Intruder selfie app: what it is and how it works

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An intruder selfie is a photo your phone takes, using the front camera, of someone who unlocks it or tries to. iPhone doesn't offer one built in, and Google's own Android security features lock the phone rather than photograph anyone. An intruder selfie app adds the photo, within the limits each platform allows.

Quick answer

An intruder selfie is a front camera photo of whoever unlocks your phone or gets the unlock wrong. Apple and Google don't describe a built-in version in their support pages. On Android, an app can photograph a wrong PIN at the lock screen. On iPhone, Apple doesn't let apps use the camera at the Lock Screen, so an app photographs whoever unlocks the phone into it.

What does intruder selfie mean?

It's a name for a photo taken of the person using your phone without permission, usually the moment they unlock it or enter the wrong PIN. The photo is saved with the time, so you can see who had your phone and when. It's meant for your own phone, never for anyone else's.

The idea fills a gap. Your phone's own records count activity but don't show a face. Screen Time on iPhone counts pickups, and Digital Wellbeing on Android counts how often the device was unlocked, but neither says who it was.

Does iPhone have an intruder selfie feature?

No. Apple's passcode settings describe what happens after failed attempts, such as erasing the iPhone after 10 failed passcode attempts if you turn on Erase Data, but Apple doesn't describe taking a photo.

The built-in features that help are:

  1. Stolen Device Protection, on iOS 17.3 or later, which makes some sensitive actions need Face ID or Touch ID away from familiar places: Settings > Face ID & Passcode > Stolen Device Protection.
  2. Erase Data, which erases the iPhone after 10 failed passcode attempts: Settings > Face ID & Passcode.
  3. Lost Mode in Find My, which locks a lost iPhone with your passcode.

Why can't an iPhone app take a photo at the Lock Screen?

Apple doesn't let any app see the Lock Screen or use the camera in the background. Apple's developer documentation lists, as a reason a camera session is interrupted, the app being sent to the background while using a camera. So no iPhone app can photograph a wrong passcode at the Lock Screen.

What an app can do is be the first thing on screen after the phone is unlocked. You open the app, turn it on and lock the phone. Whoever unlocks it next lands in the app, and the app takes the photo there, with the camera light showing.

Does Android have intruder selfie built in?

Not in Google's own features. Google's Android theft protection includes Theft Detection Lock, Offline Device Lock, Remote Lock, Failed authentication lock and Identity Check. Each of these locks the screen or asks for your fingerprint or face. None is described as taking a photo.

To check what your phone has:

  1. Open Settings and tap Google.
  2. Tap All services, then Theft protection.
  3. Turn on Theft Detection Lock and check that Failed authentication lock is on.

Google says some steps vary by device, so check your phone maker's own security settings too.

Do Xiaomi and MIUI phones have intruder selfie?

We couldn't confirm it from Xiaomi's own documentation. Xiaomi's MIUI 13 security white paper describes App Lock, which locks chosen apps with a pattern, PIN or password, with fingerprint and face unlocking. It doesn't mention taking photos. App lock lives in the Security app, so that's the place to look on your own phone.

  1. Open the Security app.
  2. Tap App lock.
  3. Look through the App lock settings for any photo option.

What should you look for in an intruder selfie app?

Look at how it behaves when someone else has your phone. A useful app shouldn't be easy to switch off by the person it photographs, should keep photos on your phone unless you choose otherwise, and should be honest about what it can and can't capture on your platform.

  1. Check how it's switched off. If the phone's passcode turns it off, anyone who knows your passcode can turn it off too.
  2. Check where photos are stored and whether alerts are optional.
  3. Check what it does on iPhone. Because of Apple's limits, it can photograph whoever unlocks the phone into it, not a wrong passcode at the Lock Screen.
  4. Use it only on your own phone.

If you're worried about a partner or someone you live with using your phone, the UK's National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge, is free on 0808 2000 247. You can also contact your local police.

Where Failshot fits

Failshot is an intruder photo app. It photographs whoever unlocks your phone while Failshot is on, and the camera light shows whenever it takes a photo. It's for your own device only, never anyone else's.

On iPhone, you turn Failshot on and lock the phone, and whoever unlocks it lands in Failshot and is photographed. It doesn't photograph a wrong passcode at the iPhone Lock Screen. On Android, it also photographs a wrong PIN, pattern or password at the real lock screen.

Switching Failshot off needs Face ID, your fingerprint or face on Android, or your own Failshot PIN plus your answer, never the phone's passcode. A wrong Failshot PIN takes another photo. When you switch it off yourself, the photo of your own unlock is deleted. Photos stay on your phone. Email alerts with the photo and the time are optional, and so is a web vault: photos encrypted on the phone, viewable at failshot.app/vault if the phone is lost or stolen. Failshot is out now for Mac, and coming soon to iPhone, Android and Windows.

Questions people also ask

What is an intruder selfie?

It's a photo taken with your phone's front camera of someone who unlocks your phone, or tries to, without your permission. It's saved with the time so you can see who had your phone. Apple and Google don't describe a built-in version, so it usually comes from an app.

Is there an intruder selfie on iPhone?

Not built in. Apple doesn't let apps use the camera at the Lock Screen, so no app can photograph a wrong passcode there. An app can photograph whoever unlocks the phone, if you turn it on and lock the phone first.

Can an app take a picture when someone opens my phone?

Yes. On Android, an app can photograph a wrong PIN, pattern or password at the lock screen, as well as whoever unlocks the phone. On iPhone, an app can photograph whoever unlocks the phone into it, but not someone at the Lock Screen.

Does Xiaomi have an intruder selfie feature?

We couldn't find it in Xiaomi's official documentation. Xiaomi describes App Lock, which protects chosen apps with a pattern, PIN, password, fingerprint or face. Check the Security app on your own phone to see what your version offers.

Is it legal to use an intruder selfie app?

Use one only on your own phone, never to photograph people on someone else's device. Choose an app that's open about what it does, for example one that shows the camera light whenever it takes a photo.

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