How to Find Hidden Apps on iPhone

At some point, we all have hidden some apps on our iPhones, and there are several reasons for it. Sometimes, we might want to go on a digital detox journey, enjoy a clutter-free home screen experience, or hide some apps from our clever kids. That said, there will come a time when you need a hidden app. Unfortunately, if you’ve usedmultiple app hiding methods on your iPhone, you might not be able to spot your apps. We completely understand how frustrating it can be. But, fret not as we’re here with 8 effective ways to help you find hidden apps on an iPhone. No matter which strategy you’ve used to conceal your apps, you can easily get them back with these methods. Let’s get started!

Method 1: Using Spotlight Search

Using Spotlight Search is one of the easiest ways to find hidden apps on an iPhone. When you remove an app from the Home Screen to keep it off your immediate sight, that app will still appear in search results and Siri suggestions. Here’s how to access hidden iOS apps using Spotlight Search:

In case you cannot find the app you were looking for, it’s probably because you’ve hidden that app from Siri and Search Suggestions. If this happens to be your case, move to the other methods we’ve listed below to find the hidden app on iPhone.

Method 2: Check App Folders

You cancreate folders on an iPhoneto group apps into different categories. It helps in better organization of apps for a clutter-free home screen experience. However, there can be instances when you can’t find an app on your iPhone because it’s buried deep inside a folder, or subfolders. Therefore, if you’ve created folders for all of your apps, you’ll have to browse through them to find the hidden app. This is how you can do it:

Method 3: Using Siri

Siri is always there to help you find and open hidden apps on an iPhone. This method is super easy, fast, and convenient. Siri doesn’t require you to mess around with any settings on your device. All you have to do is use your voice commands. Let’s see how to do it:

Method 4: Using Screen Time Settings

Introduced with iOS 12, Screen Time offers built-in parental controls so you can manage or hide pre-installed and downloaded apps on your iPhone. You can explicitly hide the native iOS apps like Mail, FaceTime, Safari, and more. Also, there’s a way to conceal all the downloaded apps based on age ratings. Using Screen Time to hide iPhone apps is pretty handy when you’re on a digital detox journey or you want to refrain your kid from using certain apps.

When you’ve hidden apps using Screen Time, the only way to find hidden apps on iOS is to lift the Screen Time restrictions.

Find Pre-installed Apps Hidden on iPhone

Find Downloaded Apps Hidden on iPhone

Method 5: Using App Library

With iOS 14, Apple introduced App Library that intelligently organizes your apps into different categories like Entertainment, Games, Social, and more. All of your iPhone apps will be available in the App Library. So, if you can’t find an app, remember, that every app on your iPhone can be easily accessible via the App Library. This works even if the app is removed from the Home Screen or Siri Suggestions, or it’s tucked deep inside multiple subfolders. Follow the below steps to find hidden apps on iPhone using the App Library:

Method 6: Review App Store Purchases

Sometimes, you might not be able to search for a hidden app on your iPhone because you don’t remember its name. If you’re stuck in such a situation, don’t worry, you’re still in luck. App Store keeps a record of every single app that you have on your iPhone, including the ones that have been deleted. Not only does it show the apps on your iPhone, but also on other Apple devices linked to your Apple ID. Let’s see how to find hidden apps on iPhone using the App Store.

It’s worth knowing that if you’ve hidden apps from your App Purchase history, they won’t appear in the list. To find hidden apps in App Store Purchases, move along the below steps:

Method 7: Unhide Hidden Home Screen Pages

If you notice that not only one, but multiple apps are missing from your iPhone, it could be possible that you’ve accidentally hidden one of your Home Screen pages. While hiding a home screen page is a convenient way to hide multiple apps at once, things can completely turn around if you’ve done it unintentionally. In such cases, the only way to find multiple hidden apps on an iPhone is to check for and bring back the invisible home screen pages.

Method 8: Reset Home Screen Layout

Resetting the home screen layout is another way to find hidden apps on an iPhone. However, there’s a caveat. When you reset the home screen layout, you’ll lose all your app arrangements and folders. All the app folders and subfolders are discarded, but all your hidden apps will become visible on your iPhone. If you’re ready, here’s how to go about it:

Once you’ve done this, your home screen will revert back to its original layout.

These are some of the ways to find hidden apps on an iPhone. Hopefully, this was useful and helped you access the concealed iOS apps. In case of any doubts, reach out to us in the comments below and we’ll get back to you soon.

Kanika Gogia

Kanika has been a loyal iPhone user since 2014 and loves everything Apple. With a Master’s in Computer Applications, passion for technology, and over five years of experience in writing, she landed at Beebom as an Apple Ecosystem Writer. She specializes in writing How To’s, troubleshooting guides, App features, and roundups for Apple users to help them make the best use of their gadgets. When not writing, she loves to try out new recipes and enjoy some family time.

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