To hide an eligible app on your iPhone, touch and hold its icon on the Home Screen, tap Require Face ID (or your device’s available authentication option), choose Hide and Require Face ID, then authenticate and confirm Hide App. The app moves to the Hidden folder in the App Library. If you only want to tidy your Home Screen, choose Remove App → Remove from Home Screen instead; that does not actually lock or hide the app.
Three different ways to make apps less visible
| Method | What changes | Privacy level |
|---|---|---|
| Hide and Require Face ID | Moves an eligible downloaded app to the authenticated Hidden folder | More private, but not completely invisible |
| Remove from Home Screen | Removes an icon; app remains installed and searchable in App Library | Organization only |
| Hide a Home Screen page | Conceals an entire page of app icons from regular navigation | Organization only; apps remain installed |
People often confuse these options. An app icon disappearing from the first Home Screen does not necessarily protect the app’s contents from someone who has access to your unlocked device.
Hide an app with Face ID or Touch ID
- Unlock the iPhone and locate the downloaded app on your Home Screen.
- Touch and hold its icon until the contextual menu appears.
- Tap Require Face ID or the matching authentication command shown for your device.
- Select Hide and Require Face ID when that option is offered.
- Confirm your identity and tap Hide App.
- Swipe left past your Home Screen pages to reach the App Library, scroll to Hidden, and authenticate to open it.
This feature requires a compatible current iOS version. Apple’s official lock-or-hide-app guide describes the flow and lists restrictions. The text on buttons can vary slightly depending on iOS and whether Face ID, Touch ID or a passcode is configured.
Which iPhone apps cannot be hidden?
Not every app exposes the hide option. Apple’s built-in apps, and certain default or system-related apps, have restrictions. In practice, the full hiding command is meant for eligible apps you downloaded, rather than a universal way to make every iOS feature disappear. If you only see an option to require authentication, you can lock the app without removing it from view. If there is no hide command, use a Home Screen organization method instead.
Hidden apps are not completely erased from the device’s records. Depending on iOS settings, they can still be identifiable in areas such as Screen Time, Battery Usage, purchase history and some system settings. Never treat the Hidden folder as a way to make an app’s existence untraceable.
Remove apps from the Home Screen without deleting them
- Touch and hold an app icon.
- Tap Remove App.
- Select Remove from Home Screen rather than Delete App.
- Find it again by swiping to the App Library or using Search.
Removal is best for decluttering games, shopping apps or rarely used tools. It does not prevent someone from launching the app from the App Library, and it does not provide an authentication wall.
Hide an entire Home Screen page
- Touch and hold a blank area of the Home Screen until icons jiggle.
- Tap the page indicators (the dots near the bottom of the screen).
- Uncheck the page or pages you do not want to show, then tap Done.
The apps remain installed and available in the App Library. To show the page again, repeat these steps and check its circle. If your goal is privacy rather than cleanliness, use app locking or hiding instead.
How to find and unhide a hidden app
Open App Library by swiping left through your Home Screen pages, scroll to Hidden, then authenticate. To bring an app out of that folder, touch and hold it and choose the option to stop requiring Face ID or unhide it, following the prompt. Depending on your layout, you may then need to add its icon back to a Home Screen page manually. If it looks missing, check App Library before reinstalling the app or deleting its data.
For a different privacy situation, Apple also provides a method for hiding individual pictures rather than whole apps. Keep app visibility and photo-album visibility as two separate settings.
Frequently asked questions
Does hiding an iPhone app delete its data?
No. Hiding changes access and visibility. The app remains installed with its saved data until you actually delete it.
Can a hidden app still send notifications?
The hidden-app feature restricts app access and ordinary visibility; notification behavior may be affected by iOS. Check the app’s notification settings and do not assume hiding is identical to disabling all alerts.
Can I hide Apple’s built-in apps?
Not all built-in or system apps support the Hide and Require Face ID option. Some can instead be removed from view or controlled through other iOS settings.
How do I put an app back on my Home Screen?
Unhide or unlock it if needed, find it in App Library, then touch and hold and add or drag the icon back to your preferred Home Screen.
Will hidden apps disappear from Screen Time?
No. Hiding an app is not a guarantee that its usage is concealed from Screen Time or other system records.
Featured editorial photo: iGeeksBlog / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo of an iPhone 14 Pro; it does not depict the current iOS Hidden folder UI. Media Library attachment includes the source URL and license attribution.
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