I want to hide certain apps on my iPhone for privacy reasons but can’t figure out how to do it. Are there settings or steps I can follow? Guidance needed.
Okay, hiding apps on your iPhone is totally doable but also kinda a pain if you’re looking for a “one-click-hide-my-secrets” button. Apple doesn’t technically have a true app-hiding feature, because I guess they just assume we all have nothing to hide (ha). BUT, here’s some workarounds that should do the trick for keeping things lowkey:
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App Library: Starting with iOS 14, there’s an App Library. You can remove apps from your Home Screen so they ONLY show up in the App Library. Long-press the app > tap “Remove App” > choose “Remove from Home Screen.” Boom! Outta sight but still there.
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Using Folders: If you just want to make them less obvious, bury them in some random folder and slap it on the last page of your Home Screen. Name the folder something boring like “Utilities” or “Stuff” to throw people off.
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Restrictions (Parental Controls): If you wanna go super spy-mode, use Screen Time to restrict apps. Go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions, turn it on, and then hide apps by category or set an age limit. No one will even know they’re there unless they know your passcode.
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Search Bar Trickery: Disable an app from showing up in Search. In Settings > Siri & Search, toggle off “Show App in Search.” Now even if someone tries to snoop, it won’t appear when they search for it.
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Third-Party Apps or Alternate Icons: This is next-level, but you can use Shortcut tricks to make apps look like something else entirely or disguise links to apps on your Home Screen. Some folks switch the app icon to a random photo, and nosy people will never dare to tap on a weird pixelated purple square.
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Offloading Apps: If you don’t use an app often but need to keep the data, offload it. That way, it disappears but pops back when you reinstall. Find this under Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Offload Unused Apps.
Sure, none of these are 100% foolproof magical cloaks of invisibility, but combined, they can help you evade prying eyes. Or, you know, you could just delete the app every time and re-download it when you need it…if you’re THAT paranoid. Either way, good luck protecting your “privacy.” 
Honestly, @sterrenkijker laid out some solid tips there, but let’s be real—hiding apps on iPhone is more about playing hide-and-seek than actual privacy. Apple doesn’t give us a nuclear launch button for this, so here are a few extra tactics you might consider (and yeah, I’ll throw in some opinions too).
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Widget Distraction: Instead of burying apps in folders, fill your Home Screen with widgets. Push all regular apps (including the ones you wanna hide) into your library or back pages. Widgets are the shiny toys that draw attention away like, “Look! My screen’s all weather reports and step counts. Totally normal, nothing to see here.”
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Change Icon Names with Shortcuts: A bit like third-party apps but all DIY. Use the Shortcuts app to create custom icons for your apps and rename them to something mundane like ‘Notes’ or “Calculator.” The downside? It creates a new shortcut with a 0.5-second delay to open the app, but would someone snooping even bother waiting? I doubt it.
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Log Out/Disable Notifications: If privacy is what you NEED, forget the hiding act. Just log out of specific apps (social media, email, etc.) after use. Also, turn off notifications completely so no push alerts blow your cover. Because even a hidden app is useless if a message pops up saying, “You’ve got 20 new matches” from something spicy. Awkward.
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Minimalistic Approach: If you’re genuinely freaked out about prying eyes, you could take a Marie Kondo approach: App minimalism. Delete apps you rarely use and opt for mobile browser versions in Safari’s private mode instead. No repo traces, no icons to hide, and no one thinking, ‘Why does she have Tinder inside a folder named Recipes?’
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Account Switching: Some apps, like Instagram or Facebook, let you have multiple accounts. If you have “something” to hide, maybe just switch to a less obvious backup account you don’t leave logged in.
That said, here’s my beef—why should YOU have to meticulously play these games to keep your stuff private? Apple could just give us a locked folder option already instead of making us feel like spies every time we wanna do something discreet. 
Anyway, take your pick from these suggestions or make peace with perpetually living in low-key paranoia!
Oh, boy. Hiding apps on the iPhone—more like navigating a maze of workarounds Apple left us with. Honestly, I have a slight beef with the whole setup—it’s like Apple wants us to perform acrobatics for something as simple as app privacy. Let me add a few more ideas to the mix, beyond what @boswandelaar and @sterrenkijker have (admittedly solidly) covered.
Alternative Ideas for Vault-Level App Privacy
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Guided Access Mode
If you’re handing your phone to someone and want to safeguard your apps temporarily, Guided Access is your BFF. Head to Settings > Accessibility > Guided Access, toggle it on, and set a passcode. Then, triple-click the side button in any app to “freeze” the screen. Boom! No one can exit the current app without the passcode. Not a permanent solution but genius for quick-and-dirty privacy. -
Hidden Photos Album (for App-Like Data)
If your main reason for hiding an app is sensitive content within it, and not the app itself, why not offload/import data into your Hidden Photos album? With iOS, you can hide photos/videos directly in the Photos app. Go to Settings > Photos, and turn off Show Hidden Album. Now the Hidden album is… hidden (lol). -
Remove App Suggestions/View in Apps Library
There’s also an option to disable “Siri Suggestions” for specific apps. This way, they won’t surface even when Siri feels chummy enough to blow your cover. Go to Settings > Siri & Search, select the naughty app, and toggle off Show in Suggestions. Combine this with the App Library-only strategy from @sterrenkijker and voilà—it’s Sherlock-proof-ish. -
Third-Party App Vaults
There’s no shame in outsourcing! Apps like AppLocker or Calculator Vault double as secrets keepers. They encrypt files or act as decoy apps (e.g., a fake calculator). The downside? Some apps might not meet Apple’s strict kind-to-your-privacy standards, and their “freemium” models can be irritating.
Quick Word of Advice: Rank Your Needs
Do you want:
- Full stealth mode? Use Screen Time/Restrictions (as @boswandelaar suggested).
- Convenience with privacy? Try app folders + search bar disabling.
- Paranoia-level freedom? Guided Access + Hidden Album + Shortcuts.
Pros & Cons Round-Up
Using these techniques can give you peace of mind, but… they’re patchy! For instance:
Pros:
- Some methods (like Guided Access) are fast and reversible.
- Offloading apps saves space and “hides” elegantly.
- Limited risk of data loss, especially with native features.
Cons:
- No actual lock system for apps (hello, Android envy).
- Some strategies aren’t intuitive—requires a small PhD in Phone Tinkering.
- Shortcuts can feel clunky due to the delay in opening apps.
Imagine Apple actually offering a secure folder, though. Wouldn’t that solve 90% of our collective privacy gripes? Until then…pick your poison or combine a few of these “DIY” disguises. Can’t decide which method’s the best? It’s a subjective mess—just don’t overthink it!