Apple has made security and privacy on iPhone one of its main arguments. With iOS 18, we saw several new features around security, including the ability to require identification to open certain applications and / or to place them in a hidden folder. Discover a new trick to hide applications on iPhone in iOS 18.
An easy-to-access “security” option
With iOS 18, currently in beta, Apple’s native apps can be locked individually, and third-party apps can be locked and even hidden in a hidden folder on your iPhone.
Once hidden, an app will not appear in:
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- The research
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- Notifications
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- Suggestions
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- Call history (for VOIP apps like WhatsApp)
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- Route suggestions on maps (for services like Uber)
But how do you lock or hide an app?
Now that you know how app hiding works in iOS 18, without resorting to a jailbreak, you can protect one or more apps like this:
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- Make sure you are using iOS 18
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- Long press an app icon
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- Now tap on “Require Face ID” (or Touch ID). Some Apple apps don’t offer this option, like Settings and Camera, for obvious reasons.
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- Confirm by tapping “Require Face ID” again or, where possible, “Hide and require Face ID”. The ability to lock and hide works with third-party apps for now.
Here’s what locking and hiding apps looks like on iPhone in iOS 18:
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- To view hidden apps, swipe from right to left to access your App Library > swipe down.
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- Tap the “Hidden” folder and then use Face ID/Touch ID to see the apps.
A long press on the icon will display the option to disable locking and/or hiding.
A trick that the little secret-keepers have been waiting for a long time. Who among you plans to use it, and for what applications? Don’t hide iSoft, there is nothing to hide :)
