Privacy on a phone is a weird thing. We carry our entire lives in our pockets—banking, late-night chats, those slightly embarrassing fitness trackers—and yet, handing your phone to a friend to show them a photo feels like a high-stakes gamble. You’re one "wrong swipe" away from them seeing something they weren't meant to.
Apple finally realized this.
With the latest updates in iOS 18, the game for hiding app on iphone has changed. It's no longer just about shoving things into folders and hoping for the best. There are now actual system-level "ghost modes" for your apps.
The New Way: The Hidden Folder
Honestly, for the longest time, "hiding" an app just meant removing it from the home screen. It still showed up in search. It still showed up in the App Library. It wasn't really hidden; it was just... slightly moved.
Now, there’s a legitimate Hidden folder.
If you're running the latest software, you can long-press almost any third-party app and select Require Face ID. A second menu pops up. This is the gold mine. You’ll see an option that says Hide and Require Face ID.
When you tap that, the app literally vanishes.
It doesn't just leave your home screen. It disappears from your regular App Library. It won’t show up in Spotlight search results. It won’t even send you notifications that might give it away while someone else is holding your phone. To find it again, you have to scroll to the very bottom of the App Library, find the folder labeled "Hidden," and use your face or passcode to even see what's inside.
What Most People Get Wrong About Hiding Apps
There’s a common misconception that hiding an app makes it totally invisible to the system. That’s not quite true. If you’re trying to be a digital ghost, you need to know where the breadcrumbs are left.
Even if an app is in that secret folder, it still leaves tracks:
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- Settings Menu: If you go to Settings > Apps, every single installed app is listed there. You can’t hide the list itself.
- Battery Usage: Under Settings > Battery, your iPhone keeps a log of what’s draining the juice. If you spent four hours on a "hidden" app, the graph will show it.
- App Store History: Your "Purchased" list in the App Store is a permanent record. Even if the app is hidden or deleted, the cloud icon is still there.
Basically, if someone is tech-savvy and really digging, they can find proof the app exists. But for the average "hey, let me see that photo" snooper? The new Hidden folder is basically a vault.
The Old-School "Disguise" Trick
Maybe you don't want a "Hidden" folder at the bottom of your library because, let's be real, a locked folder called "Hidden" is a giant red flag to a curious partner or a nosy sibling.
You can go the "spy" route using the Shortcuts app.
- Open Shortcuts and create a new one.
- Add the action Open App and choose the "secret" app.
- Tap the "Share" icon and select Add to Home Screen.
- This is the fun part: Change the name to something boring like "Calculator" or "Compass."
- Change the icon to a generic image you found on Google.
Now, you have an icon that looks like a calculator but opens your private messaging app. You've effectively hidden the app in plain sight. Just remember to remove the original app icon from the home screen so you don't have two versions sitting there.
Dealing with Spotlight and Siri
If you aren't ready to use the iOS 18 "Hidden Folder" but still want to be discreet, you have to manually kill the search results.
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Go to Settings > Siri & Search. Scroll down until you find the specific app you’re worried about. You’ll see a bunch of toggles. Turn off Show App in Search, Show Content in Search, and Suggest App.
This is crucial because, otherwise, your iPhone's "intelligence" might betray you. You know how when you swipe down to search, it suggests apps you use often? Yeah. Siri doesn't have a filter unless you tell her to. Turning these off ensures the app doesn't pop up as a suggestion right when you don't want it to.
The Screen Time Nuclear Option
If you really want an app to be gone—like, gone-gone—without deleting it, you can use Content & Privacy Restrictions.
Found in Settings > Screen Time, this was originally meant for parents, but it’s a pro-level privacy move. Under "Allowed Apps," you can toggle off core apps like Safari or Mail. They won't just be hidden; they’ll be disabled and removed from view entirely until you come back into these settings and flip the switch back.
It’s a bit of a hassle to toggle it on and off, but it’s the only way to make some native Apple apps truly disappear.
Quick Summary of Strategies
| Method | Best For | Level of Secrecy |
|---|---|---|
| Hidden Folder (iOS 18) | Quick, biometric-locked privacy | High (but folder is visible) |
| Shortcuts Disguise | Hiding in plain sight | Medium (visual trickery) |
| Search Restrictions | Stopping accidental "Siri Suggestions" | Low (good for basics) |
| Screen Time | Disabling system apps entirely | Maximum (hard to access) |
Moving Forward with Your Privacy
The reality is that your iPhone is becoming a much more personal vault than it used to be. Whether you're using the new biometric folders or just cleaning up your home screen to stop the "clutter," you have more control than ever.
To get started, I recommend trying the Require Face ID method on a single app first. See how it feels to access it from the bottom of the App Library. It takes a second to get used to the extra step, but the peace of mind when you hand your phone over to someone else is worth the five-second delay. Just make sure your Face ID is set up properly, or you'll be punching in your passcode every time you want to check your "secret" notifications.
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For the most complete privacy, combine the Hidden Folder with Search Restrictions so the app is effectively scrubbed from every corner of the interface.