5 Ways to Hide iPhone Apps in iOS 14 or Later

Dec. 7, 2020

There are times where I prefer to hide certain iPhone apps from prying eyes. Especially when siblings/better half begin to show more interest in keeping a tab on what sort of apps I use or I want to hide my private apps. Though Face/Touch ID works well in preventing unauthorized access, it’s not always the best way to safeguard personal apps. And that’s what compels me to look for the ways to hide iPhone apps iniOS 14or later. If your story is quite similar to mine, you would love to unravel these life-saving hacks (kind of) for concealing iOS apps.

In this article, I have assembled both the classic and the all-new tricks for keeping iOS apps under the wraps. The entire focus is on finding reliable hacks that can help in concealing apps on iPhone.

As to which one of these tricks you should use to keep your apps out of sight, take a couple of simple strategies into account. First and foremost, weigh the level of threat. And second, to what extent you want to conceal the app.

For instance, if you think that your personal apps are under greater risk of being exposed, go for the method that offers full control. However, if all you need is a simple method to keep an app out of sight, go for a plain sailing yet effective trick. With said, let’s get started!

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 naughty kid or a clever sibling, you should use the built-in parental control to conceal apps on your iOS device.

To do it, openSettings app on your iPhone -> Screen Time -> Content & Privacy Restrictions. Now, make sure the switch forContent & Privacy Restrictionsis turned on. Then, tap onAllowed Apps.

On this screen, you should see a handful of stock apps including Camera, Mail, FaceTime, Fitness, Health, Siri & Dictation, Wallet, iTunes Store, and more. Simplyturn off the toggle right next to the iPhone appwhich you want to hide. Then, quit the setting. The change will come into effect immediately. If you ever want to unhide these iPhone apps, return to these same settings and then turn on the toggles for the respective apps.

What if you want to hide other (including third-party) iOS apps using Screen Time? Well, you can do it as well. Bear in mind that it will let you conceal apps based on the age ratings. For instance, you can choose to hide all the iPhone apps with 17+ rating or the ones with 12+ rating. To get it done, navigate toSettings app -> Screen Time -> Content & Privacy Restrictions. Make sure the toggle for Content & Privacy Restrictionsis enabled.

Next, tap onContent Restrictionsand chooseApps. After that, select the age rating as per your needs.

What’s more, you can also choose tocompletely disallow apps on your iPhone. When you select it, it will hide all the iOS apps barring a few essential ones like Settings, Phone, Messages etc. I would recommend you to go for this method only in radical situations where you want to have a more protective shield for your apps.

With iOS 14, you can choose to remove apps from the home screen and make them appear only in theApp Library. While it’s not a better way to hide apps, I would recommend you to try it out, just in case you are looking for a simple trick to keep some apps out of sight.

To hide an app from the home screen, all you need to do istouch and hold the app icon and tap on Remove Appin the popup. After that, chooseRemove from Home Screen. Alternately, you can head over to Settings app -> App Store and then select App Library Only todownload new apps directly in the App Library.

Have you ever felt the need to hide your purchased apps in the App Store? If yes, you would be glad to know that iOS offers a way to keep purchased apps under the wraps in the App Store.

Do note that when you hide an app in the App Store, it will no longer appear in the list of purchases. If you use Family Sharing, it will neither appear in family members’ purchases nor be available for family members to redownload. However, the app will still continue to show in your purchase history.

To get it done, openApp Store on your iPhone -> Profile -> Purchased -> My Purchases. Now, tap onAlltab to find out all the purchased apps and select theNot on this iPhoneto access all the apps that are not available on this particular device.

Now, find the app which you want to hide, thenswipe towards left from the right edgeand then hit theHidebutton. That’s pretty much it! From now onwards, the app won’t show up in your purchases list.

If you ever want to unhide the app, openApp Store and tap on your profile. Tap on your name or Apple ID and selectHidden Purchases. Now, you should see all the downloaded apps. Find the app in question and then tap on thedownload buttonto redownload it.

Sirikeeps a tab on your usage and suggests apps accordingly. Therefore, you are able to quickly access apps when you need it. While I find this feature pretty helpful, some people may want to take control of it due to privacy concern. If that’s you, navigate toSettings app -> specific app -> Siri & Search. UnderOn Home Screensection, turn off the switches forSuggest App and Show Appin Search.

It’s worth noting that you have the option to hide suggestions from App and even prevent the personal assistant from showing content in search as well.

Hiding apps using folders is an old story. And most of you may be already familiar with it. However, the reason why I have mentioned it is that it still works quite reliably in making a kid believe that the particular app is hidden. So, if you want a simple yet quite effective way to conceal iOS apps, you should keep it on your radar.

To hide an app in the folder, simplydrag an app and drop it on another app. Then, drag that app onto another page inside the folder.

Better Ways to Conceal Apps on iPhone

There you go! So, that ends our article about the ways to hide iPhone apps in iOS 14 or later. Though iOS lacks an effective way to hide specific apps (both the first-party and third-party), there are ways to keep them under the wraps. And from what I can tell they are more than handy to keep your naughty sibling ( or for that matter anyone) guessing.

By the way, which one of these methods do you use for concealing apps on your iOS device? Is it Screen Time or the classic folder strategy? I would be glad to know the hacks that work for you.

An old school bibliophile who turned a tech nerd out of obsession. When he is not digging into hacks and tracking down stories that are breaking the internet, you may find him reciting poems.