There are times where I prefer to hide certain iPhone apps from prying eyes. Especially when siblings/better half begin to show more interest in keeping a tab on what sort of apps I use or I want to hide my private apps. Though Face/Touch ID works well in preventing unauthorized access, it’s not always the best way to safeguard personal apps. And that’s what compels me to look for the ways to hide iPhone apps in iOS 14 or later. If your story is quite similar to mine, you would love to unravel these life-saving hacks (kind of) for concealing iOS apps.
In this article, I have assembled both the classic and the all-new tricks for keeping iOS apps under the wraps. The entire focus is on finding reliable hacks that can help in concealing apps on iPhone.
- Use Screen Time to Hide Apps on Your iPhone
- Remove iPhone Apps from Home Screen
- Hide Purchased Apps in the App Store
- Hide Apps from Siri Suggestions
- Hide iPhone Apps Using Folders
1. Use Screen Time to Hide Apps on Your iPhone
Screen Time (Formerly Restrictions) has long been a pretty reliable way to keep certain iOS apps out of sight. So, whether you are dealing with a naughty kid or a clever sibling, you should use the built-in parental control to conceal apps on your iOS device.
To do it, open Settings app on your iPhone -> Screen Time -> Content & Privacy Restrictions. Now, make sure the switch for Content & Privacy Restrictions is turned on. Then, tap on Allowed Apps.
Next, tap on Content Restrictions and choose Apps. After that, select the age rating as per your needs.
With iOS 14, you can choose to remove apps from the home screen and make them appear only in the App Library. While it’s not a better way to hide apps, I would recommend you to try it out, just in case you are looking for a simple trick to keep some apps out of sight.
3. Hide Purchased Apps in the App Store
Have you ever felt the need to hide your purchased apps in the App Store? If yes, you would be glad to know that iOS offers a way to keep purchased apps under the wraps in the App Store.
Siri keeps a tab on your usage and suggests apps accordingly. Therefore, you are able to quickly access apps when you need it. While I find this feature pretty helpful, some people may want to take control of it due to privacy concern. If that’s you, navigate to Settings app -> specific app -> Siri & Search. Under On Home Screen section, turn off the switches for Suggest App and Show App in Search.
5. Hide iPhone Apps Using Folders
Hiding apps using folders is an old story. And most of you may be already familiar with it. However, the reason why I have mentioned it is that it still works quite reliably in making a kid believe that the particular app is hidden. So, if you want a simple yet quite effective way to conceal iOS apps, you should keep it on your radar.
There you go! So, that ends our article about the ways to hide iPhone apps in iOS 14 or later. Though iOS lacks an effective way to hide specific apps (both the first-party and third-party), there are ways to keep them under the wraps. And from what I can tell they are more than handy to keep your naughty sibling ( or for that matter anyone) guessing.
