Hide your secret iPhone apps

iOS 18 will let you stash, and even lock, apps you want to keep private.

Author

Leander Kahney
August 07, 2024

Yeah, I’ll admit it: My iPhone Home Screen is an unholy mess.

There are apps everywhere, in no order whatsoever, and I have screen after screen of them. It’s a usability nightmare.

Actually, not quite true: I did move a couple of my most-used apps to the first Home Screen to make them more accessible. But apart from that, it’s a random jumble.

I should really do a quick audit, identify my most-used apps, and hide the rest.

Say what? Yes, new in iOS 18 is the ability to hide apps — and lock them, too.

Having just half a dozen apps visible on the Home Screen would make a big difference. Plus, it’s good for hiding those apps you don’t want people to know about — like dating or gambling apps.

Also in today’s newsletter:

— Leander Kahney, EIC.

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One more thing ...

❝

I know what it’s like to have your private life painted in the worst possible light in front of a lot of people. I’ve learned what it’s like for everyone you meet after that to sort of have preconceptions about you... It’s been a character-building experience.

— Steve Jobs, 1984.

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