How to hide apps on iPhone: Home screen, pages & more

Do you want to hide apps on iPhone without removing them entirely? We’ve got you covered with a step-by-step guide on exactly how to do it.

There are all sorts of apps that you can download on your iPhone, but there are some that you don’t want everyone to see. Which apps you want to hide is your business, but if you are wondering how to hide them, that’s something we can help with.

Apple lets you easily hide apps from your iPhone’s home screen. You can either choose to hide one app or many apps at once. You also have the option to hide the apps from appearing in searches.

But unlike best Android phones, iPhones don’t let you hide or remove an app from the App Library as long it is installed on your device. You either delete the app from your phone or install a reliable third-party app to hide apps.

We walk you through detailed steps to hide apps on your iPhone, whether it’s running on iOS 17 or an older version.

How to hide apps from your iPhone’s home screen

You can easily hide an app from your iPhone’s home screen by pressing and holding the app icon. We show you how to do that using an iPhone running iOS 17. However, the process should be similar for iPhones running an older version of iOS.

1. On your home screen, press and hold the icon of the app that you want to hide.
2. Tap Remove App from the menu that appears.
3. Select Remove from Home Screen. That’s it, the app will now be there on the home screen but you can still find it in the App Library.

How to hide an entire page of apps from your iPhone

The above method could take some time if you want to hide multiple apps at once. An easier way to do it is by removing the entire page of apps. Here’s how to do it.

1. Press and hold anywhere on your Home Screen.
2. Tap on the series of dots located above your dock.
3. You’ll now see your Home Screen pages. To hide a page, just tap the checkmark beneath it to uncheck and remove it.

How to hide iPhone apps from search & smart suggestions

Even if you hide the apps from your home screen, your iPhone will still display them in smart suggestions and app searches. The best way to avoid this is by hiding the app from search and smartphone suggestions.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Siri & Search.
3. Go to the app section and select the app you want to hide.
4. Turn off Show App in Search and Show Content in Search toggles to keep the app and its content hidden from Search.
5. Switch off Learn from this App, Show on Home Screen, Suggest App, and Suggestion Notifications option to keep the app out of Smart Suggestions.

How to hide apps from iPhone using third-party apps

On Android phones, you have the option to hide apps in a dedicated folder. For instance, Samsung phones offer Secure Folder, which not only safely hides your apps but also protects them with a password.

A similar feature is unfortunately missing on iPhones. You can use several third-party apps for the task. Apps like Cape promise to hide apps from your iPhone, but they may require access to your screen time and other permissions.

We don’t recommend using third-party apps to hide apps on iPhones. If you don’t want people to see that you have a specific app on your phone, delete it and reinstall it. You may also check if the app is available on the web. That way, you won’t have to download it on your phone.

How to access or unhide hidden iPhone apps

You hide apps so that you can access them later. All the apps on your device, including the ones you’ve hidden from your home screen, can be found in the App Library. It’s important to learn how to find hidden apps and bring them back to your home screen.

1. On your home screen, scroll right until you see a list of apps, without names, and organized into squares. That’s the App Library.
2. Locate the hidden app you’re searching for. If you only want to access the hidden app, just tap it to open it.
3. To unhide the app, press and hold its icon, slide it to the left, and let go to drop it wherever you like.