Skip to content

How to Use Spotlight Search from the Lock Screen on the Apple iPhone

    This guide will show you how to easily access and use Spotlight Search from the Lock Screen on your Apple iPhone.

    Spotlight Search on the Lock Screen is an often overlooked feature on the iPhone that allows you to be more efficient and use your device even faster (even if it’s incremental).

    Using this feature on the Lock Screen saves you a couple of swipes, and it’s automatically enabled if you’ve got Face ID going on your device.

    Funny enough, the hardest thing to do is remember that you’ve got the functionality right there! You can use it for basically everything – from calling contacts and opening up your favorite social media app. Continue below for a quick set of steps on using it with visual components.

    In This Guide hide
    How to Use Spotlight Search from the Lock Screen
    How to Turn on Spotlight Search on the Lock Screen
    How to Turn off Spotlight Search on the Lock Screen
    How to Adjust Spotlight Search Settings
    Additional iPhone Support

    How to Use Spotlight Search from the Lock Screen

    1) When on the lock screen and with face ID enabled, swipe down from the top center of the iPhone.

    2) Spotlight search will open – begin typing to search.

    spotlight search

    Notes

    If you swipe down from too close to the top-right, it will open the control center (which is another way to quickly do actions – check out our guide here if you’re unfamiliar: How to Use the Control Center on Apple iOS devices.

    If this isn’t working, Spotlight Search may be disabled on the Lock Screen – continue below if you need to turn it on.

    How to Turn on Spotlight Search on the Lock Screen

    If Spotlight Search isn’t working or does not appear on the Lock Screen, you probably need to enable it:  

    1. From the device, open the Settings app.
    2. Scroll down and tap Face ID & Passcode.
    3. Enter your device passcode.
    4. Scroll down to the Allow Access When Locked section.
    5. Toggle on the Today View and Search setting.

    How to Turn off Spotlight Search on the Lock Screen

    If you don’t want the feature, we’ve also got you covered.

    1. From the device, open the Settings app.
    2. Scroll down and tap Face ID & Passcode.
    3. Enter your device passcode.
    4. Scroll down to the Allow Access When Locked section.
    5. Toggle off the Today View and Search setting.

    How to Adjust Spotlight Search Settings

    You can tweak settings to limit or increase the apps and results appear when you run a search:  

    1. From the home screen, open the Settings app.
    2. Scroll down and tap Siri & Search.
    3. Scroll down and select an App from the list.
    4. Turn on or turn off a desired setting for the app:
      • Show App in Search
      • Show Content in Search
      • Show on Home Screen
      • Suggest App
      • Suggest Notifications

    Additional iPhone Support