How do I get rid of the hidden app folder in the App Library?

Not sure if you even read anything here before posting, but that would be a start and you will likely find your answer rather quickly.

Akay97 wrote:

I am perturbed that they added it without an option to shut it off. I am the type to not hide things from my husband but the existence of it on my phone especially with him being an android user and not understanding really has caused an undertone of turmoil. And I’m not the only

Tell him you are not hiding any apps and show him if you wish. Hidden apps will still show in your Settings when viewing your Purchase History, so there is a record of what apps you have downloaded. This would actually be more reliable for an untrustworthy partner, because not only would it show any apps that may have been hidden, but would also show apps that you have deleted.

I don’t have a partner I didn’t choose to hide the apps. This goes against my privacy and my standards of owning an iPhone you do not pay my bills so you should not be able to control my phone figure it out Apple how to remove this hidden app I don’t even know what was in the app other than Snapchat

Booboodc wrote:

I don’t have a partner I didn’t choose to hide the apps. This goes against my privacy and my standards of owning an iPhone you do not pay my bills so you should not be able to control my phone figure it out Apple how to remove this hidden app I don’t even know what was in the app other than Snapchat

You don’t have a hidden app.

You have a means to:

• Lock or hide an app on iPhone - Apple Support

If this feature is not something you can ignore, send your feedback to the people that work for Apple:

• Product Feedback - Apple

What do you mean, not big on options? Nearly every feature in the iOS can be switched off or on, or changed in some way. I see no reason why they wouldn’t have done it here, like everywhere else. If your having that much difficulty with looking up a setting, a smart phone is probably not for you. I know, I’m a tech myself, so I’m well aware of the difficulties. Makes no sense to not have the option though, that’s like not including the power button, just because people can’t find it.

GingerBeard777 wrote:

I just want it gone because I have no use for it and an empty folder in the App Library is ugly and silly looking.

You can’t always get what you want.

However, there is a very good reason to have Hidden a fixed item. If it was elective, that would be a giveaway that the user had something to hide.

charan113 wrote:

Several support cases with Apple but they tell me it’s not possible to delete the hidden folder which is very annoying. I hope the 18.2 and higher versions gives the option. This is very premature from Apple they added the feature but no way to delete them

I simply don't get what issue anyone could have with a folder, they don't have to use for anything. Apple has never been big on choices. The folder is there, just like other things on your iPhone, you likely don't have a need for and won't use, and you can't remove them either.

Just so you know, iOS 18.2 was released yesterday and the folder is still there as I fully expected it would be and likely will be for the foreseeable future.

cyrus284 wrote:

How do I get rid of hidden app folder in app library

Not sure if you even read anything here before posting, but that would be a start and you will likely find your answer rather quickly.

My apologies in advance for a very long post.

After reading all of the posts concerning this topic, I’d like to offer a few comments that might provide a different perspective.

When I first noticed the “Hidden” group in my App Library, I tried, and failed initialy to see what was in it. I thought my phone had been hacked. I then did a quick search and discovered it was a feature and that by looking in Settings | Apps, and looking at all the apps, that I could determine which - if any - apps were included in this group (There were none).

I can understand why Apple might have been asked to put in such a feature: many people would want this feature: especially families who must share a single device for all of their computing and communication needs. Even at tje basic level, these devices aren’t cheap, but they open up worlds and access to services many of us here might take for granted. Far from hiding unseemly or even nefarious content and applications, the ability to keep some users of the phone from, e.g., making unapproved purchases on Amazon or getting into other such apps to make purchases or change account settings for any number of things, certainly would appeal to many. Others have mentioned other situations where this could apply, as well as unintended consequences of such a hidden set of apps or data.

What would really meet the many needs of the users would be to make iOS a true multiuser platform from the end users’ perspective. Parents, could create a “sub-login” for their individual family members. In each account, they could specify what could be seen and used on their own screen. In this example, the kids would have their own face-id for login, and they would see the few apps that the main user wanted them to see. The Parental control scenario…

I would opt for an enable/disable setting in Settings, with Disabled being the default. However, this whole concept is not an easy one to implement, and it is full of problems and unintended consequences of it’s own. I imagine Apple chose the current feature implementation as the lesser of several evils, though I have no direct knowledge of their processes.

I encourage you all to keep thinking about this. I would rather have the ability to disable this feature as I don’t necessarily have need of it. Thank you for your patience and attention!

I want either the option to delete the hidden folder space or have a pw to unlock it. I am older. One day, my children are going to need access to my phone, which they do have access to now, but wouldn’t be able to unlock that folder to see nothing is in it. It is MY phone and I should have the option to modify security or eliminate this folder.

If you have never been an executor of an estate, you probably won’t understand this, so scroll on.

Akay97 wrote:

That’s not really a him issue as we are in a. Relationship TOgETHeR so it’s an us issue and I’d like to resolve it as it’s an undertone of turmoil I don’t need and didn’t ask for.

As far as my relationship I didn’t come here for advice on that so if you could please FOCUS on the actual issue or keep on scrolling friend.

No one here can focus on what you want them to focus on. No one here works for Apple. This is a user to user ONLY forum. We don't own iOS. We can't modify iOS. You can't modify iOS. The question has been asked and answered. You CANNOT remove the hidden apps folder. And that should be the end. It simply can't be removed. If it may cause any issue socially for you, that is out of the scope of anything anyone on this forum can help you with.

There is nothing to fix as there is nothing broken.

You can make a suggestion to Apple here -

Feedback - iPhone - Apple

Booboodc wrote:

I did not request to have anything apps hidden in my iPhone. It needs to be fixed

Let’s see: You probably also didn’t ask for:

• Apple Home
• Apple Tips
• Journal
• Playground
• Apple Store
• Apple Support
• App Library (huge numbers of users hate that and want it gone)
• And dozens of other features of iPhones

But they are all there, whether you like it or not.

You can suggest that Apple remove the Hidden App folder, but over the years countless users have asked for it, so it is now there and is unlikely to go away.

I need to get rid of hidden app I don’t like it on my phone. I don’t feel safe with it. How do I do it?

Hello~ You can’t remove it .

~Katana-San~