Want more privacy? Here’s how to lock and hide apps on your iPhone

If you lend your iPhone To someone to make a call in your device’s Phone app, that person might accidentally see the other apps you have on your home screen. This person could also accidentally open an app like WhatsApp and call someone you were on a date with years ago. Fortunately, Apple lets you hide and lock apps on your iPhone so you can enjoy more privacy.

When Apple released iOS 18 In 2024, the tech giant introduced a feature to lock and hide certain apps on your iPhone. This way you can keep others away from your apps. You can also hide certain apps in their hidden folder so that people are not tempted to open them and violate your privacy.

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 on the app.
2. handle Requires Face ID.
3. handle Requires Face ID once again.

Now every time you try to access this app, it will need your Face ID or passcode to unlock it. You can’t lock all the apps on your iPhone, such as Camera, Find My, and Settings. But you can lock most apps, such as the App Store, Messages, and third-party apps.

How to hide your iPhone apps

Hiding apps on your iPhone locks them as well. It follows the same process as locking apps. Keep in mind that this option is not available for all applications. In my experience, you can only hide third-party apps, like Instagram and Twitter.

Here’s how to hide these apps on your iPhone.

1. Long press on the app.
2. handle Requires Face ID.
3. handle Hide and request face ID.

Your iPhone will then ask for your Face ID or passcode, and then ask you if you’re sure you want to hide the app. A new menu will appear on your phone saying that hiding the app will remove its icon and name from your home screen and place it in a hidden folder in your App Library. The menu will also indicate that you will not receive any notifications from the app.

handle Hide the application at the bottom of the list and your iPhone will hide the app. To see your hidden apps, swipe right until you reach your App Library. Scroll to the bottom of the page where you will see the folder named Disappeared With a symbol that looks like an eye with a line across it. Tap on this folder and enter Face ID or passcode. The folder will then display your hidden apps.

It’s important to note that if you hide apps in the hidden folder, you can still see those apps in other places on your iPhone, such as the Battery Usage list in Settings.

How to show and remove locks

If you want to show or remove a lock from an app, long press the app, then tap Doesn’t require Face ID And enter Face ID or passcode. Your locked apps will now be unlocked and your hidden apps will be removed from the hidden folder.

Unhiding apps does not automatically return them to your home screen. To add an app back to your home screen, go to App Library, long press the app, then tap Add to home screen.

For more iOS news, here’s what to know about it iOS 26.4 and iOS 26.3. You can also check our website iOS 26 cheat sheet For our full collection of tips and tricks.