iOS 18: Hide and Unhide Apps on iPhone and What Happens Later

We’ve all been there—sometimes you just need to hide certain apps from plain view on your iPhone. Maybe it’s a shopping app you don’t want your kids to stumble upon, a dating app you’d rather keep private, or even work-related apps that need to be confidential. iOS 18 now allows users to hide apps on supported iPhone models.

But are there any loopholes? What happens to widgets or notifications? Can people find the app through Search, Settings, or with Siri? How can you access the app once it is hidden? In this article, we will walk you through everything related to iOS 18’s hidden apps feature, from how to hide/unhide apps to what happens to the hidden apps on your iPhone.

How to Hide Apps on iPhone in iOS 18

When you hide an app on your iPhone, it not only hides the app but also locks it with your iPhone’s passcode or biometrics, such as Face ID or Touch ID. It’s a prerequisite so set up passcode or biometric authentication before moving on.

Here’s how to hide an app:

1. Long-press the app icon you want to hide on the home screen.
2. Select Require Face ID from the quick actions menu.
3. Tap Hide and Require Passcode/Face ID/Touch ID in the pop-up.
4. Then finally tap on Hide App to confirm.

You can hide as many apps as you want on your iPhone. But remember, you won’t be able to hide any system apps like Settings, Clock, Weather, or even the Journal or Fitness app.

To access the apps you have hidden:

1. Open the App Library, scroll to the bottom, and tap on the Hidden folder.
2. You’ll need to authenticate using Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode to access all the hidden apps placed in the folder.

Interestingly, the Hidden folder is always there even if you have not hidden any apps on the iPhone. So nobody really knows if you have any hidden apps.

Note: Unfortunately, Apple doesn’t allow a separate passcode for hidden apps, so anyone who knows your iPhone passcode can access all your hidden apps.

What Happens When You Hide Apps on iPhone

When you hide an app in iOS 18, Apple doesn’t just remove it from your home screen. Several other changes are made in the background to ensure total privacy and security. The app is completely hidden to ensure privacy so no one discovers it accidentally.

Here’s what happens when you hide an app:

• Notifications are disabled: Once an app is hidden, all its notifications are automatically turned off. This means no alerts, banners, or badges will appear when the phone is locked or unlocked, ensuring that no one accidentally sees app-related information​.
• Widgets are removed: Any widgets related to the hidden app will also disappear immediately from both your home screen and the widgets page. This ensures no traces of the app are left visible on your device​.
• App won’t appear in search: Hidden apps are completely excluded from Spotlight search, Siri suggestions, and even the App Library search. This means no one can stumble upon them accidentally by typing keywords​.
• App is hidden from Settings: Normally, all apps can be managed through Settings > Apps, but hidden apps won’t appear in this list either. This ensures deeper privacy levels by keeping even app-related settings out of reach​.

Then how to adjust Settings?

To adjust the settings of hidden apps:

1. Go to Settings > Apps and scroll down.
2. Select the Hidden Apps option at the bottom.
3. You’ll need to authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode to access the hidden apps list.
4. From here, you can change the settings of these apps. However, you won’t be able to enable notifications or make them visible in search unless you fully unhide the app​.

Loophole

There is one way to know if you have hidden apps on your iPhone—App Store. The hidden app will appear as installed and display the Open button in the App Store. While authentication is required to open the app, it still reveals that you are using the app.

Solution: Lock the App Store app which closes all the loopholes.

How to Unhide Apps on iPhone

If you have decided to unhide any app:

1. Navigate to the Hidden folder in the App Library.
2. Authenticate using Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode.
3. Long-press the app and select “Don’t Require Passcode/Face ID/Touch ID” to unhide it.
4. You need to authenticate again using passcode or biometrics.

Once the app is unhidden, it will return to the App Library, not to its original spot on the home screen. You can either manually add it back to the home screen or access it via Spotlight Search or Siri Suggestions. The app’s settings, including notifications, will automatically revert to their previous state, so there’s no need to reconfigure them.