How to Hide Apps on iPhone: A Quick Guide

There are times when you may want to keep certain apps hidden on your iPhone, whether for privacy, decluttering, or avoiding distractions. Apple offers multiple ways to do this without deleting the apps. Here’s a concise guide on how to hide apps effectively.

Why Hide Apps on iPhone?

You might want to hide apps for:

• Privacy: To keep personal apps out of sight.
• Decluttering: To reduce the number of visible apps.
• Avoiding Distractions: To hide tempting apps like games or social media.

Use the App Library

The App Library organizes your apps and allows you to remove them from your home screen without deleting them.

How to Use:

• Long Press the app on your home screen.
• Choose Remove from Home Screen.
• Access the app later via the App Library by swiping right on your home screen.

Create a Hidden Folder

Organize apps into a folder and move it to a second or third page to keep them out of sight.

How to Create:

• Drag Apps into a folder.
• Move the folder to a hidden page or deep inside another folder.
• Label it something non-descriptive like “Tools”.

Use Restrictions to Hide Built-in Apps

If you want to hide pre-installed apps like Safari or Messages, use restrictions to disable them from showing on the home screen.

How to Hide:

• Go to Settings > Screen Time.
• Enable Screen Time and set a passcode.
• Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions > Allowed Apps and toggle off apps you want hidden.
   

Use Siri Shortcuts to Hide Apps

With Siri Shortcuts, you can create custom actions to open apps without displaying them on your home screen.

How to Set Up:

• Open Shortcuts app and create a new shortcut.
• Select Open App and choose the app to hide.
• Add the shortcut to your home screen with a blank icon.

Third-Party Apps

Some apps, like Hide It Pro or Secret Photo Vault, allow you to hide apps with additional privacy features such as password protection.

Disable App Notifications

If you don’t want to hide an app but prefer it to be less visible, turn off its notifications.

How to Turn Off:

• Go to Settings > Notifications.
• Select the app and toggle off Allow Notifications.

Conclusion

There are several ways to hide apps on your iPhone, whether you use the App Library, create hidden folders, or utilize Siri Shortcuts. These methods help you keep your device organized, private, and distraction-free while ensuring that apps remain accessible when needed.