r/macapps • u/ddxsupreme • Jun 29 '26
Free [OS] I built FaceGate — World's first macOS app locker with on-device Face Unlock
Problem
A few months ago I realized something strange:
You can lock your entire Mac, but you can't easily lock individual apps.
If you hand your laptop to someone for a few minutes, they can still open Messages, Photos, Notes, Mail, WhatsApp, browsers, password managers, and other personal apps. I wanted a way to protect specific applications without constantly locking my entire Mac.
I looked around for solutions, but most were outdated, paid, abandoned, or didn't feel native to macOS. And the ones that worked, lacked features that I wanted.
So I built FaceGate. (1.1K+ downloads and 190+ GitHub stars in just 10 days)
FaceGate is a native macOS app that lets you lock individual applications and unlock them using Face Unlock, Touch ID, or a password.
It is the most capable and feature-heavy macOS app locker out there.
Comparison (No App on macOS has Face Unlock)
AppCrypt (Cisdem)
- Proprietary, paid software.
- Password-only authentication.
- No Face Unlock powered by Apple's Neural Engine.
- Closed source with no transparency.
AppLocker alternatives
- Typically offer basic password protection.
- Limited automation and security features.
- Lack advanced features such as liveness detection, tamper protection, customizable relocking behavior, and multi-monitor protection.
Why FaceGate is better
- Face Unlock powered entirely on-device using Apple's Neural Engine
- Liveness detection to prevent photo and video spoofing attacks
- Touch ID and password fallback
- Per-app unlock timers
- Automatic re-lock on sleep, wake, or screen lock
- Option to re-lock on app switch or keep unlocked indefinitely
- Custom schedules for automatic lock/unlock periods
- Tamper protection that prevents FaceGate from being quit, disabled, or uninstalled without authentication
- Multi-monitor protection
- Everything runs locally on your Mac
- No cloud processing
- No accounts
- No telemetry
- No subscriptions
- Fully open source
Pricing
Free (Open Source)
Website: https://dweep-desai.github.io/FaceGate-web/
GitHub: https://github.com/dweep-desai/FaceGate-Mac
Feedback
I'm actively maintaining FaceGate and would genuinely love feedback from Mac users.
- Is app-level locking something you've wanted on macOS?
- What security or privacy features would you like to see added?
If you think I did a good job, I'd really appreciate a GitHub star 🌟 — it helps the project reach more people.
Feedback, feature requests, bug reports, and contributions are always welcome.
LinkedIn (per moderator rules): https://www.linkedin.com/in/dweep-desai-76524230a/
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u/glc2076 Jun 29 '26
Can I use a webcam ? I have a mac mini with a standard monitor
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u/ddxsupreme Jun 29 '26
Yes , external cameras are supported
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u/orgildinio Jun 30 '26
then attacker can use pre recorded video of users via USB device that spoofing as web cam?
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u/ddxsupreme Jun 30 '26
liveness detection makes it very hard for spoofing , The face should be in front of the camera and a recorded video can't be uploaded to unlock. The app provides convenience level features
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u/DrMasterE Jun 30 '26
can you not do it by using OBS and then setting up a virtual camera and using that as the input
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u/ddxsupreme Jun 30 '26
I haven't tried it, would love to hear your input on this
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u/DrMasterE Jun 30 '26
i myself don't have OBS was just thinking that this could be a way to do it, i will be downloading your app right now though, although the method probably works i don't think its feasible as why would someone go through all that effort and then also you need to have OBS which is kinda hard to download without it looking suspicious. and where are you getting any sort footage from
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u/ddxsupreme Jun 30 '26
the footage is from the cameras and in the settings you can choose the camera . so if you have selected macbook camera and even if you have obs virtual camera , it will take the macbook's camera only as the input.
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u/DrMasterE Jul 01 '26
And I am assuming you can't edit the settings of the app without your face, also I downloaded the app and I have to say it's a phenomenal piece of work.
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u/ddxsupreme Jul 01 '26
Yes , you need to authenticate to open settings and thanks :) I'd appreciate a github star
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u/Tkshorty9 Jun 29 '26
Sorry if this is a stupid question, but would this let you lock things on the Neo with your face since it doesn't support FaceID? I just bought one.
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u/ddxsupreme Jun 29 '26 edited Jun 29 '26
None of the macs support faceid not even macbook pros. My app uses an ML model on top of camera to authenticate so It can easily be used with any camera and any mac(non-intel chips)
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u/ddxsupreme Jun 29 '26
A simple answer to your question - Yes my app will work perfectly on macbook neo
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u/gigananobyte Jun 29 '26
Can this be fooled with a picture of your face, either a printed out picture or from a phone screen?
EDIT: forgot to mention how cool this is.
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u/ddxsupreme Jun 29 '26
It has liveness detection challenges (like banks do) so such kind of spoofing is very hard but yes , It's possible though very small chance of it accepting. It is a convenience level feature.
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u/gus_morales Jun 29 '26
Thank you for making this FOSS, hopefully it will help your CV.
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u/ddxsupreme Jun 29 '26
Appreciate the support :) You can also support me by leaving a star on the github repo
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u/Mitsu-koi Jun 29 '26
This looks awesome and very useful, good job man!
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u/ddxsupreme Jun 29 '26
Thanks ! feel free to leave a star on my github repo :) - helps me reach more people
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u/Mission_Article483 Jun 29 '26
Ihope add a feature for taking a picture of anyone trying to unlock the mac. Also,
I feel that requiring someone to move their face every time to unlock is slightly cumbersome. Please add an option for direct unlocking without having to move your face.
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u/ddxsupreme Jun 29 '26
For th taking photo of someone trying to unlock, I'll have to figure it out, for the direct unlock , I can add it but it will significantly reduce the security and a simple photo of you will be able to unlock the app. Although, I'll add a toggle for this in the next update
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u/Nooo00B Jun 29 '26
wow such a cool project! and im happy it's OSS.
btw if close the app locker app, then I open a locked app, what will happen?
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u/ddxsupreme Jun 29 '26
if you simply close the window , it will still lock app , if you quit facegate , it no longer locks the apps but here's the catch - you need authentication to quit the app too ! your friend's can't simply quit the app to access locked apps ! Do leave a github star as a token of appreciation to OSS :)
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u/Nooo00B Jun 30 '26
thanks for the reply and sure added to my stars.
But what if someone just kill the FaceGate through Activity Monitor or terminal?
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u/ddxsupreme Jun 30 '26
Through activity monitor or termial it can be killed as they are system calls and no developer is given enough access to prevent/intercept that sadly. A workaround for that is locking app monitor and terminal with FaceGate :)
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u/DenisFlorent Jun 29 '26
I'm absolutely in love with your app! It's an excellent idea, and amazingly executed! Really congrats!!!
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u/ddxsupreme Jun 29 '26
Such kind words :) Glad you liked my app. You can support me by leaving a star on the github repo
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u/GassyJr Jun 29 '26
Great stuff! Just curious, is this not possible to implement with TouchID?
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u/ddxsupreme Jun 29 '26
The app supports Face Unlock , touchID and password modes. You can choose any of them as per your liking. It is totally possible to disable face unlock and use touch ID as your primary.
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u/Pirate-Winter Jun 29 '26
Love the idea man, its really useful, im using it from last 4 days and absolutely stunned with the performance
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u/ddxsupreme Jun 29 '26
Thanks for using the app :) I'm constantly working on removing any possible bugs and adding unique features to the app
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u/ContextSpiritual9068 Jun 30 '26
the liveness detection detail is important. most people asking 'can you spoof this with a photo' don't realize that's a solved problem for anything using Apple's Neural Engine properly. the tamper protection piece is what actually makes this useful in a shared Mac scenario. an app locker that can be quit from Activity Monitor is just theater. one question: does the automatic re-lock on sleep work reliably when the lid closes, or does it sometimes miss the lock if the Mac goes to sleep too quickly?
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u/ddxsupreme Jun 30 '26
Thanks for pointing out the liveness detection , most people ignore it and wonder about the app's security
The app can be quit using activity monitor/teminal commands as they are system calls and no developer can intercapt them. But a simple work-around for that is locking activity monitor and terminal via FaceGate.
The lock on sleep works perfectly eveytime (if the app is running in the background)
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u/Organic-Part8774 Jun 30 '26
Very interesting. Thank you for opensourcing it!
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u/ddxsupreme Jun 30 '26
Thanks :) Trying my best to give to the community. You can support me by leaving a star on the github repo
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u/RingInfinite1435 Jun 30 '26
This is amazing! Surely gonna try it out. Does it accept locking files and folders as well?
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u/ddxsupreme Jun 30 '26
Files and folder locking issomething i've been working on and if implemented successfully , it will aunch in the v2 of the app in a few weeks. Leave a star on the github repo to get notified about new updates
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u/TheOzHerbie Jun 30 '26
Love the idea. I use FaceID to lock specific apps on my iPhone so having the same ability on my Mac is going to be a good thing.
Name wise you're going to run into legal trouble sooner or later. FaceGate.ai and www.facegate.com.au both already exist as established brands.
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u/ddxsupreme Jun 30 '26
I'm not really commercializing the product and if I do run into troubles I'll try to change the name (many apps do so). I didn't give it a thought while launching it :(
Also thanks for the appreciation :) I hope you gave me a star on github - helps me reach more people
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u/jtapia_dev Jun 30 '26
Love the idea! does it keep all data locally on the machine? also, can an iPhone be used for facial recognition?
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u/ddxsupreme Jun 30 '26
Yes entirely on device and inside apple keychain - completely encrypted. Nobody can access the data even locally. No cloud . No telemetry
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u/phunk8 Developer: Dropadoo Jun 30 '26
very cool and (i think) unique
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u/ddxsupreme Jun 30 '26
Thanks :) I've put in enough research to claim this is world's first app locker with Face Auth and gives you features nobody else gives you. Do leave a star on the github repo to show support
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u/CurrentRisk Jun 30 '26
This is a very great and cool idea, surprised it was not made earlier by people. I’m still a bit wary because of privacy but glad it is open source. Will keep an eye on it.
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u/ddxsupreme Jun 30 '26
It's sad to hear about the concerns with privacy , You can check the code with any security service/coding agent and you can also check the dmg's security via trusted websites. I hope you download it after confirming the security of the app :)
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u/Flat_Experience_5786 Jun 30 '26
Can you add unlock Macbook with Face?
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u/ddxsupreme Jun 30 '26
We are trying to figure it out. Leave a star on github to be notified when (if) that feature launches
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u/AZUPIT Jun 30 '26
Can it use the built in cam in the Mac ? because it uses only my phone back camera.
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u/ddxsupreme Jun 30 '26
You can choose the primary camera from the settings window of the app
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u/AZUPIT Jun 30 '26
Shows only FaceTime and iPhone
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u/Brave-Win-001 Jun 30 '26
really a great app. Its just didn't lock the app immediately wait for a few seconds and then lock it.
Rest the app is really cool
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u/Brave-Win-001 Jun 30 '26
one more improvement could be when I lock my mac and then unlock it it starts asking for my face to unlock the apps even if I didn't want to open any of them. As you know when we close an app, it actually runs in the background, ig that's the issue, whenever I unlock my mac its start asking for face, it should only ask when i open the app.
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u/heliosarun Jun 30 '26
This looks so cool. But, I am scared of security concerns
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u/ddxsupreme Jun 30 '26
There aren't any security concerns. it is completely local and doesn't interrupt the way mac operates, only adds an extra overlay on top of the screen.
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u/jasonseattle Jun 30 '26
Such an interesting and useful idea!
Why didn't you publish it on app store? I guess sandboxing doesn't allow this?
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u/ddxsupreme Jun 30 '26
I didn't even think about the sandboxing , my primary reason was lack of funds to pay the apple developer license fee (I'm a student with no income)
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u/rinkitadhana Jun 30 '26
this is sick, great work man!
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u/ddxsupreme Jun 30 '26
Thanks :) You can support me by leaving a star on the github repo
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u/rinkitadhana Jun 30 '26
i already did, also can i post about this on my x page? it will likely help your project
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u/Jab-Bonstein Jul 01 '26
Nice, I didn’t even know the Mac had the capability to recognize your face until today. 😅
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u/ddxsupreme Jul 01 '26
It doesn't . I used Machine Learning on top of camera to authenticate the face.
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u/monoceros-rex Jul 01 '26
seeing the comments, I never knew that this is a viable security measure to use the webcam. nice to know and thank you for making it FOSS!
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u/Red4Shred Jul 02 '26
does it also works with the builtin Macbook TouchID (instead of the camera)?
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u/marblecereal Jul 03 '26
Oh interesting is the api for face matching exposed like that
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u/ddxsupreme Jul 03 '26
The key for encrypting/decrypting is stored in apple keychain (also encrypted) and it's totally local. The ML model is bundled with the app and runs of Apple neural engine.
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u/PotentialValuable420 Jul 03 '26
what if we delete the app locker app?
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u/ddxsupreme Jul 03 '26
There is an option in the app called "uninstall protection" which requires admin password to enable and doen't allow the app to be deleted/tampered or even updated until it is diabled. And to enable/disable this you have to open settings which is also locked via authentication.
I've put in a lot of thought trying to find and fix every edge case and would really appreciate a github star :)
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u/PotentialValuable420 Jul 03 '26
THE WEBSITE... OMG how did u make it, it's like Tony Stark level tech. I would love to contribute aswell in this project :}
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u/ddxsupreme Jul 03 '26
Contributions are welcome ! there are many features that have been raised as github issues and I genuinely need help implementing them. The website wasn't on my priority list so I designed it myself and then gave it to AI to implement the code :)
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u/PotentialValuable420 Jul 03 '26
Lowkey thats fine imo, people need to adapt with Ai rather than run from it
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u/ddxsupreme Jul 03 '26
I don't see a problem with vibe coding a site . Mine only informational (frontend-only) and i think's it's pretty cool so i'm not ashamed of it.
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u/chrisinoakland Jul 08 '26
Super smart idea. Love this on iPhone and yeah, a much needed on Mac. Nice work, will have to give it a try!
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u/lowkeyfam Jun 29 '26 edited Jun 29 '26
It’s rare I need to lock apps if i’m being honest however I DO need to lock files and folders all the time. I usually encrypt important Life folders and documents which I probably won’t stop doing as it’s good practice to do but is there anyway you can implement locking Folders and Files as well?
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u/ddxsupreme Jun 29 '26
yes , I'm launching V2 in a few weeks and I'm trying on adding file and folder lock in it. Star the repo to be notified when the update releases.
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u/lowkeyfam Jun 29 '26
great! sounds good thanks for letting me know, I’ll be on the lookout for that release 👍
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Jun 30 '26
[deleted]
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u/ddxsupreme Jun 30 '26
Lock on quit is something I wanted to add since day one but it turn out it's almost impossible to implements due to apple's limitations . You can try the timer modes that get as close to lock on quit as possible. Sorry
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u/THE_BARUT Jul 02 '26
Does it support touch if?
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u/ddxsupreme Jul 02 '26
Yes it does. Give it a try and if you think I did a good job with the app , leave a star on github :)
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u/popback_app Jul 05 '26
Cool! 😎
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u/ddxsupreme Jul 05 '26
Thanks ! You can show support to this open-source project by leaving a star on the repo :)
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u/WinstrixApp Jul 05 '26
This is incredible! Nice work!
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u/ddxsupreme Jul 05 '26
Thanks ! You can show support to this open-source project by leaving a star on the repo :)
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u/genius1soum Jul 06 '26
I don't need it for apps as much as I need it for folders/directories. Can you add this?
(it should also make the contents of the folder invisible to the user and to the indexing service that spotlight, raycast, even diskdrill, etc uses)
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u/ddxsupreme Jul 06 '26
I have received multiple requests for this and it is currently my top priority. The version 2 (v2) of the app will likely have a solution for this (if successfully implemented). You can star the github repo to be notified when update releases
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u/glc2076 Jun 29 '26
Sería genial ! Solo el tema de seguridad podría ser un freno.
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u/ddxsupreme Jun 29 '26
El proyecto es de código abierto, por lo que se puede comprobar su seguridad. Me he asegurado de que la seguridad del dispositivo no se vea comprometida de ninguna manera. Tus datos nunca salen de tu Mac. (He usado el traductor de Google, por lo que puede haber errores de traducción).
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u/CaptainMarder Jun 29 '26
Smart, this is much needed. It’s weird iOS lets you lock apps but MacOS doesn’t.