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Xiaomi: Turn On App Lock for Sensitive Apps

If anyone can open your banking, messaging, or gallery apps just by unlocking your phone, sensitive content stays exposed. Xiaomi phones include a separate app-level lock that adds a second layer of protection on top of your screen lock. Setting it up wrong, or skipping the fingerprint option, often leaves some apps unprotected.

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Android 11 · MIUI
Turn On App Lock – MIUI: step 1 – Tap on Settings
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Xiaomi

Turn On App Lock auf Xiaomi

MIUI includes a built-in App lock feature that requires a separate password, pattern, or fingerprint before an app opens, even if the phone itself is already unlocked. This matters because your screen lock only protects the home screen. Once someone has that PIN, they can open every app unless individual apps are locked separately.

The setting lives under app management, not under the general lock screen options, which is why many users never find it. To turn it on, go to Tap on SettingsTap on AppsTap on App lockTap on Turn on and set a Pattern. MIUI then asks whether to link the lock to your Mi account: choose Not now to skip this, or Sign in & add to enable account recovery for the lock.

On the next screen, Select or deselect the suggested Apps and tap Use App lock to confirm which apps require the extra step. You can add fingerprint unlocking and notification-content hiding from the same App lock menu afterward. If you only want to hide notification previews without locking apps, check the notification privacy settings instead, since App lock adds an extra unlock step every time you open a protected app.

Frequently asked questions

Yes. Inside App lock, enable fingerprint unlock and MIUI uses your fingerprint sensor instead of the pattern for every protected app, as long as your device supports it.