Apple Will Finally Let You Block and Hide Apps to Connect
After all these years, Apple will finally let you hide or simply block almost any app on your iPhone. Now you can separate your connection apps from your daily life, or prevent anyone from looking at your purchase history when you hand them your phone.
This change is related to the new Hidden Apps Folder that Apple announced in the WWDC 2024 keynote on artificial intelligence . It is part of iOS 18 , which is currently available as a developer beta . It will be available to users in the fall, and will be available to a wider audience as a public beta in July.
Hidden apps will not appear in search and will be placed in a hidden folder in your App Library. If someone tries to open a hidden app, they will first need Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode authentication.
To hide an app, first make sure you have iOS 18. Then long press the app icon and select Hide and Require Face ID . The app will also instantly disappear from the home screen and app library. At the bottom of the App Library, you’ll now find a new hidden folder that will be locked by Face ID or Touch ID by default.
If that’s too much, you can simply lock your app instead, which will keep it on your home screen and in search but prevent others from opening it. Once you’ve installed iOS 18, long-press the app icon and select Require Face ID . In the new pop-up window, select Require Face ID again and the app will be blocked.
If you don’t want apps like Tinder to show up on your iPhone’s home screen, search, or even notifications, this is a great way to do it. A similar feature will appear in Android 15 .
To stop blocking or hiding an app, touch and hold the app icon and select Don’t require Face ID .
You can block almost all Apple apps (yes, even the Photos app), as well as all third-party apps. But there are some utilities that Apple won’t let you block, like Maps, Clock, Calculator, and Stocks.