Lock or Hide Apps

If you’re all about privacy, you’re going to love this new feature. iOS 18 will now let you lock or hide any app on your iPhone.

Before, you could only lock an app if the developer offered that feature, but now iOS 18 will do the work and lock any app you want. When you lock an app, you can also turn on Stolen Device Protection to ensure it can only be unlocked with Face ID or Touch ID. This means that even if someone knows your passcode, they won’t be able to use the app.

If you want extra privacy, your iPhone can also hide any app you want. When an app is hidden, you won’t get any alerts or notifications and you won’t be able to find it on your Home Screen or directly in the App Library. Instead, the app will be tucked away in the Hidden folder in your App Library. This appears whether you have any hidden apps or not, but you’ll need to use Face ID or Touch ID to see what’s inside; as with locked apps, your passcode can only be used if Stolen Device Protection is disabled.