(9 Ways) How to Find Hidden Apps on iPhone in 2023

Can apps be hidden on an iPhone? Absolutely! You can easily hide all the downloaded apps on your iPhone from others who might snoop, or from yourself if you're addicted to some games.

But what if you need to locate apps that you haven't used for a while and have no idea whare they went? Or you need to find any apps that have been hidden on your children's iPhone?

Don't worry! We're here to help you out. This article will show you how to unhidden apps on your iPhone and how to find app data that might be important to you.

How to Find Hidden Apps on iPhone?

Way 1. Find Hidden Apps Using iPhone's Search Feature

On an iPhone, the simplest way to search for hidden apps is by using the Search feature. It allows you to search through your iPhone for any installed apps. Here's how to find hidden apps using iPhone search.

1. Unlock the iPhone, and swipe down from the middle of the Home screen.
2. At the top of the screen, click on the search bar.
3. Input the name of the app you want to find and click "Go" or "Search".
4. If the app is installed on the iPhone (hidden or not), it will automatically show under the application in the search results.

Way 2. Find Hidden Apps on iPhone Using Siri

If the app doesn’t appear in the search result and you are sure the app is installed on the iPhone, it might be because the app is restricted from showing in the search result.

In such cases, you can look up the app by asking Siri to open the app you want. Follow the steps below to find hidden or missing apps on iPhone by asking Siri.

1. Unlock the iPhone and invoke Siri by pressing and holding the side button, or saying "Hey Siri".
2. Ask Siri to "Open + App name".
3. Siri will search through the iPhone and automatically open the app even if it is hidden from the Home screen.

Way 3. Find Hidden Apps in iPhone App Library

The App Library displays all installed apps on your iPhone, so you can hide apps from Home screen pages without having to uninstall them. You can easily access the hidden apps and add them back on the Home screen. Here's how to unhidden apps in the iPhone App Library:

1. On your Home screen, swipe from right to left to open the App Library on your iPhone.
2. Tap the search bar at the top of the screen and scroll down to find the app you're searching for, or type the name of the app into the search bar.
3. Now tap and hold the app icon until a menu appears, then tap on "Add to Home Screen" to brign the app out of the App Library.

Way 4. Uncover Hidden Home Screen Pages to Find Apps

Sometimes you may hide entire Home screen pages to hide apps on your iPhone. You can still access these apps via Search, Siri, or the App Library. In addition, you can choose to unhide the Home screen pages to find the missing apps. Follow the steps below to do that:

1. Long press a blank area of your Home screen until the icons jiggle.
2. Tap the dot strip at the bottom of the screen to see visiable and hidden Home screen pages.
3. Simply tap the empty circle to make the hidden Home screen page visiable and unhide the apps inside it.

Way 5. Find Hidden iPhone Apps from the App Store

Another way you can use to find hidden or missing apps on iPhone is by going through the Hidden Purchases from the App Store. You can try this method if none of the options above work for you.

1. Unlock your iPhone and open the App Store.
2. At the top-right corner of the App Store, you will find the profile icon, click on it.
3. Tap your name on the next screen, scroll down to find "Hidden Purchases" and tap on it.
4. Now you can browse the list for the app you want. Once you find it, tap the download button to add it back to your iPhone.

Way 6. Find Hidden Apps in iPhone App Folders

Grouping apps together by dragging will create app folders on iPhone. Usually, a folder can have up to 12 pages of apps, so the app you are searching for might be invisiable unless you go through all the pages.

1. Unlock your iPhone and then locate app folders on your iPhone. On the Home screen, any icon that has more than one app inside the icon is an app folder.
2. Open the app folders to locate the app you are searching for.
3. You should check if there are two dots at the bottom. If there are two dots, it means there is a second screen of that folder containing more apps.
4. Swipe left to open the second screen to view more apps. You might be lucky the app you are looking for will be inside the app folder.

Way 7. Find Apps by Removing Screen Time Restrictions

Screen Time is a helpful feature that limits the time you spend on your iPhone. It also lests you to restrict or hide some apps like Messages, Mail, or Camera etc. For the apps that have been hidden by Screen Time, you can't access or open them using any other methods until you remove the Screen Time restrictions.

1. On your iPhone, open the Settings app and navigate to "Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions".
2. Enter your iPhone's Screen Time password when required.
3. After that, go to "Allowed Apps" and turn on the toggles next to the apps you want to unhide. They will appear on the Home screen immediately.

Way 8. Find Hidden Apps by Resetting Home Screen Layout

If you haven't been able to locate the app you are looking for so far. Perhaps you forgot the app ame or you're not spelling it quite right, then you can try resetting the Home Screen Layout.

With the layout of your iPhone set to original, app folders will be deleted, and apps hidden from the Home screen will reveal themselves.

1. Unlock your iPhone and go to the Settings app.
2. Tap on "General" and then scroll down to "Reset".
3. Select the option to "Reset Home Screen Layout".
4. After the reset is complete, go to Home Screen, the app should reveal itself.

Way 9. Restoring iPhne Backups to Find Hidden Apps

iOS devices can either back up data on iCloud or iTunes. Restoring backups from iCloud or iTunes can help you find hidden apps.

Restoring iPhone Backup from iCloud

1. Reset your iPhone by erasing everything on it before starting this process.
2. Go to Settings, scroll down to App and Data screen and select “Restore from iCloud Backup”.
3. Sign in to your iCloud account using your Apple ID to locate where you do backup your files.
4. Choose the time and date of the backup you want to restore.
5. Once done, all hidden apps will reveal themselves.

Restoring iPhone Backup from iTunes

1. On your computer where you keep your device backup, launch iTunes.
2. Connect your iPhone with your computer via an USB cable.
3. Next, in iTunes, click on the option of "Restore Backup".
4. Choose the time and date of the backup, and wait for the process to complete.
5. Don’t disconnect your iPhone until the process synchronizes completely, and once done all hidden apps will reveal themselves.

How to Find App Data from iPhone

In case you still can't find the hidden app you are looking for, you can rely on third-party tool like FoneGeek iPhone Data Recovery. It is a powerful software that comes with a range of features to recover lost data including app data on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

FoneGeek iPhone Data Recovery is compatible with all iOS versions and iOS devices, and its user-friendly interface and powerful algorithm make it a useful tool. What makes FoneGeek the top choice of many iPhone users is the advanced technology that searches for lost data in the SQLite database. Here’s how to find app data on iPhone with this powerful software.

Step 1: Firstly, open FoneGeek iPhone Data Recovery on your PC and select the "Recover from iOS device" tab. Connect your iPhone to your PC, and click on the option labeled “Start”.

Step 2: Next, choose the type of app data you intend to find. Be-it messages, contacts, third-party app data, phones and videos, memos, and others, FoneGeek can get it done. Once selected, click on "Scan".

Step 3: Once the scan is completed, preview the data listed down. The list will include hidden app data. You can then check the tab accordingly to find the app data you intend to recover. Click "Recover" and then select the location you want to store the files and you are all done.

FAQs

How do you unhide apps on Apple Watch?

To unhide apps on your Apple Watch, open the Watch app on the paired iPhone, then go to My Watch > Installed on Apple Watch to turn on the "Show App on App Watch", toggle for the app you want to unhide.

How do I unhide all apps on my iPhone?

Well, there is no way to unhide all hidden apps on your iPhone at the same time. You should find each app in Hidden Purchases and re-download them one by one.

How to delete hidden apps on iPhone directly?

On your iPhone, go to Settings > General > Storage & iCloud Usage > Manage Storage and all your apps will be listed with their memory sizes. Find the hidden apps that you don't need anymore and tap it, then hit "Delete App".

Conclusion

The next time you find yourself searching for an app you are sure is on an iPhone, consider using any of the methods mentioned in this article. If you can’t still find the hidden app, then it is likely the app has been uninstalled from the iPhone. However, if you have any other doubts, feel free to reach out to us in the comment below.