There are times when I prefer to hide some iPhone apps from prying eyes. Especially when the siblings/better half start paying more attention to keeping a tab on what kind of apps I use or want to hide my private apps. While Face/Touch ID works well at preventing unauthorized access, it’s not always the best way to protect personal apps. This is what got me looking for ways to hide iPhone apps in iOS 14 or later. If your story is pretty similar to mine, you’d love to unravel (sort of) these life-saving tricks to hide iOS apps.
Tips and Tricks to Hide Apps on iPhone (2020)
In this post, I’ve brought together both classic and brand new tricks to keep iOS apps private. The whole focus is on finding reliable tricks that can help hide apps on iPhone.
As for which of these tricks you should use to keep your apps out of sight, consider a few simple strategies. First of all, weigh the threat level. Second, to what extent you want to hide the app.
For example, if you think your personal apps are at higher risk of being exposed, choose the method that offers full control. However, if all you need is a simple way to keep an app out of sight, go for a simple and effective trick. With that said, let’s get started!
1. Use Screen Time to Hide Apps on Your iPhone
Screen Time (Formerly Restrictions) has long been a pretty reliable way to keep certain iOS apps out of sight. So, whether you are dealing with a mischievous child or a smart sibling, you should use the built-in parental control to hide apps on your iOS device.
To do this, open Settings app on your iPhone -> Screen Time -> Content & Privacy Restrictions. Now, make sure you have the key. Content and Privacy Restrictions opens. Next, tap on Allowed Apps.
You should see a handful of stock apps on this screen, including Camera, Mail, FaceTime, Fitness, Health, Siri & Dictation, Wallet, iTunes Store, and more. simply Turn off the switch right next to the iPhone app which do you want to hide? Then exit the setting. The change will take effect immediately. If you want to show these iPhone apps, go back to the same settings and then turn on toggles for the respective apps.
What if you want to hide other (including third party) iOS apps using Screen Time? Well, you can too. Note that it will let you hide apps based on age ratings. For example, you can choose to hide all iPhone apps rated 17+ or rated 12+. To do this, go to: Settings app -> Screen Time -> Content & Privacy Restrictions. Make sure to toggle for Content and Privacy Restrictions effective.
Next, tap on Content Restrictions and Select applications. After that, choose the age rating according to your needs.
What’s more, you can also choose Completely disallow apps on your iPhone. When you choose, Settings, Phone, Messages etc. It will hide all iOS apps, blocking a few essential apps such as I recommend using this method only in radical situations where you want a more protective shield for your applications. .
2. Uninstall iPhone Apps from Home Screen
With iOS 14, you can remove apps from the home screen and make them appear only in the App Library. While there’s no better way to hide apps, if you’re looking for a simple trick to keep some apps out of sight, I’d recommend giving it a try.
To hide an app from the home screen, all you have to do is Tap and hold the app icon and tap Uninstall App in the popup window. After that, choose Remove from Home Screen. Alternatively, you can go to Settings app -> App Store and then select App Only Library to download new apps directly in App Library.
3. Hide Purchased Apps in App Store
Have you ever felt the need to hide your purchased apps in the App Store? If your answer is yes, you’ll be glad to know that iOS offers a way to keep purchased apps private in the App Store.
Note that when you hide an app in the App Store, it will no longer appear in the purchased list. If you use Family Sharing, it won’t appear on family member purchases or be used for family member redownloads. However, the app will still appear in your purchase history.
To do this, open On your iPhone App Store -> Profile -> Purchased -> My Purchases. Now, tap on Everything find all purchased apps and This is not on iPhone To access all apps not available on this particular device.
Now, find the app you want to hide, then swipe from right edge to left and then hit To hide button. That is all! From now on, the app will not appear in your purchases list.
If you want to show the app, open it Tap the App Store and your profile. Tap your name or Apple ID and Confidential Purchases. Now, you should see all the downloaded apps. Find the app in question, and then download button to re-download.
4. Hide Apps from Siri Suggestions
Siri tracks your usage and suggests apps accordingly. Therefore, you can quickly access applications whenever you need them. While I find this feature quite useful, some people may want to take control because of privacy concerns. If this is you, go to: Settings app -> specific app -> Siri & Search. Under On Home Screen section, turn off the switches Suggest App and Show App to be in search.
It’s worth noting that you have the option to hide suggestions from the app and even prevent the personal assistant from showing content in search.
5. Hide iPhone Apps Using Folders
Hiding apps using folders is an old story. And many of you may already be familiar with it. However, the reason I’m mentioning this is because it still works pretty reliably to make a kid believe a certain app is hidden. So if you want a simple yet highly effective way to hide iOS apps, you should keep it on your radar.
To hide an app in a folder drag an app and drop it into another app. Then drag that app to another page inside the folder.
Better Ways to Hide Apps on iPhone
Come in! Thus, our article on ways to hide iPhone apps on iOS 14 or later ends. While iOS lacks an effective way to hide certain apps (both first-party and third-party), there are ways to keep them private. And as I understand it, they’re very useful for keeping your mischievous sibling (or anyone else, for that matter) guessing.
By the way, which of these methods do you use to hide apps on your iOS device? Screen Time or the classic folder strategy? I’d be happy to know any tricks that work for you.
