iPhone doesn’t offer an official way to hide apps on your iPhone. You can hide certain apps from view, but they can’t be “hidden”. If you’re not able to find an installed app on your iPhone, chances are it’s “hidden” and is out of sight. Want to know how to unhide apps on an iPhone?
In this article, we are going to talk about whether or not you can hide apps on your iPhone, some simple workarounds, and different ways to unhide apps on your iPhone.
Let’s get started.
Why hide apps on the iPhone?
You can effortlessly manage your apps on your iPhone – reorganize them on different pages and folders – and, delete the ones you don’t want on your iPhone. Some apps are built-in and essential for your iOS system so you can’t delete them.
Unfortunately, Apple doesn’t provide an official way to hide apps on the iPhone. So, if you’re looking for how to hide an app on your iPhone, remember that there’s no built-in feature that allows for this. However, you can lock apps, so only you’ve access to them.
That said, you can use some workaround to hide apps from view. This works great when you want to hide certain apps from view so they’re not in your way. However, it’ll not be a perfect ruse. Anyone who’s knowledgeable about this can find certain “hidden” apps on your iPhone.
How do you find hidden apps on iPhone Home Screen?
Sometimes, you install apps on your iPhone and totally forget about it. And, when you need to use that app, you’re not even sure whether you installed that app on your iPhone or not. However, you can always look for hidden apps on the iPhone home screen.
All you need to do is to find it in the Hidden Purchases made on your iPhone using the App Store. Follow the below steps to find hidden apps:
- Launch the App Store on your iPhone and tap the account button. Most probably, you’ll find your picture on it.
- On the next screen, you’ll see your Apple ID or name. Tap whichever of them is visible on the screen.
- Scroll down the items and select Hidden Purchases.
It allows you to browse the list of apps. In case you previously downloaded the app, it’ll be visible in the list. When you find it, download it to your phone.
How do you unhide hidden apps on your iPhone?
Your iPhone might have an app that you can’t find anymore. If you know that a certain app is installed on your iPhone, but you can’t find it, the likelihood is that it’s hidden in the App Library.
The app can be found in the App Library and moved to the Home Screen, so you can find it easily the next time.
Here’s how you can do it:
- Typically, the App Library is a few screens to the left. You need to swipe from right to left to enter the App Library. Open it on your iPhone when it shows up.
- The next step is to enter the app name you’re looking for in the search bar at the top.
- If the app is in your App Library, it’ll appear in the search results. Tap and hold the app name and it’ll automatically move to the home screen.
Tip: When searching for the app in the App Library whose name you don’t remember exactly, type one or two letters to look through the suggestions. This way you can find the app in the App Library.
iPhone app hidden? Use the Siri & Search feature
Still, searching for a “hidden” app on your iPhone and want to know how to unhide apps on your iPhone? One of the ways is to find your hidden or missed app using Siri & Search feature.
Here’s how you can do it:
Step 1: You need to swipe down from the Home screen’s center to fetch the Search bar.
Step 2: In the search bar, type the app name you’re trying to find. Make sure you type the exact name. You’ll find the app name in the top search results if it’s installed on your phone.
Step 3: If it has an iCloud symbol, it means you need to redownload the app. Tap the icon to begin downloading.
Step 4: In case you see the Search App Store option, it indicates the app is not installed on your iPhone. You can download it from the App Store.
How to hide apps from Smart Suggestions
When you use something often on your iPhone, Smart Suggestions uses Siri’s intelligence to suggest certain apps or activities in Smart Suggestions. However, it’s not always the case that you see only often used apps or activities in Smart Suggestions.
You might have set up a separate widget for your favorite app or task – don’t need its suggestion in Smart Suggestions. Here’s how to hide apps from Smart Suggestions:
- When you’re on the Home screen, you can see a cluster of apps – these are essentially Smart Suggestions.
- If you want a certain app to not appear in the suggestions, press and hold its icon.
- After a second or two, you’ll see a menu pop up on the screen. When you’ll tap Don’t Suggest “app name”, a bottom message pop up will appear.
- The pop up message will have an option that reads Don’t Suggest “app name” – tap it. After a couple of seconds, the icon will be removed from the suggestions and it’ll not appear in the future.
This would prevent that app from appearing in the Smart Suggestions. The app is still on your iPhone, though. You can keep using it normally.
Can you hide preinstalled iPhone apps?
Since there’s no official method available in iOS to “hide” apps, you can’t hide pre-installed apps on your iPhone. However, you can use some workarounds to keep apps out of sight. If you think a pre-installed app is of no use for you, you can simply delete the app.
Final words
Are you experiencing a lost iPhone app? It’s possible that apps can be kept out of sight, so you don’t see them on your Home screen. It might be possible that you’ve deleted the app and you think that it’s hidden on your phone somewhere. Either way, you can use the above methods to unhide apps on your iPhone.
