Guides / A houseguest went through my phone

A houseguest or relative went through my phone

Updated 4 November 2026 · By the FirstHour team

Short answerStay calm. Work out how they got in: was the phone unlocked, or did they know your passcode? If they knew the passcode, change it. If it was just left unlocked, set a shorter Auto-Lock time and keep private things behind their own lock. You probably can't find out exactly what they saw, so the useful part is getting ready for the next visit.

If you're afraid of this person, look for a local support service before you change anything, because changes can alert them. This guide goes further. The rest of this page is for ordinary visitors, relatives and roommates.

What to check now

  1. Think back to how it happened. Was the phone on a table, unlocked? Did a child, cousin or guest pick it up? Did they watch you type your passcode, or did they already know it? The answer decides what you need to change.
  2. Look at the obvious places. Check your sent messages, your email and anything that was open when you last used the phone. This is our advice, not a feature: it only tells you if something was sent from your phone.
  3. Check for new faces, devices and apps. If they had your passcode, here are the signs to look for. We know of no iPhone feature that lists who opened your pictures, so finding nothing doesn't prove nobody looked.
  4. Think about what they could have seen. A photo of a card means asking your bank for a new card. Backup codes or passwords mean changing that account. A personal picture is a different matter, and a calm word with the person is often the best step.

If they knew your passcode

Apple's Personal Safety guide says that if others know your passcode, they can view and change your information. It says you can change the passcode to protect your privacy and expire the previous passcode. It says passcodes default to six digits, and that options run from four digits, the least secure, to alphanumeric, the most secure. Our full steps are in Someone knows my passcode: what can I do?.

A relative may know your passcode without meaning any harm. It's still worth changing after a visit like this, and then keeping it to yourself.

Get ready for the next visit

  1. Shorten Auto-Lock. Apple's Personal Safety guide says to go to Settings, then Display & Brightness, then Auto-Lock, and set a length of time. A short time means a phone left on the sofa locks itself soon.
  2. Choose a passcode nobody can guess. This is our advice: avoid birthdays and house numbers, and cover the screen when you type it. Apple's Personal Safety guide lists a custom alphanumeric code as the most secure option.
  3. Check what shows on the Lock Screen. Apple says you can see recent notifications on the Lock Screen by picking up your iPhone, and that in Settings, then Notifications, then Show Previews, choosing Always shows the contents without unlocking. Open it and read the choices on your iPhone. Our advice: a preview shown on a locked phone can be read by anyone nearby.
  4. Lock single apps. Apple says a locked app requires Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode to open, and that information inside it won't appear in some places, such as notification previews, search, Siri suggestions and call history. Apple also says some apps that come with iPhone, such as Camera and Settings, can't be locked. Because your passcode opens a locked app, a person who knows your passcode can still open it.
  5. When someone wants to use your phone, use Guided Access. Apple says it lets you temporarily restrict your device to a single app. Here are the steps.
  6. Keep the phone with you. Put it in a pocket or a bag, not on the table. This is plain advice, and it needs no setting.

Keep private things locked

Your passcode opens Photos, so a guest who knows it, or who finds the phone unlocked, can swipe through your camera roll. The best fix is to move the private things out of it. Here's how to find them.

How FirstHour helps

Protect finds pictures of cards, IDs, backup codes and similar details in your Photos on your iPhone and keeps them blurred until you tap Show. You can send a whole group to the Vault, which keeps photos, videos, files and notes behind their own pattern or PIN, separate from your iPhone passcode. Knowing the passcode isn't enough to open it. A well-chosen pattern can be much harder to guess than a 6-digit PIN, but someone watching can copy it, so shield your screen.

The Vault locks when you switch to another tab or leave FirstHour. For photos and videos, iPhone asks before the originals are removed from Photos, and the Vault checks each copy first.

Some honest limits. FirstHour's app lock opens with your iPhone passcode, so someone who knows that passcode can open FirstHour, though the Vault stays locked. FirstHour can't lock the Photos app, can't tell you what a guest looked at, and can't change your passcode for you. It doesn't check videos or your Hidden album, and it looks for private details, not for photos that are merely personal. Here's what it can't protect against.

Questions

Can I find out what they looked at?

We know of no way to see this. That's why preparing for the next time is worth more than searching now.

Should I say something to them?

That's your call. A short, friendly line is often enough, such as "I'd rather you didn't use my phone." If you don't feel safe saying it, you don't have to.

It was a partner, not a guest.

See Your partner knows your passcode, and read its safety note first.

Sources

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