App Access Control

S
Swiftspeed Team
Updated April 28, 20263 min read

Three Levels of Access Control

The App Access page in Settings has three levels of control, from broadest to most granular:

  • Global lock: a password the user must enter on first launch before they see any app content. Useful for staff apps, beta-only apps, paid memberships behind one shared password.
  • Feature-level lock: per-feature toggle to require login OR a specific entitlement before the feature opens. Lets you mix free + premium features in the same app.
  • Per-user grants: explicit allow-list of customer accounts that get access to locked features. Used when you want to give specific people premium access without charging.

Where It Lives

Open the app in the editor.

Dashboard

Sidebar > Settings > App Access. Three cards: Global Lock (app-wide password), Locked Features (which features require account / grant), User Grants (explicit allow-list per customer).

App Access settings page

Global Lock

  • Set a password in the Global Lock card. The app shows a password screen on launch; users must enter the password to proceed.
  • Use case: internal apps for one company (everyone shares the password), member-only apps (rotate password monthly via email), beta builds (lock until launch day).
  • NOT a substitute for real authentication. Anyone with the password gets in. For per-user accounts use the My Account feature.
  • You can disable + re-enable any time. Disabling immediately removes the gate for everyone (including users who already entered).

Locked Features

  • Per-feature toggle: each feature in the locked list shows a "locked" overlay until the user signs in (My Account) AND has been granted access.
  • Use case: free articles + premium course videos. Articles open for everyone, video lessons need a paid account that you grant via the User Grants list (or via webhook from your subscription system).
  • Customer experience: tap a locked feature, see "Sign in to access this", redirect to login, after login see "Request access" or "Upgrade to view" (depending on whether you allow self-service request).

User Grants

  • Allow-list: search for a customer by name or email, click "Grant access". They immediately get access to every locked feature.
  • Bulk grant: import a CSV of emails or paste a list. Useful for migrating existing premium customers from another platform.
  • Revoke: click the X on any granted user to remove access. Effective immediately on their next request.

Combining the Three

  • Global Lock + Locked Features = paying-customer-only app. Everyone enters the global password to even see the app, then must have a per-feature grant to use premium features.
  • No Global Lock + Locked Features = freemium. Anyone can install and browse free features; locked features prompt for sign-in + grant.
  • No Global Lock + No Locked Features = fully public app. Default for most apps.

Tips

  • App Store / Play Store reviewers need a way in. If you ship with a Global Lock, include the test password in the App Review notes. Otherwise the reviewer rejects the app for being unusable.
  • Don't use Global Lock as a paywall. Apple specifically rejects apps where a price-of-entry is a global password. Use IAP / Subscriptions for that.
  • Bulk grant via CSV is the clean migration path when moving paid users from another platform. Avoid manually adding 500 users one at a time.
  • Audit the User Grants list quarterly. Revoke access for users who churned, downgraded, or left the company. Stale grants are a quiet revenue leak.