Hidden Apps on iPhone and iPad? How to Delete Them

You may need to hide apps on your iPhone or iPad for many reasons. Regardless of the reason, it can be rather tricky to find and permanently delete them after they’ve been hidden. Assuming you find it and delete it, it will still show on your download history. 

In this article, you’ll learn how to find and delete hidden apps from your iPhone and iPad. We’ll also walk you through making sure these apps are permanently deleted from your iCloud account. 

Locate the Hidden App

After hiding an app on your iPhone or iPad, you may not be sure where to find it since it will no longer be on the home screen with your other apps. 

Unfortunately, you must be able to locate the app before you can delete it. Luckily, there are several different ways you can find the hidden app. 

Some options for finding apps that have been hidden on your iPhone or iPad include:

• Looking in your app library in the App Store
• Using Spotlight Search
• Ask Siri to open the app
• Going to the storage settings on the device

While all of these methods allow you to find the hidden app, some cannot be used to delete it. 

Use Spotlight Search 

If the goal is to delete the hidden app, the easiest way is to find the app using the Spotlight Search feature on your iOS device. 

To delete a hidden app with Spotlight Search:

1. Unlock your iPhone or iPad so that you are looking at your home screen. 
2. Swipe down and tap the search bar. 
3. Type the name of the hidden app you wish to delete into the search bar. 
4. Press and hold the app, then drag it to your home screen. 
5. Once the app is visible on your home screen, press and hold the app’s icon again.  
6. When the menu appears, tap “Remove App.”
7. Now, a popup menu will appear. On this menu, tap “Delete App.”

After this, the app will be removed from the device. Remember that even once you’ve deleted the app from your device, it will still be on your list of purchased apps in your App Store account. 

Delete the Apps in iPhone Settings 

Another option that will definitely allow you to remove the hidden app from your device is to delete it from within the settings on your iPhone or iPad. 

The steps below will help you delete a hidden app by going into the settings on your device:

1. Open the settings on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap General, then iPhone Storage. 
3. Find and tap the app you want to delete. 
4. Tap Delete App, then confirm by tapping Delete App again on the popup menu that appears. 

Once again, the app will be removed from your phone but will still show up on your iCloud and App Store account. 

Delete Apps in the App Store 

In some cases, you may also be able to delete hidden apps by finding them in your account section of the App Store. Unfortunately, this method will only allow you to delete the app if it has a pending update. 

If the app has a pending update and you prefer to delete it from the App Store, you can do so by following the steps below:

1. Open the App Store app on your device. 
2. Tap your profile photo to view your account. If you haven’t selected a profile photo, this will be a white icon with the image of a solid blue person. 
3. Locate the hidden app you wish to delete. 
4. Place your finger on the app and swipe to the left. 
5. Tap Delete. 

If you see the option to hide the app rather than delete it, it means that the app does not have a pending update. Unfortunately, this means that you will not be able to delete the hidden app using this method. 

Permanently Delete the Hidden Apps from iCloud

As mentioned above, when you delete the app from your device, it will still leave the evidence in your iCloud account that the app was once there. 

Therefore, for all evidence of the download to be deleted permanently, you will need to delete it from your iCloud account after you delete it from your device. 

If you wish to permanently delete the hidden app from your iCloud account, follow the steps below:

1. Open your device’s Settings. 
2. Tap your name, which will be at the very top of the list of settings. 
3. Tap iCloud, then iCloud Backups. 
4. Tap Show All, located at the bottom of the “Apps Using iCloud” section.
5. Find the app and tap the toggle switch next to it to turn it off. 

This will ensure that the app cannot be found and that it will not be restored in the event you need to recover your information from a backup. 

Conclusion

Now you know everything about the hidden apps on your Apple devices like your iPhone and iPad, how to find them, and how to remove them if they’re taking up unnecessary space.