Hiding apps on your iPhone is a powerful privacy tool, now a standard feature for smartphones, especially with newer iOS updates. While there are many reasons you might want to hide apps (have a tidy home screen, protect private information, restrict access to certain apps), at some point you may want to unhide (or locate) your apps.
This guide will provide you with everything you need to know about unhiding apps on iPhone, including the reasons for hiding, how to do it step-by-step, and important factors to consider.
- Why Do Users Hide Apps on iPhone?
- How to Unhide Apps on iPhone
- Essential Elements and User Considerations
- Can I unhide apps without using Face ID or Touch ID?
- Are there any limitations to hiding apps on iOS 18
- Can hidden apps be accessed through Siri?
- How can I detect if an app is hidden on my iPhone?
- Closing Remarks
Why Do Users Hide Apps on iPhone?
The benefits of hiding apps on an iPhone span privacy, security, organization, and control over device usage:
Better Privacy:
Hiding apps allows usernames, passwords, and accounts for sensitive applications (banking apps, health apps, private messaging apps, etc.) to stay out of sight of competitors. It protects your personal information when handing it to someone else (e.g., a friend/colleague to browse) or when using your device in public.
Better Security:
Hidden apps require touch ID, face ID, or pin passcode authentication before the app will open. If unsuitable users are in possession of your device they cannot open the hidden app(s), thus there’s no breach from data exposure. This can also help reduce liability of breach, especially where loss/theft of a device comes into question.
Reduced Clutter on your screen:
Hiding apps reduces clutter on your screen. Especially when hiding dating apps, games, or distracting apps. This allows for a cleaner and more organized home screen and will make it easier to find the apps you want at the time that you want them.
Parental Control:
Parents can utilize the same method to hide unsuitable apps for children (inappropriate apps, possible purchases etc) and to control the environment so minors can not access them, or can access them with restrictions.
Prevent accidental access:
There may be times you let friends, family, or colleagues use your phone, and hide a coupleof apps or games to prevent accidental access to apps that may have private or sensitive content.
Keeping Work and Personal Apps Separate and Hidden: During work time you can hide apps that you would normally use during personal time. You can also choose to hide work apps during personal time for the same type of boundary to create focus between work and personal.
How to Unhide Apps on iPhone
Apple’s iOS 18 now has a stronger system for hiding and locking apps. Here’s how to unhide apps.
Step-by-step
1. Open the App Library
- From your Home Screen, swipe left across your app pages until you reach the App Library.
2. Open the Hidden folder
- Scroll down in the App Library until you reach the Hidden folder and tap that. All of your hidden apps are stored there.
3. Authenticate to view hidden apps
- Next, it will prompt you to authenticate – either with your Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode. This is to make sure you are the only one able to view or change hidden apps.
4. Find and unhide the app
- Locate the app you want to unhide.
- Long-press the app icon and select Don’t Require Face ID (or more simplified language). The prompt may have you authenticate once more.
- The app icon will now be removed from the Hidden folder and placed back into your App Library.
5. Put the app back on your Home Screen (optional)
If you would like to keep the app on your Home Screen, just long-press the app icon in the App Library and select Add to Home Screen.
Essential Elements and User Considerations
Unhiding an application will remove its biometric or passcode protection. Confirm your privacy needs before making an app visible again.
Unhidden apps may not return to their original Home Screen location. You may need to add them again and return them to their original positions.
When you unhide an app, the app’s data and settings are not deleted; you are restoring visibility to the app.
No one besides the device owner (or someone with the correct authentication) can unhide apps. Unhiding an app preserves the user’s privacy and security.
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Can I unhide apps without using Face ID or Touch ID?
Yes! You can unhide apps without using Face ID or Touch ID, if you know the iPhone’s passcode. When presented with the option to authenticate, you can choose to enter the passcode instead of using Face ID or Touch ID to unhide the apps.
Here is how to unhide apps:
1. Open the App Library by sliding left past all of the Home Screen pages.
2. Tap on the Hidden folder at the bottom of the App Library.
3. Authenticate with either Face ID, Touch ID, or Passcode.
4. To unhide an app, long-press the app icon and choose “Don’t Require Face ID” (or “Don’t Require Touch ID or Passcode”).
5. Authenticate again with Face ID, Touch ID, or Passcode. The app will be moved out of the Hidden folder.
6. To put the app back on your Home Screen, long-press on the app icon in the App Library and choose “Add to Home Screen.”
Are there any limitations to hiding apps on iOS 18
While hiding apps on iOS 18 offers strong privacy utilities worth taking advantage of, there are a few notable limitations users should keep in mind:
Cannot Hide Preinstalled Apps:
Remember, this feature only works for the apps you download from the App Store. You cannot hide Apps that come pre-installed as part of the iOS 18 software package, including Camera, Settings, Find My, etc.
Detection:
Although the apps you hide will disappear from the Home Screen, App Library, Spotlight search, and will no longer return results when invoked from Siri, they can still be detected in some Settings menus.
For example, if you hide Facebook, Facebook can show up in the Battery Usage section or under Privacy if the app requested Access to Location Services.
No Notifications:
After the hiding of the app, you will not receive notifications, calls, or alerts from that app, which means you may miss messages and important updates while they are hidden from view.
Authentication Required:
Accessing the Hidden folder or opening a hidden app requires authentication (Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode), so if you frequently access that app, you will have to authenticate each time to get to it.
Limited to Separate Apps:
The hiding feature must be applied separately to each app (there is no bulk hide option).
No Hiding of System Features:
The hiding or locking functionality is limited in that some core system features and some Apple apps cannot be hidden or locked.
These limitations are worth considering when you explore how to utilize the app hiding feature in iOS 18, especially if you are reliant on notifications or need to hide preinstalled apps for privacy or organizational reasons.
Can hidden apps be accessed through Siri?
No, on iOS 18, hidden apps can’t be reached by Siri. When an app is hidden, it is removed from the Home Screen, the App Library, Spotlight Search, and Siri. Therefore, even if you told Siri to “Open [app name],” Siri would not be able to find and launch the app.
To get to a hidden app, you need to go to the Hidden section at the bottom of the App Library and authenticate using Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode.
This prevents hidden apps from being found and accessed by users, whether intentionally or accidentally, via voice commands or search features.
How can I detect if an app is hidden on my iPhone?
Check settings for hidden Apps: Open Settings then Apps then Hidden Apps and after using Face ID or Touch ID or a regular passcode the Settings will show a list of all hidden apps on your device.
Hidden Apps Folder in App Library: Swipe left furthest left of your Home Screen to open the App Library. Scroll to the bottom for the Hidden Apps folder. You will be prompted to use Face ID or Touch ID or a regular passcode to view apps hidden in this folder.
App Library showing All Apps: The App Library shows all installed apps in alphabetical order. If an app is not there AND it is not on a homepage, either it is hidden from that view or it has, in fact, been uninstalled.
App Store Purchase History: Open the App Store and select your Profile icon. Review the Purchase History for your account, which should include all apps ever downloaded with that Apple ID. This may include apps that are hidden, or, apps that are removed or “offloaded” from your device.
Spotlight Search and Siri: Occasionally, if you happen to hide certain apps, such as in the Hidden Apps folder under iOS 18, the app does not appear in Spotlight Search or from Siri, making it unsearchable by these methods.
Using these steps, you can reliably detect if an app is hidden on your iPhone and manage your app visibility as needed.
Closing Remarks
The ability to hide/unhide apps on the iPhone is an extremely useful feature for privacy, organization, and safety. With iOS 18, Apple has made this easier and safer than ever. Always consider your privacy needs before unhiding apps, and utilize the App Library to keep your device clean and secure.
