We’ll cover how to enable and change the Lock Screen on your iPad below, with options to customize it to your liking.
Why Should You Enable a Lock Screen on Your iPad?
Enabling a lock screen on your iPad has many benefits—primarily that you can set up a passcode to keep your device secure. This keeps all your data protected, and out of the wrong hands.
You also may want to set up a passcode if you have children in the house who may inadvertently delete important data from your device. This way you can ensure that they only use the device under your supervision.
You can also quickly view notifications on your iPad Lock Screen without needing to unlock the device or open any apps.
Another benefit is allowing you to set up a wallpaper, to customize your Lock Screen. You can choose a wallpaper of your favorite dog, a scenic photo you may have captured on a recent trip, and so on. The possibilities are endless!
How to Enable Your iPad’s Lock Screen
Depending on which iPad you have, you might see different versions of authentication available to set up. For example, the iPad mini 5 has Touch ID available as an authentication, while the iPad Pro uses Face ID for authentication.
No matter which method you choose to use, you can set it up using the steps below:
Open the Settings app on your iPad. Select Touch ID & Passcode from the menu. If your iPad does not have Touch ID, you might see Face ID & Passcode or Passcode instead. If this is your first time setting up a passcode on your iPad, select the option Turn Passcode On. You will need to set up a basic passcode before you can enable additional authentication methods such as Face ID and so on. You’ll be prompted to enter a passcode. By default, this will be a numeric passcode. However, you can select Passcode Options and choose to enter an alphanumeric passcode instead.
How to Enable Face ID or Touch ID on Your iPad
Once the passcode has been set up, you’ll see the additional option to set up Face ID or Touch ID on your iPad. Tap on it and follow the guide to register and calibrate your fingerprint (for Touch ID) or your face (for Face ID) respectively.
That’s all there is to it! Remember that you need to have a basic passcode in place on your device before you can enable any additional authentication methods. This serves as a backup in case Touch ID or Face ID doesn’t work as planned (which is very rare).
Face ID or Touch ID can also be used for other features apart from unlocking your iPad. Among these are iTunes and App Store Purchases, Wallet and Apple Pay, and Password Autofill. To enable these, simply turn on the toggles in the Touch ID & Passcode menu.
Setting a Passcode Entry Time Requirement
You can also specify the amount of time your iPad remains inactive before requiring a passcode to be re-entered for unlocking the device. This can help you ensure that if you leave a device unattended, it’ll lock itself, keeping the data safe.
The time limit you select also applies to the duration your screen has been locked before requiring the passcode again.
To specify a passcode time requirement, go to the Touch ID & Passcode menu in the Settings app. Tap on Require Passcode, and select a time duration from the menu. The shortest times are the most secure.
Erase Your iPad After Failed Passcode Attempts
Did you know that your iPad also has a self-destruct feature? Well, not literally, but there’s a setting that will erase everything on the device after too many failed passcode attempts. The feature isn’t as practical as you might imagine, though, and is not really recommended if you have children in your house.
However, if you’d like to keep the feature on for security reasons, we recommend making regular backups of your iPad, using either iCloud or your computer, to ensure that you have a backup to restore to if things go wrong.
To enable the feature, head over to Face ID & Passcode in the Settings app. You’ll find the Erase Data feature at the bottom. Simply turn the toggle on to enable erasing all data on the iPad after 10 failed passcode attempts.
Setting a Lock Screen Wallpaper on your iPad
Finally, after you’ve configured your Lock Screen with the correct passcode settings, you may want to add a wallpaper to make the device truly yours. Selecting a wallpaper is easy and can be done from Settings > Wallpaper > Choose a New Wallpaper.
You can choose a wallpaper from Apple’s collection, which includes Dynamic and Still wallpapers. Dynamic wallpapers continuously move in the background, whereas Still wallpapers are static.
You can also choose to set your own wallpaper, whether that be a cute picture of your dog or a family photo.
Once you’re done, lock your iPad, and use the Lock Screen to make sure everything’s working properly. It may take a bit of time to get used to passcode, Face ID, or Touch ID entry on the Lock Screen, but your device is now more secure than having no passcode at all.
For Additional Security, Enable Find My iPad
If you want to take your device’s security one step further, we recommend keeping Find My enabled on your iPad. This offers the possibility of remotely locking a device in case you lose it, as well as tracking it on a map from another device. Security precautions are rarely a bad idea, and having a strong passcode in addition to an enabled Find My feature can help you keep your device safe.
