We all have those apps on our iPhones that we do not want to show to the world. Be it a secret shopping addiction, an embarrassing game, or just a few cluttered apps you don’t use anymore, hiding them is a crucial thing for privacy and organization both.
The good news is that it is pretty easy to learn how to hide apps on your iPhone, and you need not to be a computer whiz to do it. In this blog, we’ll show you how to hide apps quickly and why that might be a great idea in the first place.
Why Hide Apps on Your iPhone?
Before we start to learn about how to hide apps on your iPhone, let’s discuss the “why.”
Privacy: Perhaps you’re using a financial app or a private messaging app, and you wouldn’t like others to casually glance at it on your home screen.
Decluttered Screen: We all download apps that we later forget about. Hiding unused apps declutters your home screen, giving it a clean look.
Focus: Hiding social media or games will make you stay productive. If It is out of your sight, then it will be out of your mind, right?
4 Simple Ways to Hide Apps on your iPhone
Hiding apps on your iPhone is easy, and you don’t need any third-party apps to do it. Here are the four simple ways to hide apps on your iPhone
1. Move Apps to the App Library
The App Library is a feature that keeps all your apps organized in one place, making it easy to access them without crowding your Home Screen.
→ Steps
- Locate the App: Find the app you want to hide on your iPhone’s Home Screen.
- Tap and Hold the App Icon: Tap and hold the app until a menu pops up. You’ll see options like “Edit Home Screen,” “Share App,” or “Remove App.”
- Select “Remove App”: From the menu, select “Remove App.” Don’t worry, this won’t delete the app, it just removes it from your Home Screen.
- Choose “Move to App Library”: After selecting “Remove App,” you’ll get two options: “Remove from Home Screen” and “Delete App.” Choose “Move to App Library.”
- Check the App Library: Your app is now safely stashed in the App Library. You can still find it by swiping left till you see the screen for the App Library and then typing its name in the search bar at the top of the App Library.
Note: You can still find your app by searching for it in the App Library or via Spotlight search.
2. Hide Apps from Search and Siri Suggestions
If you want the app to be more private by hiding it fully from Spotlight search results as well as Siri Suggestions, then you can customize your settings.
→ Steps
- Navigate to Settings: Open iPhone settings. Then go to “Siri & Search.” Scroll down the menu and tap on “Siri & Search.”
- Locate the App You Want to Hide: Scroll down the list of apps until you find the one you want to hide.
- Toggle Off “Show in Search” and “Show Siri Suggestions”: For the app you wish to hide, toggle off “Show in Search” and “Show Siri Suggestions.” This will prevent the app from showing up in Spotlight search results, search suggestions, and Siri’s recommendations.
Tip: If you want the app to be completely hidden from all recommendations and suggestions, you can also toggle off “Learn from this App,” which stops Siri from suggesting it based on your usage.
3. Move Apps into Folders
The simplest way to hide an application is by grouping it within a folder on your Home Screen. Here’s how to do it.
→ Steps
- Find the App You Want to Hide: Find the application that you want to hide on your Home Screen. Tap and hold on the icon of the app until a menu appears. Sometimes, you may need to hold the app a bit longer if the menu doesn’t appear immediately.
- Drag the App onto Another App: After the menu appears, select “Edit Home Screen”. In “Edit Home Screen” mode, drag the app you want to hide over another app. A folder will automatically be created.
- Name the Folder: You can now call the folder whatever you want, maybe something unpleasant or vaguest, “Work Apps,” “Utility,” or “Miscellaneous.” This keeps the app noticed by others.
- Put Other Apps in Folder: If you’d like, you can move other apps into this folder to keep it tidy and truly hide even more of your secret apps. The folder shrinks, so you don’t see individual apps unless you tap to open the folder.
4. Use Screen Time to Hide Apps
This method is more extreme but works fine for apps that you want to make completely inaccessible, especially when you are looking for privacy or want to limit distractions.
→ Steps
- Get to Settings: Open Settings on your iPhone. Scroll down and tap “Screen Time.” If you’ve not enabled Screen Time before, you will be required to do so by following on-screen instructions and creating a passcode differentiated from your device passcode.
- Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions: Tap the button that says “Content & Privacy Restrictions.” At the top of the screen, turn the toggle switch on if it hasn’t been enabled already.
- Enter Your Passcode: Enter your Screen Time passcode. It is different from the passcode of the lock screen, therefore, if you don’t have set one up yet, now you have to do so.
- Go to “Allowed Apps”: Tap on “Allowed Apps.” This would then present you with a list of apps that can be used on your iPhone.
- Tap Off the Apps You Want Hid: Find the apps you want to hide and toggle them off. They will disappear from your Home Screen and cannot be accessed until you put in your Screen Time passcode.
How to Unhide the Apps?
If you get tired of your hidden apps or want them back, don’t worry, it’s simple! Here are the ways to unhide the apps.
For App Library: Open App Library, find the app, and tap and hold it. Choose “Add to Home Screen”.
For Search & Siri Suggestions: Go to Settings, then select Siri & Search, locate the app, and toggle “Show in Search” and “Show Siri Suggestions” back on.
For Folders: Just tap and hold the folder and drag the app out of it.
For Screen Time: Go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions, and toggle the app back on under Allowed Apps.
To Conclude
Now, you’re ready to keep your iPhone tidy, organized, and private with hidden applications you don’t want everyone else to have access to. This can help declutter your Home Screen, or make some apps less obvious, for some of these reasons you might need to hide apps in iPhone. Try out these steps next time when you need to clean up your iPhone or hide apps for personal reasons.
You can also find some other useful tech tips for iPhone on our blog, like How To Set Up Apple Airtag || Why Won’t My AirPods Connect || Share Focus Status on iPhone
