How to Find Hidden Apps on iPhone?

Can apps be hidden on iPhone

iOS provides multiple ways to hide applications on an iPhone, including moving icons into folders, installing them directly into the App Library, and using Screen Time to block apps.

These features help declutter the Home Screen and enhance privacy. However, others can also exploit them to conceal apps without the device owner's knowledge, such as unauthorized purchases and monitoring software.

Can you have hidden apps on your iPhone

You may have hidden apps on your iPhone if:

• You can't find apps you're certain were installed on your device.
• You suspect someone is downloading or purchasing apps without your permission.
• You suspect someone is monitoring you by misusing parental control apps, installing malicious spy tools from external sources, or through jailbreaking.
• You notice signs of hacking and tracking, such as excessive battery drain, unusual permission requests, or weird-looking status icons.
• You suspect your calls are being intercepted—use quick codes to confirm if your phone has been tapped.

Clario Anti Spy can help detect hidden apps on your iPhone if they are used to spy on you:

1. Install Clario Anti Spy and subscribe to create an account.
2. Open the app and tap Scan under Device system check.
3. Review the scan report and follow the instructions to free your phone from spyware.

Where are hidden apps on iPhone

In iOS 13 and earlier, hiding apps on the iPhone typically involved moving them from the Home Screen into folders. However, iOS 14 and later versions allow users to trash app icons without deleting the apps themselves—apps remain accessible via Siri, Spotlight, and a new area called the App Library.

That said, there are more thorough ways to hide apps. For instance, it's possible to block apps completely using Screen Time restrictions. Apps can also be removed from the purchase history and discreetly downloaded and deleted as needed. Detecting hidden apps like these requires extra effort.

Common hidden apps on iPhone

Hiding apps on the iPhone is about more than cleaning up the Home Screen. It also protects your privacy by keeping certain types of apps away from the people around you, like:

• Dating and social media apps
• Financial apps
• Health and wellness apps
• Gambling apps
• Apps with NSFW (Not Safe for Work) content

Moreover, someone who has access to your iPhone might hide apps without your knowledge, such as:

• Video games
• Parental control apps—e.g., Qustodio, Bark, and FamiSafe
• Device tracking apps—e.g., Life360 and Glympse
• Package managers used in jailbreaks—e.g., Cydia, Sileo, and Zebra

Why are some apps hidden on your iPhone

Besides decluttering the iPhone's Home Screen and preserving privacy by removing app icons yourself, there are several other reasons why some apps might be hidden. These involve:

• Home Screen Settings: iOS can be configured to stop new apps from appearing on the Home Screen.
• Screen Time Restrictions: Content restrictions can block native apps, including third-party apps, based on age ratings.
• Unauthorized Purchases and Surveillance: Someone with access to your device might install and conceal apps for reasons ranging from a child hiding a video game to a partner, spouse, or friend spying on you.

How to see hidden apps on iPhone

Several methods are available to help you check for hidden apps on your iPhone. For optimal results, work through them in the following order.

1. Check the App Store Purchases page

The App Store on your iPhone keeps a record of all app downloads made with your Apple ID, including apps that have been removed from the device.

Here's how to uncover hidden iPhone apps via the App Store purchases page:

1. Tap your profile at the top right corner of the App Store.
2. Tap Apps and select My Apps.
3. Scroll down the list of apps for anything you don't remember downloading. Open indicates the app is currently installed on the device, while a cloud-shaped Download symbol denotes that the app has been downloaded previously but is now deleted.

Anyone who downloads apps without your permission can also hide them from appearing in the App Store purchases page. iOS moves these hidden purchases to a separate list within your Apple ID's settings.

Here's how to uncover hidden App Store purchases on your iPhone:

1. Open the Settings app and tap your Apple ID at the top of the screen.
2. Tap Media & Purchases and select View Account.
3. Authenticate yourself with Face ID, Touch ID, or the device passcode.
4. Scroll down and tap Hidden Purchases.
5. Select Unhide next to an app to add it back to the App Store purchases page. Or, tap the app's name to get to its store page—you can then tap Open to launch the app or Get to re-download it.

2. Use Siri to find hidden apps on iPhone

If you know the name of a hidden app on your iPhone, you can instantly use Siri, the built-in voice assistant, to open it. Say Hey Siri—or hold the Side button—to activate Siri and say Open *hidden app name*. If the app is installed on your device, Siri should open it immediately.

Here's how to activate Siri if it's not set up on your iPhone:

1. Open the Settings app and tap Siri & Search.
2. Set Listen for to "Hey Siri" and enable the switch next to Press Side Button for Siri.
3. Tap Continue and follow the on-screen instructions to set up Siri.

3. Find hidden apps using iPhone's Spotlight search

Another approach to detecting a hidden app on an iPhone if you know its name is to use iOS's system-wide search functionality—Spotlight.

Here's how to search for hidden apps on iPhone using Spotlight:

1. Swipe down on the Home Screen or tap Search above the Dock to invoke Spotlight.
2. Type the name of the app into the search bar.
3. The hidden app should appear at the top of the screen—tap to open it.

4. Open Screen Time to find hidden apps on iPhone

Screen Time, the content management system in iOS can block native apps like Safari, Mail, and FaceTime on the iPhone.

Here's how to view hidden apps on iPhone via Screen Time:

1. Go to Settings and tap Screen Time.
2. Select Content & Privacy Restrictions.
3. Tap Allowed Apps.
4. Enter your Screen Time passcode if prompted.
5. Turn on the switch next to an app to unblock it.

Screen Time can also block third-party iPhone apps based on age ratings.

Here's how to check if rating restrictions are active in Screen Time:

1. Open Settings and go to Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions.
2. Tap Content Restrictions > Apps.
3. You might have hidden apps if the age rating is set to anything other than 17+. Select 17+ to unblock rating-restricted apps.

5. Reset iPhone home screen layout to find hidden apps

Resetting the iPhone's Home Screen layout quickly restores all apps to their default positions on the Home Screen, including icons that were removed or moved into folders.

Here's how to see hidden iPhone apps with a Home Screen layout reset:

1. Open the Settings app and tap General.
2. Scroll down and tap Transfer or Reset iPhone.
3. Tap Reset.
4. Select Reset Home Screen Layout and confirm the action.

6. Recover iPhone backup to unhide apps

iPhone backups save the positions of apps on the Home Screen. If you're missing multiple app icons and want to return to a setup where everything is visible in your preferred arrangement, consider restoring an older backup. Keep in mind that you'll lose any data since the time of the backup.

Here's how to retrieve hidden iPhone apps by restoring a backup:

1. Connect your iPhone to a Mac or PC via USB.
2. Open Finder or iTunes and select your iOS device.
3. Select Restore Backup.
4. If there are multiple archived backups available, select the one from which you'd like to restore your data.
5. Enter the encryption password if prompted and choose Restore.

How to unhide apps on iPhone

Although you can open hidden apps on the iPhone immediately through Siri and Spotlight, you can also permanently unhide them by restoring their icons to the Home Screen.

1. How to show hidden iPhone apps using the App Library

The most convenient way to add hidden app icons back to the iPhone's Home Screen is via the App Library, provided the apps are installed on the device and not blocked by Screen Time restrictions.

Here's how to show hidden iPhone apps via the App Library:

1. Long-press a hidden app in the App Library.
2. Select Add to Home Screen.
3. The app should automatically appear on the final Home Screen page—you can drag and drop it wherever you want.

If new apps you install appear only in the App Library and not on the Home Screen, you can re-configure your Home Screen settings to prevent that from happening in the future.

Here's how to prompt iOS to add new apps to the Home Screen:

1. Open the Settings app and tap Home Screen & App Library.
2. Set Newly Downloaded Apps to Add to Home Screen.

2. How to uncover hidden iPhone apps by re-downloading the apps

If Siri, Spotlight, or the App Library fails to locate a hidden app, it's likely not installed on your iPhone. Remember to re-download it from the App Store's purchases page.

Here's how to re-download and uncover hidden iPhone apps from the App Store's purchases page:

1. Open the App Store, tap your profile icon in the top right corner, and select Apps > My Apps.
2. Switch to the Not on this iPhone tab.
3. Find the app you want and tap the Download icon next to it.

If you can't find the app on the App Store purchases page, try checking the hidden purchases list under your Apple ID settings.

Here's how to re-download apps from your Apple ID's hidden purchases list:

1. Go to Settings > Apple ID > Media & Purchases > View Account.
2. Tap Hidden Purchases.
3. Select a hidden purchase to load its store page and tap Get.

How to delete hidden apps on iPhone

Having multiple hidden apps on your iPhone can lead to numerous issues, such as:

• Wasted storage space
• Increased battery drain
• Slower system and app performance
• Increased security risks
• Potential for hackers to exploit vulnerabilities

If you detect a hidden iPhone app you don't want to keep around; you can delete it immediately through the App Library or with Spotlight.

Here's how to uninstall hidden apps on iPhone via App Library or Spotlight:

1. Long-press the app icon in the App Library or Spotlight results.
2. Select Delete App.
3. Tap Delete on the confirmation pop-up.

If you want to know how much storage you can free up by deleting an app, use the iPhone's storage management console instead.

Here's how to uninstall hidden apps on iPhone via storage management:

1. Open the Settings app and tap General.
2. Tap iPhone Storage.
3. Select the app you want to delete and tap Delete App.

How to keep your iPhone free from suspicious hidden apps

You can keep your iPhone free from suspicious hidden apps with the following best practices:

• Update the Passcode: Keep the Lock Screen passcode private to prevent others from unlocking the device and change it regularly through Settings > Face ID/Touch ID & Passcode.
• Shorten Auto-Lock Duration: Reduce the auto-lock duration if you have a habit of leaving your phone unattended. Go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock and set it to the shortest time available.
• Perform Regular App Checks: Review your App Store purchases page regularly and uninstall unfamiliar or fake apps.
• Keep iOS Up-to-Date: New iOS updates include critical security patches that protect against vulnerabilities and jailbreaks. Check for updates under Settings > General > Software Update.
• Double-check Permission Requests: Carefully review each app's permission request and restrict them to only what's necessary for the app to function.
• Manage Location Services: Hidden tracking tools can't track your location with just your phone number—they need access to location services. Navigate to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services to manage how apps use the functionality. In urgent situations, turn off your phone to prevent location tracking.
• Install Security Software: Invest in a robust spyware detector like Clario Anti Spy to help prevent malicious apps from gaining a foothold on your device.

Conclusion

Understanding how hidden apps function and how to find them on your iPhone is crucial for your privacy and security. Being aware of these apps and knowing how to manage them can drastically reduce the risks associated with unauthorized access and tracking. If you constantly stress about hidden spy tools, install Clario Anti Spy for enhanced protection.

FAQ about hidden applications on iPhone

1. How do I find hidden deleted apps on my iPhone?

You can find hidden deleted apps on your iPhone via the purchases page in the App Store. Open the App Store, tap your profile portrait, and select Apps > My Apps > Not on this iPhone to view all deleted downloads.

2. How to permanently delete hidden apps on an iPhone?

Search for a hidden app on your iPhone through Spotlight or the App Library, and then long-press the app icon and tap Delete App to remove it permanently.

3. How to open a hidden app on an iPhone?

You can use Siri or Spotlight to reveal a hidden app. If that's not possible, check Screen Time and the App Store's purchases page to ensure the app isn't restricted or removed.

4. How to use hidden apps on iPhone?

Hidden apps work like other apps on your iPhone—use Siri or Spotlight to discover and open them. You can also unhide hidden apps by adding their icons to the Home Screen via the App Library.