The Accidental Swipe
When your iPhone is locked and sitting on a table, swiping from the left edge of the screen to the right instantly summons the “Today View.” This is a massive panel filled with widgets displaying your upcoming calendar appointments, recent emails, battery levels, and news headlines. While this is convenient, it is also a massive privacy vulnerability. Anyone who picks up your phone can swipe right and read your private daily itinerary without ever needing your Face ID or passcode. Furthermore, it is incredibly easy to trigger this menu by accident when pulling the phone out of your pocket. You must lock this screen away.
How to Turn Off the Today View on the Lock Screen
You can permanently block access to the widget panel via the Face ID settings.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and tap on Face ID & Passcode (or Touch ID & Passcode).
- Enter your device’s passcode to gain access to the secure menu.
- Scroll down to the section labeled “Allow Access When Locked.”
- Locate the toggle switch labeled Today View and Search.
- Toggle this switch to the Off position (the green background will disappear).
A Secure Display
The change takes effect instantly. The iPhone will completely sever the right-swipe gesture from the lock screen. If an unauthorized person picks up your phone and swipes across the glass, the screen will completely ignore the input. Your calendar appointments and private widgets will remain completely invisible until you actually unlock the phone using your face or your passcode.