It can be frustrating when you have a lot of apps on your iPhone, and you can’t seem to find the one you need. If you have apps that you don’t use often, you may want to hide them so they’re not taking up space on your home screen. This guide will show you show to hide apps on your iPhone in a few easy steps.
While there isn’t a built-in way to do this, there are a few different methods you can use to hide apps on your iPhone.
How to hide apps on iPhone
There are several ways to hide Apps on your iPhone. Here are some methods:
Hide apps by creating a folder
Another way to hide apps on your iPhone is to create a folder. This is a built-in feature of iOS, and it’s effortless to do.
Like most iPhone users, you have a growing list of regularly used apps. But there are also many apps you may not use as often but don’t want to delete. One way to declutter your home screen is to create a folder for these apps.
Here’s how:
- Tap and hold on to an app icon until all the icons begin to jiggle.
- Drag the app icon over another app icon you want to include in the same folder. A new folder will be created with both icons inside.
- You can rename the folder by tapping on the name field and entering a new name.
- To add more apps to the folder, repeat steps 1-3 for each app you want to include.
Hide apps using screen time
If you’re using iOS 12 or later, you can use the Screen Time feature to hide apps from your home screen. With this feature, you can limit your time on specific apps and designate “quiet hours” when muted notifications.
You can also use Screen Time to create a passcode to lock specific apps. To hide apps using Screen Time, follow these steps:
- Open the Settings app and tap on Screen Time.
- Tap on App Limits and select the type of app you want to limit.
- Tap on Add Limit and set the limit for how much time you want to spend on the app each day.
- Once you’ve selected the limit, tap on Add at the top right corner of the screen.
- When you try to open the app after reaching your limit, you’ll see a message saying that the app is locked.
Remember that this method only works if you have Screen Time enabled. If you don’t want to use Screen Time, you can also try hiding apps in a folder or using restrictions to prevent certain apps from being used.
Hide apps using guided access
Guided access is one of the many features that make the iPhone such a unique and user-friendly device.
This is a built-in accessibility feature that allows you to control which apps are used on your device. It allows you to temporarily disable certain phone features, such as the touch screen, to focus on a specific task or prevent accidental inputs.
This can be especially useful when hiding apps on your iPhone, as it ensures that you won’t accidentally close out of the app you’re trying to hide. Here’s a step-by-step guide to using guided access to hide apps on your iPhone:
- Open the Settings app and scroll down to Accessibility.
- Tap on Accessibility, then scroll down to Guided Access and tap on it to turn it on.
- Return to the home screen and launch the app you want to hide.
- Once the app is open, triple-click the side button to activate Guided Access. Use your finger to circle the screen area where the app is located. This will prevent any accidental inputs outside of the app.
- When you’re through, click on Start in the top right corner.
- The app will now be hidden and can only be accessed when you triple-click the side button and enter your passcode.
Hide apps using restrictions
Another way to hide apps is to use restrictions. This built-in feature allows you to control which apps are used on your device. To hide apps using restrictions, follow these steps:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Tap on General.
- Select Restrictions.
- Click on Enable Restrictions.
- Enter a 4-digit passcode that you will remember. This will be used to unlock Restrictions when you want to access the hidden apps.
- Under the Allowed Content section, tap on Apps.
- Here you will see a list of all the apps installed on your iPhone. To hide an app, toggle off the switch next to it.
- Hidden apps will no longer be visible on your home screen or in other app folders. To access a secret app, go back to the Restrictions menu and enter your passcode. Then tap on the app you want to use, and it will become visible again for a limited time.
Use Siri & search
Siri is a virtual assistant part of Apple Inc.’s iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, macOS, and tvOS operating systems. Siri can also hide apps on an iPhone, among other things.
To do this, activate Siri by saying “Hey Siri”, and then say “Hide [name of app].” Siri will then hide the app in question.
You can also use the Search function to find and hide apps on your iPhone. To do this, open the Search feature (by swiping down from the top of the home screen) and then type in the app you want to hide.
Once the app appears in the search results, swipe left on it and tap “Hide.” This will cause the app to be hidden from your home screen. If you ever need to access a hidden app, use Siri or the Search function to find it again.
Final thoughts
Depending on your needs, there are various ways to hide apps on your iPhone. If you want to declutter your home screen, you can move the app to a folder or use restrictions to prevent it from being used.
If you need to hide an app for security reasons, you can use Screen Time or Guided Access to lock it away. And if you want to be able to access the app quickly, you can use Siri or the Search function to find it.
No matter your reason for hiding apps on your iPhone, there’s a method that will work for you.