How to hide apps on iPhone: the Hidden folder explained
A hidden app leaves the Home Screen. Its name still appears in a few places worth knowing.
In short
Touch and hold an app on the Home Screen, tap Require Face ID, then Hide and Require Face ID, authenticate and tap Hide App. The app disappears from the Home Screen, App Library and search, and moves to a locked Hidden folder at the bottom of App Library. Only apps downloaded from the App Store can be hidden, and their names still appear in Screen Time, battery settings and your App Store purchases.
Key takeaways
- Hidden apps live in a locked Hidden folder at the bottom of App Library.
- Only App Store apps can be hidden, not built-in ones.
- Names still appear in Screen Time, Battery and purchase history.
How to hide an app
- Touch and hold the app on the Home Screen until the Quick Actions menu opens.
- Tap Require Face ID (or Touch ID, or Passcode).
- Tap Hide and Require Face ID, authenticate, then tap Hide App.
A hidden app is also locked. It leaves the Home Screen, App Library and search results, and its content does not appear in notification previews, search or Siri suggestions.
How to open a hidden app
- Swipe left past all your Home Screen pages to reach App Library.
- Tap the Hidden folder at the bottom and authenticate.
- Tap the app and authenticate again.
To stop hiding it, touch and hold the app inside the Hidden folder, tap Don’t Require Face ID and authenticate. It returns near the top of App Library.
Which apps can be hidden
- Only apps you downloaded from the App Store. Apps that come with the iPhone cannot be hidden.
- Not the app you set as your default web browser, nor an alternative app marketplace (EU only).
- Some built-in apps cannot even be locked, including Calculator, Camera, Clock, Contacts, Find My, Maps, Shortcuts and Settings.
Where a hidden app still shows
Apple lists the places where the names of hidden apps can still be seen:
- Settings › Apps › Hidden Apps, after authentication.
- Settings › Screen Time.
- Settings › Battery › Battery Health & Charging.
- Your App Store purchase history.
Hiding and locking apply only to the iPhone where you set them; they do not sync with iCloud. In a Family Sharing group, children under 13 cannot hide apps, and a parent can still see that a 13–17-year-old downloaded an app and how much it is used (ages vary by country or region).
Hiding a vault app
If you hide a vault app such as Latent, the icon disappears but your files are still protected by the vault itself: opening Latent from the Hidden folder only gets someone to a pattern screen that your iPhone passcode does not unlock.