How to Find Hidden Apps on iPhone?

Why are there secret apps on iPhone?

There are a few reasons why you might have hidden apps on your iPhone. Maybe, you accidentally hid an app when you were trying to delete it or someone else installed an app on your iPhone without your consent. Or worse, a hacker had managed to trick you into downloading hidden apps used to spy on you.

Either way, having plenty of unnecessary apps can be an unnecessarily frustrating experience. Here are a few reasons why hidden apps can cause trouble for iPhone users:

• Waste storage space
• Add to device clutter
• Drain battery
• Make your iPhone run slower
• Open up device to a variety of security risks
• Risk of hackers exploiting vulnerabilities

Thankfully, there are several ways you can check your iPhone for hidden apps before they can become any cause of concern.

How to find hidden apps quickly on iPhone

Finding hidden iPhone apps can be tricky, especially because there are various reasons why an app might be hidden in the first place.  

If you're determined to protect yourself from the risks of hidden apps, here are several ways you can quickly find hidden apps on your iPhone today:

• Check the App Store Purchases page
• Use Siri to find hidden apps on iPhone
• Find hidden apps using iPhone's Search
• Open Screen Time to find hidden apps on iPhone

Check the App Store Purchases page

When looking for hidden apps on your iPhone, the first place you should check is the App Store. Within the App Store, you can see all the apps that you have ever downloaded—even if they are no longer on your device.  

With this, you'll be able to identify if there are any questionable apps you may have downloaded or have been charged for on your iPhone or other devices linked to your Apple account.

To check your App store for hidden apps, follow these steps:

1. On your iPhone, open the App Store app.

2. In the upper-right corner of the screen, select your profile image.

3. Select Purchased.

4. Tap My Purchases.

In this section, all the apps associated with your device will be listed. If you see an app in this section that you don't remember downloading, it might be hidden.

Use Siri to find hidden apps on iPhone  

When all else fails and you can't seem to find any hidden apps on your iPhone, you can ask Siri for help. If Siri is already activated, you can simply say “Hey Siri, open *hidden app name*”. Then, Siri will open the app even if it has been hidden from your home screen.

If Siri isn't enabled yet, here's how you can set up Siri on your iPhone:

1. On your iPhone, open the Settings app.

2. Select Siri & Search.

3. Next to Listen for Hey Siri, toggle on the switch.

4. Next to Press Side Button for Siri, toggle on the switch.

5. If you want Siri to always be ready, select Always next to Allow Siri When Locked.

Afterward, you can proceed to ask Siri to find the hidden apps on your iPhone.

Find hidden apps using iPhone's search

In some cases, hackers use hidden spy apps in your phone to get access to your personal information. If you have an app that you suspect is installed in your iPhone, you can search your entire iPhone for the app's name.  

To use search to find hidden apps on your iPhone, follow these steps:

1. On your iPhone, swipe your screen to the left.

2. In the upper portion of the screen, select the search bar.

3. Type the name of the hidden app into the search bar.

4. Check to see if the app will appear.

Even if the app you are searching is hidden, it will still appear in the search results.

Open Screen Time to find hidden apps on iPhone

If you're using iOS 12 or later, you can use Screen Time to hide and find hidden apps. While Screen Time is a built-in feature that allows you to see how much time you spend on your iPhone, it also lets you set limits for app usage and control which apps can be used at certain times.  

For this reason, many Apple users can use Screen Time to hide apps on their iPhone or iPad. For example, Screen Time can hide certain apps after you’ve reached a certain usage time or have age restrictions.  

Here are two ways you can access downloaded apps hidden by the iPhone Screen Time app.

How to Unhide Apps with Content Restrictions with iPhone Screen Time

1. On your iPhone, go to the Settings app.

2. Select Screen Time.

3. Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions.

4. Select Content Restrictions.

5. Tap Apps.

6. Choose Allow All Apps.

How to unhide Apple pre-installed apps with iPhone Screen Time

1. On your iPhone, go to the Settings app.

2. Select Screen Time.

3. Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions.

4. Tap Allowed Apps.

5. Next to the apps you want to unhide, toggle on the buttons.

How to unhide apps on iPhone

Now that you know how to find hidden apps, you can also decide to unhide them. By unhiding apps, you can interact with them in the same way you would with apps that are not hidden.

To unhide an app, you have two options:  

• Use the App Library to return it to the homepage
• Download the app again

If you’re looking to return a missing app back to your home screen, keep reading.

How to unhide iPhone apps using the App Library

With the App Library, users could see all their apps in an organized manner. In addition, the App Library makes it possible to access hidden apps from your iPhone screen.  

Thankfully, you can also easily unhide hidden apps on your iPhone using the App Library. Here's how you can do it:

1. On your iPhone, swipe left across your home pages until the App library appears.

2. In the upper portion of the screen, tap the search bar.

3. Type the name of the app you want to unhide.

4. Once you find the app icon, tap and hold it until a list of options appears.

5. Select Add to Home Screen.

Afterward, the app you selected to unhide will appear on the next available slot in your iPhone home screen.

How to unhide iPhone apps by re-downloading the apps

If you can't find the hidden app in your iPhone App Library, here's how you can make sure hidden apps show up on your home page.

1. On your iPhone, open the App Store app.
2. Search for the app you want to unhide.
3. Tap Download.

Once the app download is completed, you'll be able to interact with it similar to other apps, such as opening it or adding it to folders.

How to delete hidden apps on iPhone

If you no longer want an app that is hidden on your iPhone, you can also delete it. After all, there's no use keeping an app that you no longer need or want on your iPhone.  

Not only will deleting a previously hidden app be good for your storage, but also protect your device from malicious hackers looking to use vulnerabilities in apps which are not updated.

To delete a hidden app on your iPhone, follow these steps:

1. On your iPhone, open the Settings app.

2. Select General.

3. Tap iPhone Storage.

4. You will see a list of all the apps on your device, including hidden apps.  

5. Select the hidden app icon.  

6. Tap Delete App.

However, it’s important to remember that by deleting an app through this process, you also delete all the related data to it. So, it’s best to make sure you’ve saved the necessary things before permanently deleting a hidden app for good.

Keep your iPhone free from hidden apps

Now that you know how to find hidden apps on your iPhone and how to get rid of them, you can keep your device free from unwanted apps. By regularly checking for hidden apps, you can make sure that your iPhone isn't wasting precious storage space.  

In addition, you can protect yourself from hackers who may try to install sketchy apps on your device without your knowledge. Using hidden apps, hackers can do things like track your location or steal your personal information.

Alternatively, you can use the Clario app to give you holistic online protection. With Clario, you can monitor your files and installed apps with its on-demand virus removal scan. In addition, Clario can also block malicious apps which could be threatening you and your data.

Aside from this, Clario also offers identity protection, instant password leak alerts, and support available 24/7 inside its app. With this, you’ll always have help for any issues related to malicious apps and hackers looking to steal your data.