How to hide apps on iPhone and iPad

There are many iPhone tips and tricks out there and one of them is being able to hide your apps. In the past iOS has been very straightforward and you couldn’t do anything outstanding on your iPhone. But thanks to iOS 14, your iPhone can now be personally yours.

There are quite a number of reasons why you should hide some apps on your iPhone. One of them is to be able to declutter your home screen so you only see the apps you regularly need and use.

It’s obvious that the iPhone’s Operating System is full of app icons on the home screen, which can be quite overwhelming.

Here’s a simple guide to help you keep unwanted apps away.

How to Hide Apps on Your iPhone/iPad

Tap and hold an app you want to hide to enter “jiggle mode” – that moment when apps start jiggling
Tap on the dot menu that appears between the dock and the rest of your icons to show or hide apps.

N/B: This method works on iOS 14 only. If you have older versions of iOS and wish to upgrade to iOS 14, check out our complete guide on How to Install iOS 14/iPadOS 14 Beta on your iPhone or iPad. If not, continue below to see our guide on hiding iPhone apps on older iOS versions.

How to Hide Apps on iPhone using Folders

Another cool way to hide apps is by using folders. This is the easiest way and has been a life saver on iOS 13 and below.

Here’s how to do it:

Tap and hold an app then drag it on top of another app to create a folder.
A screen popup will be shown that lets you name the folder. Name the folder in your preferred way. Personally, I like to name folders depending on the category of apps. Like social media, streaming, and etc.
To add an app into an existing folder, go back to the home screen. Then long-press on an app you wish to hide. A pop-up menu will be shown. Tap on the “Edit Home Screen” option and you’ll see the app jiggling.
Now just drag and drop it into the new folder.

Another nifty way to hide an app inside a folder is by placing it into another separate page.

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Typically, iOS allows you to create up to 12 pages and each page must have at least one app. And the cool thing about page folders is that only apps n the first page will be seen in the folder preview. So, placing apps you want to hide at least on the second page does the trick.

To add the new app on a separate page inside the folder, when you’re about to add it inside, drag the app to the right side.

How to Hide apps from your search history

Aside from just hiding apps on your iPhone you can also bolster privacy of hidden apps by hiding apps from search history. This means that if a tech savvy guy like you goes to search for apps that you’ve hidden, they won’t be able to show up in search results. This can be done using Siri and Search area. Here’s

How to hide iPhone apps from search

Open the Settings app
Select Siri & Search
Find the downloaded app you want to hide and tap on it
This will take you to the specific app page where you can block Siri from showing it in search. Additional controls include turning off Learn from this App, and Show Siri Suggestions.

Hiding the app using this way will block it from showing up in search results on your device entirely.

Hide Purchased apps on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

Ever wanted to hide a purchased app so it won’t appear in your list of purchases in the App Store? iOS has an option to let you do that. The best thing about hiding purchased apps on iOS is the app also won’t appear in family members’ purchases in case you use Family Sharing. Besides, the app won’t be available for family members to redownload.

Open the App Store and tap “Today” at the bottom
Tap the account button or your Apple ID photo at the top
Go to “Purchased” or “My Purchases” if you use Family Sharing
Find the app you want to hide, then swipe left on it and tap Hide then tap “Done.”

Keep in mind that hiding an app won’t remove it from your device or a family members device.

Can you unhide a hidden purchased app on iPhone or iPad?

You can’t unhide hidden purchased apps on iOS. However, yu can still redownload the app at no extra cost.

How to download a Hidden App on iPhone

Open the App Store > Today
Tap your Apple ID
Scroll down to find “Hidden Purchases” and select it
Find the app you want then tap on the download button

How to find hidden apps on iPhone and iPad

There are many ways to find your hidden apps. It highly depends on the hiding method. If you hid the app using folders, just drag the app outside the folder.

If you used Siri and Search, go to Settings > Siri & Search, then look for the hidden apps and turn on the toggles we turned off above: Learn from this App, Show in Search and Show Siri Suggestions.

Tags: How-To