
This has got to be the stupidest solution I’ve ever seen.
I’m asking how to keep my camera from working ON THE LOCK SCREEN. You literally just told me how to turn it off ALTOGETHER. And then casually say “just go download another camera app.”
The said limitations have been clearly mentioned in the article; there was no intent to cover it up. Even we hope Apple incorporates such a setting in the upcoming updates. Keeping our fingers crossed.