Face ID at Launch and the Idle Timeout¶
Private Authenticator protects your codes in layers. This page explains the two layers you can adjust, and the one you can't.
The layer you can't turn off: Face ID for every code¶
Opening any account's code asks Face ID or Touch ID, every time. This never changes, whatever the settings say. If Face ID or Touch ID isn't set up on the phone, the app shows a message instead of the code.
Require Face ID / Touch ID at Launch¶
With this on (the way the app starts), a lock screen covers the app:
- whenever you open it,
- whenever you come back to it from another app or the Home Screen, and
- after the Idle Timeout (below).
Face ID or Touch ID asks by itself as the lock screen appears. If it doesn't recognise you, the screen waits; tap Unlock, or anywhere on the screen, to try again. This layer protects your account names: with it on, a bystander who picks up your phone can't even see which sites you use.
[Screenshot: the lock screen with "Private Authenticator", the logo and the Unlock button]
Turning it off asks for Face ID or Touch ID one last time. Afterwards the app opens straight onto your list, and only the codes themselves are protected. If your phone has no Face ID or Touch ID at all, the switch is greyed out, so you can never be locked out of the settings.
Too many failed attempts
If Face ID or Touch ID fails too many times in a row, iOS locks it for every app. The lock screen then says so. Unlock your iPhone with its passcode once, and Face ID or Touch ID works again.
Idle Timeout¶
If you put the phone down with the app open, the Idle Timeout tidies up for you. After the number of seconds you set with nothing touched, everything that was open closes, any code on screen is gone, and the app's splash screen covers it.
- With the launch lock on, the splash is the lock screen: tap it and confirm with Face ID or Touch ID to carry on.
- With the launch lock off, the splash shows Continue: a tap or a swipe puts it away with no check. That keeps the screen private from a glance, but it isn't a lock.
Touching the screen, typing, or moving around with VoiceOver all count as activity and restart the clock. The clock doesn't run while the app is making a backup (you may be writing the key down), or while an iOS picker for photos or files is in front.
The default is 2 minutes. Set 0 to turn it off. If you find the timeout catches you while you're reading a long export QR code or scanning, make it longer.
Leaving the app¶
Whenever you switch away from Private Authenticator, lock the phone, or open Control Center, the app covers itself with its logo so that no code appears in the App Switcher. Switching away also closes whatever was open (except a backup in progress) and clears the search, so you always come back to a clean Recent list.
Continue to Syncing Between Your iPhones.