Let’s be honest: There’s no magic trick to make apps disappear entirely on an iPhone, but you sure can be crafty about making them harder to find.
We’ve all been there. Handing over our iPhone to a friend or family member and hoping they don’t stumble upon that one app or folder.
Additionally, you may want to hide apps to spruce up your home screen or declutter it from seldom-used apps and give it a cleaner, fresher look.
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So, how to hide apps on iPhone without deleting it?
In this article, we’ll walk you through the not-so-secret techniques to hide those apps you’d rather keep under wraps.
Ready? Let’s get started!
5 Simple Ways to Hide Apps on iPhone Without Deleting it
As mentioned earlier, the iPhone doesn’t offer a direct method to make apps invisible. But it does allow you to play hide and seek with them. Here are our 5 subtle techniques to make them out of sight and mind.
1. Hide Apps in Folders on iPhone
Creating a folder is a straightforward way to bundle similar apps or to cleverly hide apps you’d rather not display prominently. Here’s how you do this:
- Swipe through your home screen or app library to locate the apps you want to conceal.
- Gently press and hold an app and choose “Edit Home Screen”. This will activate the “Edit Mode”
- Then, drag it over to another app you’d like to group it with. Once they overlap, release the app, and a folder will automatically be created.
By default, your iPhone will give the folder a name based on the type of apps inside (like “Productivity” or “Games”).
To change this, tap on the name to edit it. Naming your folder something inconspicuous like “Utilities” or “Tools” can further hide its contents.
2. Hide Apps on iPhone in Settings
You might not use all of the default apps, and sometimes they just add clutter to your home screen. Fortunately, Apple has made it easier to hide apps on iPhone in settings without deleting them.
If you don’t want a default app on your home screen, but don’t want to delete it either, you can move it to the App Library.
- Go to settings
- Go to screen time
- Go to content and privacy restrictions
- Turn on the content and privacy restrictions button (if it’s not on already)
- Go to allowed apps
- Hide the default app you wish to disappear
3. Hide Apps From Home Screen
There is another way to keep an app off your home screen without detecting it. This will keep your app away from your homepage but not tucked away in the App Library. Here’s how to do this:
- Press and hold an empty space on your home screen until the apps start wiggling.
- Select the app you wish to make disappear from the screen.
- Select “Remove the app from the homepage”
- The app will be removed from the home screen but still accessible within the library.
Remember, removing an app from the home screen or the App Library does not delete its data. The app can still be found using the phone’s search feature or within the App Library when you need it.
4. Hide Apps Using Age Restriction
As smartphones become more prevalent in the hands of young users, it’s essential to ensure they’re exposed to age-appropriate content.
Doing this will ensure your children don’t stumble upon content that is too mature for their age. Also, you reduce the risks of children encountering potentially harmful content or cyber threats.
Here’s how you can set it up:
- Open the ‘Settings’ app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and tap on ‘Screen Time.’
- Enable screen time (if not already done)
If you’re using Screen Time for the first time, tap on “Turn On Screen Time,” then proceed to set up a Screen Time passcode. This passcode ensures that only you can change or remove these settings.
- Once inside Screen Time, tap on ‘Content & Privacy Restrictions.’
- Turn on the toggle for ‘Content & Privacy Restrictions.’
- Tap on “Content restrictions”
- Now, tap on ‘Apps.’
- Under the ‘Apps’ section, you’ll see age categories like 4+, 9+, 12+, and 17+. Choose the age category you feel is suitable. For instance, if you select 9+, apps rated 12+ and 17+ will be hidden.
5. Hide Entire App Pages
Over time, you might accumulate a collection of apps that you seldom use but don’t wish to delete. By hiding the entire page, you can reduce clutter on your primary screens. Hiding an entire page of apps is a relatively straightforward process in iOS.
Here’s how:
- On your home screen, press and hold any app or an empty space until all apps start wiggling, indicating that you’re in “editing mode.
- At the bottom of the screen, you’ll see a series of dots representing your app pages. This is the page indicator. Tap on it.
- You’ll now see a zoomed-out view of all your app pages. Each page will have a checkmark below it.
- Simply tap on the checkmark below any page you want to hide. The checkmark will disappear, indicating that the page has been deselected.
- Tap ‘Done’ at the top right (or press the home button on iPhones with one) to save your changes and exit edit mode’.
Conclusion
To wrap it up, hiding apps on your iPhone is pretty easy when you use these five simple tricks we’ve talked about. Just give these ideas a try and see which one feels right for you. You’ll be enjoying a neater and more private iPhone experience in no time!