You’re swiping through your home screen and suddenly realize that banking app or that "guilty pleasure" game is just... gone. It didn’t uninstall itself. You didn't delete it. It’s just playing hide-and-seek. Honestly, it’s one of the most frustrating things about the modern iPhone experience. Whether you hid it on purpose and forgot how to reverse the process, or iOS decided to "helpfully" organize it into a black hole, knowing how to open hidden apps on iphone is a survival skill in 2026.
Apple has made it incredibly easy to tuck things away. Maybe a little too easy.
Between the App Library, hidden home screen pages, and the newer "Hidden Apps" folder that requires Face ID, your apps have plenty of places to run. But they aren't actually gone. They’re just behind a curtain. Let's pull it back.
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The App Library: Where Apps Go to Live Quietly
The most common reason an app "disappears" is that it’s been removed from the Home Screen but not the phone. This happens a lot if you have "Add to App Library Only" turned on in your settings.
To find these, you have to swipe. And keep swiping. Go all the way to the right past your last page of icons. You’ll hit the App Library.
Basically, this is a giant filing cabinet. You can tap the search bar at the top to see an alphabetical list. If the app is there, just tap it to open. Want it back on your main screen? Long-press the icon and drag it to the left.
The New "Hidden" Folder
Starting with recent iOS updates, Apple added a specific folder at the very bottom of the App Library literally called Hidden.
- Scroll to the absolute bottom of the App Library.
- You’ll see a folder icon with a slashed-eye symbol.
- Tap it.
- It will ask for Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode.
This is the "Vault." If you specifically chose to "Hide and Require Face ID" on an app, this is the only place it lives. It won’t show up in standard search results or Siri suggestions. It’s a ghost.
Using Search to Find the Invisible
If you haven't explicitly locked an app into the secret vault, Spotlight Search is usually the fastest way to get things moving.
Swipe down from the middle of any home screen. Type the name.
If it’s on your phone, it should pop up. However, there's a catch. If you’ve gone into Settings > Siri & Search and toggled off "Show App in Search," the app becomes a ninja. It won't show up here no matter how many times you type the name correctly. You’d have to go back into those settings to flip the switch back on.
The Siri Shortcut
Sometimes you just don't want to dig. Just say, "Siri, open [App Name]."
Siri doesn't care if the icon is hidden in a folder inside a folder or relegated to the App Library. As long as the app is installed and not restricted by Screen Time, she’ll launch it. It’s the ultimate "I’m too lazy to find this" workaround.
How to open hidden apps on iphone when they are Restricted
This is the one that trips people up. If you check the App Library and the search bar, and the app is still missing, it might be restricted via Screen Time.
I’ve seen parents do this to their kids, and sometimes people do it to themselves to stay productive. If an app like Safari or Mail is missing, it’s likely here.
- Open Settings.
- Tap Screen Time.
- Go to Content & Privacy Restrictions.
- Check Allowed Apps.
If the toggle is off, the app is effectively deleted from the user interface. It won't exist until you toggle it back on. No amount of swiping will find it.
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Hidden Home Screen Pages
Did you know you can hide an entire page of apps? It’s a great way to hide your "work" apps on the weekend, but it’s easy to forget you did it.
Long-press on a blank area of your home screen until the icons start jiggling. Tap the row of dots at the bottom. This opens the Edit Pages view. If a circle under a page is unchecked, that entire page is hidden. Check it, tap Done, and your apps will come screaming back to life.
Recovering "Hidden" Purchases
There is a difference between an app being hidden on your phone and an app being hidden from your "Purchased" history in the App Store. If you’re looking for an app you used to have but can't find in the store, it might be in your Hidden Purchases.
Open the App Store, tap your profile icon (top right), then tap your name/Apple ID. Scroll down to Hidden Purchases. You might find a graveyard of apps you downloaded years ago and forgot.
Actionable Next Steps
To keep your iPhone organized and ensure you never lose an app again:
- Audit your folders: Open those "Utility" or "Productivity" folders and swipe right inside the folder. Folders can have multiple pages too.
- Check Settings: Go to Settings > Home Screen & App Library and decide if you want new apps to show up on your home screen or just stay in the library.
- Verify Hidden Apps: Periodically check Settings > Apps > Hidden Apps to see exactly what you've locked away behind Face ID so you don't forget those apps exist.