The iOS operating system allows you to use hidden apps on your iPhone for greater privacy and security. If you're someone who lends their phone, keeping certain apps hidden can be useful to prevent accidental modifications. You can even hide games or apps if you don't want others to know you installed them.
Hidden apps on iPhone aren't deleted ; they're simply hidden from prying eyes. If an app is hidden, it will appear in the App Store as if you hadn't purchased it. No device signed in with the same Apple ID deletes the app; access is simply hidden so you can manually re-enable it.
How to get hidden apps on iPhone?
Hiding apps is quite simple. It can be done from the App Store settings in just a few seconds. Follow these instructions:
- Open the App Store app and select the Today option at the bottom of the screen.
- Tap the user icon or profile photo and select Purchased.
- Choose the app to hide, swipe the screen to the left on the app and tap Hide.
- Confirm the action.
If you use Family Sharing and hide an app, the group organizer will still receive the subscription notification. Hiding apps doesn't cancel any of their features, subscriptions, or charges.
Hide apps on iPhone using folders
Another way to hide apps and make it harder to access them is to create folders or drawers with shortcuts to other apps . This involves placing the shortcut icons in a folder, and perhaps within that same folder, creating another folder to hide your icons there. You can do this by designing a folder with many different tools that you don't use often. In that case, anyone trying to access your apps will have to search through each folder one by one until they find the icon they're looking for. To try this method, follow these steps:
- Drag the app into an existing folder on your iPhone. Keep your finger pressed on the app and swipe to the target drawer or folder. You can create a new folder by dragging one app onto another.
- Make sure your app is on the second page of the folder. You have to have a good number of apps inside to be able to hide it like this.
This simpler and faster procedure does not prevent them from finding your apps from the Search option. Therefore, it is more effective to achieve hidden apps on iPhone with the first mechanism.
How to hide apps on iPhone from Search option?
To stop Siri and Search from detecting your apps, you need to make a few simple changes to the system settings:
- Open the Settings menu and select Siri & Search.
- At the bottom you will find the apps section look for the one you want to hide.
- Turn off all options (Learn how to use this app, Show suggestions, Suggest app, Show App in Search, Show content in Search, and Show app suggestions).
With these three settings, we'll have a higher level of privacy for our mobile phone and the tools we use daily. If curious onlookers can't find any information using the Search function, they're unlikely to continue their search on your phone.
Hide apps from the home screen
Another way to hide apps is to do it from the home screen itself. This involves a few more steps, but the result is acceptable.
- Select the app you want to hide from your home screen, it can be there or in a folder.
- Touch and hold the screen for a second until the iPhone vibrates.
- An icon with a "-" symbol will appear in the upper left corner of each app.
- Press the "-" symbol and in the menu that opens, the option Delete from the home screen.
This process does not delete the application, it only removes its shortcut. To open it, any curious person who has our mobile in their hands must navigate through the application drawer to find the application in question.
Conclusion
When it comes to achieving greater privacy and controlled, well-managed use of our mobile phone, the app hiding feature is very useful. It's not uncommon for users to lend their phones to family or friends, but in some cases, they want to preserve certain aspects of their privacy. A social network, a highly addictive game—there are various reasons to have apps hidden on an iPhone. The important thing is to find a mechanism that provides security without openly revealing the attempt at concealment.
With these four alternatives we'll tell you about in this post, you can clean up your home screen of icons and also protect your privacy with hidden apps . Mobile phones have become highly customizable tools, and that's why it's essential to have options for safeguarding our privacy.