The Live Telemetry Leak
By default, newer versions of iOS feature “Live Activities,” a framework that displays highly dynamic, continuously updating widgets directly on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island. These activities can show the real-time location of your Uber driver, the exact score of a sports game you are tracking, or the progress of a food delivery. While visually impressive, the operating system renders this real-time telemetry persistently, even when the iPhone is completely locked. This means anyone who picks up your phone can deduce your immediate physical plans or financial transactions without knowing your passcode. To ensure a strictly opaque security boundary, you must completely disable Live Activities on the Lock Screen.
How to Disable Live Activities on the Lock Screen
You can permanently secure your display via the Face ID & Passcode settings.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and tap on Face ID & Passcode (or Touch ID & Passcode).
- Enter your strict device passcode to authenticate.
- Scroll down to the section labeled “Allow Access When Locked.”
- Locate the toggle switch labeled Live Activities.
- Toggle this switch to the Off position (the green background will disappear).
A Hardened Visual Perimeter
The change takes effect instantly. The iPhone will completely sever the bridge connecting the background Live Activity daemon to the Lock Screen UI renderer while the screen is locked. You can now leave your phone unattended; if you order a car and a malicious actor wakes the screen, the operating system will absolutely refuse to display the vehicle tracking map. To monitor your live updates, you are now strictly required to unlock the phone with Face ID first, guaranteeing absolute privacy for your real-time contextual data.