Handing your phone over is a risk. Even a casual glance at a photo can turn into an unwanted tour of your messages, wallet, or browser history. Kids? Even worse. An unlocked screen in sticky hands isn’t just a nuisance; it’s a potential Amazon order for fifty boxes of gummy worms waiting to happen. 🍬
Apple knew this.
When iOS 18 dropped in 2024, they finally gave us proper tools to keep prying eyes away. Not just hiding icons, but locking them down with Face ID. It’s not magic, but it’s decent security for the curious sibling or the judgmental friend.
Locking an app down
You don’t need a hidden menu for this. Just hold your finger on the app icon. Long press until everything jiggles.
Look for Require Face ID.
Tap it. Once. Then tap it again.
That’s it.
Next time you tap that app, your phone won’t open. It demands your face or your passcode. No way around it.
Except for some core stuff. You can’t lock Camera, Find My, or Settings. Makes sense. But everything else? App Store, Messages, banking apps, those sketchy third-party things you download at 2 AM? All lockable.
“Most apps, such as App Store and third-party apps.” – The iPhone Manual, basically
Hiding an app entirely
Want to go deeper than locking? Hide it.
Here’s the kicker: hiding also locks. Same setup process, different outcome. Note that this doesn’t work on system apps. From my tests, it’s strictly for third-party apps like Instagram or Twitter. System apps stay stubborn.
Long press the app.
Tap Require Face ID.
Tap Hide and Require Face ID.
The phone will hesitate. It wants confirmation. A menu pops up warning you:
- The icon vanishes from your home screen.
- The name disappears too.
- You lose notifications. Yes, silence.
Tap Hide App at the bottom if you’re sure.
Gone. Poof.
Finding the hidden stuff
So where did they go?
Swiping right on your home screen takes you to the App Library. Scroll down. To the bottom. Way down.
There’s a folder labeled Hidden. The icon is an eye with a line through it 👁️🗨️. Pretty self-explanatory.
Tap it. Face ID or passcode again. The folder opens, revealing the exiled apps.
Think hiding makes you safe from all traces? Think again. Your hidden apps still show up in Settings > Battery. Your secrets have a paper trail. Always have.
Getting them back out
Changed your mind? Or just need to check that one app once a year?
Long press the icon in the Hidden folder.
Tap Don’t Require Face ID.
Authenticate.
The lock breaks. The app returns to the folder. It won’t fly back to your home screen though. You have to manually move it there.
Long press it again.
Tap Add to Home Screen.
There you go.
Privacy isn’t a toggle switch. It’s a layer cake of settings. Add as many as you like, just remember that nothing on your phone is ever truly invisible. 📱
