What to know
- Hidden apps are found in a folder called ‘Hidden’ at the bottom of the App Library.
- The ‘Hidden’ folder doesn’t appear unless there’s a hidden app on the iPhone.
- If you see a ‘Hidden’ folder in the App Library, you can be sure that the owner of the iPhone has at least one hidden app.
Locking and hiding apps natively is now possible on iOS 18. Once hidden, no one but the iPhone owner can unlock and access the hidden apps with their Face ID authentication. But if you’re in possession of someone else’s iPhone and want to know if they’ve hidden an app or not, there’s a simple way to find it out.
How to tell if someone has hidden apps on their iPhone
When someone hides an app on their iPhone, it is removed from the Home Screen and shelved inside the ‘Hidden’ folder in the App Library.
But, this ‘Hidden’ folder doesn’t come into existence unless there’s at least one hidden app. So if you have reason to suspect there are hidden apps on the someone’s iPhone, check their App Library.
Of course, this may not tell you exactly which apps they’ve hidden. The Hidden folder requires the iPhone owner’s Face ID authentication. But the presence of the ‘Hidden’ folder is a dead giveaway that there are apps on the iPhone that only the owner can see and access.
