Q: Is there a limit to the number of apps that can be Hidden from view in Family Sharing?
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Feb 21, 2015 9:34 AMby gail from maine,I would suggest hiding them via iTunes on a computer. As you can see by the support article below, hiding apps on an iPhone is relatively new (since the article, updated in January still says it can't be done on an iPhone), so it is easiest to do it the "old way". Much faster as well:
iTunes Store: Hiding and unhiding purchases - Apple Support
Cheers,
GB
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Feb 21, 2015 10:21 AMby sh31mart,Gail, thanks for the speedy reply.
I did exactly as you suggested, and I was able to successfully hide another 5 or 6 apps. As I hid them via iTunes on my Mac, I saw them disappear from view on the Purchased page on my iPhone, which I was holding in my other hand. BUT: after removing the aforementioned 5 or 6 apps from view via iTunes on my Mac: any additional ones that I hid were NOT hidden in the list on my iPhone. Yet, they are most definitely hidden from view in iTunes on my Mac. It's totally bizarre that I can still see them on both iPad and iPhone.
It really does seem that I've hit an upper limit for the number of apps that can be hidden - which really *****. I've had an iPhone since they were first available in Canada in 2008, and my app purchases/downloads number well over 1000. Being able to hide obsolete apps from view is a nice feature - but it's not particularly useful if there's a limit to the number of apps that can be hidden.
Right now, I count 266 apps hidden in the list in iTunes on my Mac; 4 or 5 of these (the last ones that I hid on my Mac) are still visible on both iOS devices.
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Feb 21, 2015 2:27 PMby gail from maine,I would suggest that you wait until tomorrow and check those devices again. Remember, this information is being pushed to your device from the iTunes store based on the changes you were making. So, it is not always going to be instantaneous. You can also try:
1. Closing the App Store app on you iDevices and then opening them again - check to see if the items are now hidden
2. Signing out of iTunes & App Store on our iDevices and singing back in again - check to see if the items are now hidden
3. Reset the device(s) (nothing will be lost): Hold down the Home and Power buttons at the same time and continue to hold them down until the Apple appears (up to 30 seconds). Once the Slide to Unlock screen redisplays, see if the items are now hidden
There is no limit to how many items you can hide to my knowledge.
Cheers,
GB
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Feb 22, 2015 5:32 AMby sh31mart,Hi, Gail
> I would suggest that you wait until tomorrow and check those devices again. Remember,
> this information is being pushed to your device from the iTunes store based on the changes
> you were making.
Not a bad suggestion, but it does not explain why an app refuses to REMAIN hidden on my iPhone -- as I explained in my first post:
> I swipe on an app to reveal the Hide button; tap the button; the app disappears from the list;
> I go to another screen in the app; I return to my Purchased list: and the most recent Hidden
> apps are still listed.
Given the clunkiness and general unreliability of iCloud - which rarely "just works" - it doesn't surprise me that hiding an app on one device doesn't mean the same app will be hidden immediately on other devices logged into the same account. I've learned to be patient and wait hours for changes to anything synced via iCloud to be reflected on other devices in the sync loop. But again, this in now way explains why apps were not staying hidden on the device that was used to hide them.
I've finally managed to hide all the apps I wanted hidden, after many hours of waiting and multiple attempts at hiding. I am in no way confident that these apps are going to REMAIN hidden permanently, or until I choose to unhide some of them; only time will tell if iCloud decides to behave and accept my series of "Hide this app" commands to be honoured permanently!
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Aug 16, 2015 8:35 PMby loldeji,After playing around for an hour, I figured it out. So yes, via iOS there is an issue with hiding apps and them coming back immediately.
What I did find on the iTunes store via OS X, is under purchased, when you are looking at apps. An X is supposed to appear on the top left corner
of any app you want to delete. What is happening is that, the X isn't appearing but it is there. If you place your cursor in that region, the cursor will
turn into the white-gloved-pointed-hand, click, and the app will disappear from both your Mac and iOS devices.
Hope this helps. I've sent feedback to the iTunes team.
