Guides / Hide login codes on your Lock Screen

Hide login codes on your Lock Screen

Updated 3 November 2026 · By the FirstHour team

Short answerOpen Settings, tap Notifications, then Show Previews, and choose When Unlocked. The text of your messages and emails then stays hidden until your iPhone is unlocked, including any login codes in them. It won't help if someone knows your passcode or has moved your SIM to another phone.

Why it matters

Many banks and apps send a short code by text or email when you sign in. A notification preview is the bit of a message your iPhone shows when it arrives. Apple says previews can include text from Messages and lines from Mail, and with the Always setting, they appear even while your iPhone is locked. So a code could show to anyone holding your phone.

Step by step: all apps

  1. Open Settings and tap Notifications.
  2. Tap Show Previews.
  3. Choose When Unlocked. Previews then appear only after your iPhone is unlocked.

You can also choose Never, so previews never appear on the Lock Screen. For most people, When Unlocked is the easier choice. To test it, lock your iPhone, put it face down, and ask someone to send you a text. Then have them look at the screen, not you.

Step by step: one app

Individual apps can have their own setting, so check any that send you codes.

  1. Open Settings and tap Notifications.
  2. Tap the app under Notification Style, such as Messages, Mail or your bank.
  3. Tap Show Previews, if it appears, and choose When Unlocked or Never.

Not all apps support previews. On the same screen, under Alerts, you can also stop an app's notifications appearing on the Lock Screen at all.

What it doesn't do

If your iPhone goes missing

This setting has to be changed on the iPhone itself, so it's one to do now. If your iPhone goes missing, mark it as lost, which stops it showing alerts for messages and notifications. Then call your network to block your SIM. Our full plan is in what to do if your iPhone is stolen.

How FirstHour helps

FirstHour can't change your notification settings, and it can't see your messages or other apps. Protect looks at the pictures in Photos. It points out backup codes and old one-time codes, and keeps sensitive pictures blurred until you tap Show. It can miss things, such as handwriting and blurry pictures. Plan B's guided tips also cover a SIM PIN.

Questions

Will I still get my notifications?

Yes. This setting changes when the preview shows. To turn an app's notifications off, there's a separate Allow Notifications switch for that app.

How do I read a code quickly?

Unlock your iPhone. With When Unlocked, the preview then appears.

Does Face ID count as unlocking?

Face ID is one way to unlock your iPhone, so previews can show once it recognizes you. Other people looking at your phone shouldn't see them, unless they unlock it.

Sources

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