6 Ingenious Methods to Conceal Apps on Your iPhone

We all have certain applications on our smartphones that are privy to our personal lives. Naturally, it’s not ideal to have others stumble upon these apps while using your phone. Deleting these apps isn’t a feasible solution; hence, hiding them becomes the go-to option. While iPhones don’t have a built-in feature to hide apps, there are several smart workarounds to ensure these apps remain unseen. In this guide, we will explore six clever methods to hide apps on your iPhone.

1. Relocate Apps to the App Library

Moving Away from the Home Screen

A straightforward method to hide apps on your iPhone is by relocating them from the Home Screen to the App Library. This technique keeps certain apps out of sight, only revealing them when you decide to access them. For example, if you find yourself mindlessly scrolling social media just because the app icon catches your eye, this method could be a game-changer.

Steps to Relocate an App:

1. Long-press the app you want to hide.
2. Select ‘Remove App’ from the quick action menu.
3. Choose ‘Remove from Home Screen’.
4. The app will now reside in the App Library, accessible whenever you need it.
5. To unhide the app, simply drag it back to the home screen from the App Library.

2. Conceal a Whole Home Screen Page

Hiding Multiple Apps at Once

Surprisingly, not many are aware that you can hide an entire Home Screen page on an iPhone. This method is efficient when you have several apps you want to hide at once. Ensure the page only contains the apps you wish to hide by moving any other apps to a different page.

Steps to Conceal a Home Screen Page:

1. Create a new home screen page by dragging an app to the right until a blank page appears.
2. Move all apps you want to hide to this page.
3. Long-press an empty area on the screen until the app icons jiggle.
4. Tap on the three horizontal dots at the bottom of the screen.
5. Uncheck the page you wish to hide and tap ‘Done’.

3. Exclude Apps from Search and Siri Suggestions

Ensuring Complete Invisibility

Even after removing an app from the Home Screen, it can still appear in search results and Siri suggestions. To prevent this, follow these additional steps.

Steps to Exclude Apps:

1. Open ‘Settings’ and navigate to the ‘Siri & Search’ section.
2. Scroll down to find the app, tap on it, and disable ‘Show App in Search,’ ‘Show on Home Screen,’ and ‘Suggest App.’
3. Now, the app won’t appear in Siri suggestions or the search results.

4. Hide Purchased Apps in the App Store

Keeping Your Purchase History Private

In instances where Family Sharing is enabled, hiding your App Store purchase history becomes crucial to keep certain apps private.

Steps to Hide Purchased Apps:

1. Open the App Store and tap on your profile picture.
2. Select ‘Purchased,’ then swipe left on the app you want to hide and hit ‘Hide.’

5. Utilize Screen Time to Hide Apps

Leveraging Parental Controls

Screen Time’s parental controls provide a way to manage or conceal downloaded apps, ideal for keeping certain apps away from curious eyes.

Steps to Hide Apps with Screen Time:

1. Go to ‘Settings’ -> ‘Screen Time’ -> ‘Content & Privacy Restrictions.’
2. Enable ‘Content & Privacy Restrictions,’ then tap on ‘Allowed Apps’ to hide or unhide stock apps.
3. To hide third-party apps based on age ratings, navigate to ‘Content Restrictions’ -> ‘Apps,’ and choose the desired age rating.

6. Organize Apps in Folders

Old-School Organization

Organizing apps into folders is a traditional yet effective method to hide apps without deleting them.

Steps to Organize Apps in Folders:

1. Long-press an app, then drag and drop it over another app to create a folder.
2. Move the app to a different page within the folder for extra concealment.

Conclusion: These six ingenious methods will assist in keeping your apps hidden and maintaining your privacy. Experiment with these techniques and find what works best for you. The comments section is open for sharing your experiences and other methods you may have discovered to hide apps on your iPhone.