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This App Hides IPhone Apps From Your Home Screen So No One Can Spy On Them

Protecting sensitive data on the iPhone in case it's stolen is one of our top priorities. Even though Apple has been expanding iPhone security by introducing Stolen Device Protection, which requires the user to double authenticate major changes on iOS, sometimes that isn't enough to prevent criminals from accessing our bank account, photos, or other data.

Previously, BGR covered App Lock, which can help you add a layer of privacy to your iPhone and Mac. Developed by Lilucat, App Lock is a privacy app designed to keep your sensitive apps private and secure on your device. The developers say the app lets you "easily block any app you want, ensuring that you remain private and out of sight from prying eyes."

While this feature is already good enough, BGR recently revealed how to instantly lock any iPhone app behind Face ID – for free, thanks to a shortcut. Still, I think the developers behind Lilucat outdid themselves by adding a new function that conceals apps, making them vanish from your Home Screen, App Library, and Search until you want them back.

How to hide iPhone apps using App Lock Image source: José Adorno for BGR

Here's how to hide your iPhone apps using this app:

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Once you download App Lock, just tap the "Conceal Apps" tab

You can select up to 50 apps

Once you're done, choose the "Start" option.

From now on, all of the apps selected are hidden and you won't be able to find them on your Search, App Library, or Home Screen.

For the ultimate protection, I recommend you go to the "Lock Apps" tab and lock the same apps you're concealing. This way, you're completely protecting your most sensitive data.

Here's why App Lock might be the best solution to protect your data Image source: José Adorno for BGR

What I like the most about this app is the fact that the developers thought about every loophole criminals could take advantage of. Hear me out:

If you hide an app, you could reveal it by searching for it on Settings;

But if they're revealed, you could still have it instantly locked;

In addition, instead of using your Face ID to access App Lock, which could turn off all of these features, you can use a different PIN from your iPhone Lock Screen's PIN to protect your data completely.

And if you think someone could just erase the app so you'd lose these settings, think it over. In the "Advanced" tab, you can deny app installation or removal. You can even prevent people from changing the device passcode, lock app cellular data, and so much more.

Wrap Up

App Lock is free to download but requires a monthly ($4.99) or yearly subscription ($14.99) to unlock these features: up to 50 locked apps, unlimited sessions, faster e-mail response, and priority access to new functions. That said, you can try three sessions free of charge to see if you think the app is useful first, but then it requires a subscription.

You can find it here on the App Store. It requires iOS 16 or later and a Mac with Apple's M1 chip or later running at least macOS 13.

Hide IPhone Apps From Your Kids With This IOS 18 Trick

Apple released iOS 18.3 in January, and that update brought some bug fixes to all iPhones. But when Apple released iOS 18 in September, it introduced two new features that made it easy to secure your apps on your iPhone. One feature lets you lock your apps behind your Face ID or passcode, and another feature lets you hide apps from your home screen and place them in a hidden folder.

These features can be especially helpful for parents with young children. According to CBS, a 5-year-old bought over $3,000 of items from Amazon in 2023 using her mother's phone. The mother was able to return the items after explaining the situation to Amazon, but it was likely a stressful situation nonetheless. With the new features that can lock and hide apps in iOS 18, you can ensure this doesn't happen to you.

Read more: iOS 18 Brings These New Features to Your iPhone

Here's how to lock and hide your iPhone apps for an extra layer of security.

How to lock your iPhone apps

1. Long press an app.2. Tap Require Face ID.3. Tap Require Face ID again.

Locking some apps can help stop your kids from buying random games or apps on your iPhone. Apple/Screenshot by CNET

Now every time you try to access this app, it will need your Face ID or passcode to open. You can't lock every app on your iPhone. Some apps, like Camera, Find My and Settings can't be locked. You can lock most apps, such as App Store, Messages and third-party apps.

How to hide iPhone apps

Hiding apps on your iPhone also locks them and it follows the same process as locking apps. The option isn't available for all apps. In my experience with iOS 18, you can only hide third-party apps, like Instagram and Twitter. 

Here's how you can hide these apps on your iPhone.

1. Long press an app.2. Tap Require Face ID.3. Tap Hide and Require Face ID.

Your iPhone will then ask for your Face ID or passcode, and then it will ask if you're sure you want to hide the app. 

The Hidden folder appears to show apps in it whether you're hiding nine apps or none. Apple/Screenshot by CNET

A new menu will appear on your phone that says hiding an app will remove the app's icon and name from your home screen and place it in a Hidden folder in your App Library. The menu will also say you won't receive any notifications from the app. Tap Hide App at the bottom of the menu, and your iPhone will hide the app.

To see your hidden apps, swipe right until you're in your App Library. Scroll to the bottom of the page where you'll see a folder labeled Hidden with a symbol that looks like an eye with a line through it. Tap this folder and enter your Face ID or passcode. The folder will then display your hidden apps.

How to unhide and remove locks from your apps

If you want to unhide or remove a lock from an app, long press on the app, tap Don't Require Face ID and enter your Face ID or passcode. 

Locked apps will now be unlocked, and hidden apps will be removed from the Hidden folder. Unhiding apps doesn't put them back on your home screen. To re-add an app to your home screen, go to your App Library, long press on the app and tap Add to Home Screen.

For more on iOS 18, here's what you need to know about iOS 18.3 and iOS 18.2. You can also check out our iOS 18 cheat sheet.

Watch this: iOS 18.4 Public Beta Adds Cool Features (but Not for Siri)

05:23

How To Lock And Hide Your IPhone Apps On IOS 18How To Lock And Hide Your IPhone Apps On IOS 180 0

One of the app categories Apple is trying to 'Sherlock' this year is app locker. The Cupertino giant previewed the iOS 18 update at WWDC 2024 this month, adding support for locking and hiding iPhone apps without installing any third-party app.

The first developer beta of iOS 18 is already out for supported iPhones and gives an early look at the app lock feature in action. Let's see how you can lock and hide your apps on your iPhone running iOS 18 developer beta (you'll get a similar experience on iPadOS 18).

Note: If you plan to install the iOS 18 Developer Beta on your device, it's recommended that you back up all your data and proceed with caution. Pre-release versions of Apple software may contain bugs and unexpected problems that can harm your data or affect the normal working of your device.

How to lock and hide apps/games on your iPhone

You can use the app lock feature from the Home Screen or the App Library.

Long-press on an app that you want to lock or hide.

Tap on "Require Face ID" in the pop-up menu. Depending on the app, you'll see multiple options: "Require Face ID," "Hide and Require ID," and Cancel.

Tap on "Require Face ID" if you only want to lock an app and keep it visible on the Home Screen and App Library.

Tap on "Hide and Require Face ID" if you want to lock an app and don't want it to show up on your Home Screen or App Library.

That's all you need to do to lock and hide an app or game on your iPhone running iOS 18. A takeaway is you can lock an app on your device but can't hide it without locking it.

When you want to open a locked app, tap on it like you normally do and it will open after running Face ID (Touch ID on iPhone SE models). A screen that says "Face ID required to open [app name]" will appear whenever you open a locked app. IPhone's app lock feature will ask you to enter the passcode if Face ID authentication fails after a couple of attempts.

Talking about hidden apps and games, they won't appear anywhere on your Home Screen or other places like search and notifications. You can find such apps in a folder named 'Hidden' at the bottom of the App Library, whose contents are not visible until you tap on it and authenticate using Face ID.

You can unhide your apps and games from the Hidden Folder. Just long-press on the desired app and select "Don't require Face ID." Similarly, you can unlock the apps from your Home Screen or App Library.

Keep in mind that when you hide an app or game, it gets removed from the Home Screen. But it doesn't return to its original location when you unhide it; you'll have to do it manually. There are certain limitations of the feature, for instance, you can't put the Settings app behind the app lock or hide the Passwords app but lock it.

So, this is how the app lock works on the iOS 18 update. Note that the feature can change over time as further beta versions are released, and the actual implementation in the stable version of iOS 18 may look or work differently.

Do you prefer to lock apps on your iPhone? Tell us in the comments.

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