Apple officially introduced its latest iOS 9.3 with a slew of neat features, and the ability to password-protect your Notes is one of the highlights.
Amid the whole iPhone unlock debacle surrounding iOS encryption, Apple's increased security for Notes almost looks like a slap on the FBI's face. With iOS 9.3, Apple now offers support for password and fingerprint authentication for specific notes.
This could come in handy in a number of scenarios, including even the most innocent ones such as hiding a shopping list for a surprise party you're planning.
"Notes is one of those apps you use all the time for all kinds of things. Now you can secure the notes that contain your most personal data - such as financial details, medical info or website logins - with a password or fingerprint. You can also sort notes by date created, date modified or alphabetically," Apple points out.
To take advantage of this neat new feature for extra security, here's how to password-protect individual notes in the iOS Notes application.
How To Add A Password To A New Or Existing Note
You can start password-protecting both new and existing notes stored in the Notes app, and there are two easy ways to do it.
The first option is to access Settings > Notes > Password. Choose your password, verify it and set up a hint in case you need reminders afterward, then activate Touch ID by toggling the Use Touch ID option. Head over to the Notes app, open the note you want to protect, tap the Share menu and tap Lock Note.
The second way to do it is equally simple. Just open any note in the Notes app, tap the Share menu and choose the Add Password option. If it's the first time you're doing this, you'll have to set up a new password. To enable Touch ID, toggle the Use Touch ID option.
Once you've set a password, you will be able to use it for all notes you choose to protect. For extra security, it's highly recommended to use a different password for Notes than the one you set for Touch ID.
You'll be able to see at a glance which notes are locked and which aren't, as the locked ones will have a specific icon displayed under their heading. Unlocking a note will keep it unlocked until you select the Lock Now option or close the Notes app altogether.
Lastly, a crucial detail is worth pointing out: even if you lock a note, its first line will still be visible in your notes list. Consequently, if you have really sensitive information on a password-protected note, you might want to write it from the second line onward.
