How to Disable Ability to Return Missed Calls When iPhone Is Locked - MacRumors
Skip to Content

How to Disable Ability to Return Missed Calls When iPhone Is Locked

by

In iOS, it's possible to return missed calls directly from the iPhone Lock Screen. This article explains why you might want to disable access to this feature, and how to go about it.

iphone x speakerphone call handsfree
In early versions of Apple's mobile operating system, all a user could access on their ‌iPhone‌'s Lock Screen was the time, date, any notifications, and the camera and flashlight functions. To do anything else, like return a missed call, you had to unlock the ‌iPhone‌ first.

These days, iOS allows for optional access to several additional features from the Lock Screen, including (but not limited to) the ability to return missed calls. But what if you don't want missed call notifications showing up on your iPhone when you leave it unattended? Fortunately, you can disable the Return Missed Calls feature in the following way.

  1. Unlock your iPhone and open the Settings app.
  2. Scroll down and tap Face ID & Passcode (or Touch ID & Passcode).
  3. Enter your passcode at the prompt.
  4. Scroll down, and under "Allow Access When Locked," toggle off the switch next to Return Missed Calls.

disable return missed calls lock screen

The Return Missed Calls feature will be disabled with immediate effect, and will no longer be available from the Lock Screen, giving you that added level of privacy and security.

Popular Stories

apple back to school sans airpods 2

Apple's 2026 Back to School Offer is Coming Soon

Sunday July 12, 2026 7:29 am PDT by
Apple's stores will be rolling out Back to School marketing materials this week, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. This suggests that the offer will begin in the U.S. in the next few days. Last year, college students and educational staff could receive a free accessory like AirPods 4 or an Apple Pencil Pro with the purchase of a qualifying Mac or iPad model. The Back to School offer is in...
Waze logo

5 New Waze Features Rolling Out Now: Here Are All the Details

Monday July 13, 2026 3:42 am PDT by
Google today announced that Waze is getting a handful of new features, including some Gemini-powered personalization enhancements for Conversational Reporting. Conversational Reporting already uses Gemini when users report traffic incidents like slowdowns, but now you can use it to suggest map updates like road closures or outdated addresses. Saying something like "The road is closed here"...
Mac Pro Feature Teal

Apple's M7 Ultra Chip Designed to Match a 2019 Mac Pro Feat

Sunday July 12, 2026 8:53 am PDT by
Apple's M7 Ultra chip coming in 2028 is designed to support up to 1.5TB of unified memory, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. However, whether such a configuration is offered may depend on the state of the ongoing memory chip shortage. In 2019, Apple released an Intel-based Mac Pro with up to 1.5TB RAM....