How-to-Hide-App-Icons-iOS-9While Tim Cook has promised Apple will "figure out a way" for iPhone and iPad users to remove certain default apps, a new limited trick allows for stock icons to be temporarily hidden on devices running iOS 9.0 to iOS 9.2 without jailbreaking.

YouTube channel videosdebarraquito shared a video of his trick over the weekend, and we have confirmed the method works as shown. Follow these step-by-step instructions and watch the video below for a demonstration.

How to Hide App Icons on iOS 9

  1. Hold down on the app icon you want to hide until it starts to wiggle.

  2. Drag the app icon over any other app to create a folder.

  3. Take your finger off the icon once in the folder. Do not press the Home button.

  4. Drag the app icon to the second page of the folder. Take your finger off the icon.

  5. Drag the app icon to the third page of the folder and keep your finger on it.

  6. Drag the app icon to the edge of the folder and press the Home button simultaneously.

As long as the device remains powered on, including when the display is locked, the app icons removed with this trick will remain hidden.


Keep in mind that the hidden app icons will reappear when the iPhone and iPad is restarted, so this trick only serves as a temporarily solution.

As a boilerplate disclaimer, this is an unofficial trick and we cannot guarantee it will not cause any unforeseen problems on your iPhone or iPad.

(Thanks, Jose!)

Top Rated Comments

Adithya007 Avatar
122 months ago
Why can't Apple just make a way to hide apps of the user's choice?

And why do I need an Apple Watch app when I don't have one? Can't the Apple Watch owners just go to the App Store and download the app? :/
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mdridwan47 Avatar
122 months ago
I don't want to just hide it. I want to remove it. And if necessary redownload it from the app store.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BrodieApple Avatar
122 months ago
I can see why people want apps to be hidden, but I don't see whats so annoying about having it just on the last page of a folder. Or a seperate page on your home screen.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Smultie Avatar
122 months ago
Lol, you iPhone users still can't do that :)

So a simple 'hide' option would solve two of them, so the third is storage space.

Are you really quibbling over 100MB?
Is Apple still selling phones with 16GB? Then yes, people will still be b*tching about 100MB.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jsameds Avatar
122 months ago
Is Apple still selling phones with 16GB? Then yes, people will still be b*tching about 100MB.
It's clear from your other post that you don't have an iPhone, but let me put 16GB devices into perspective for you. 100MB is less than 1% of available storage on a 16GB iPhone. Besides, those people bought a 16GB device.



WTH??? Are you blind?

If something is there that you don’t like/need it’s not too much of a stretch that it be described as clutter.
Personally, I’ve never gone down the space used line. But waste is waste and at the premium Apple charge for space I’d rather it was used for something I actually want or that it be free space.
The default apps that I don’t want are crap, (to me), in fact they’re not even that good. At least with the 3rd party ones I can remove them.
Like I said, a simple 'hide' option would solve two of them but as it's not an option yet, just stick them in a folder and done. This really is a non-issue.

And in terms of "premium" Apple storage, 100MB is 20 cents.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
skylerolson Avatar
122 months ago
Hold on a sec, this is becoming one very slippery slope... One minute it's about clutter, the next it's about space used and now it's about advertising?

What exactly is your problem with default iOS apps? Make your mind up!
All of the above! :)
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iphone 16 display

iPhone 17's Scratch Resistant Anti-Reflective Display Coating Canceled

Monday April 28, 2025 12:48 pm PDT by
Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors. Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven't heard...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Reaches Key Milestone Ahead of Mass Production

Monday April 28, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple has completed Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) for at least one iPhone 17 model, according to a paywalled preview of an upcoming DigiTimes report. iPhone 17 Air mockup based on rumored design The EVT stage involves Apple testing iPhone 17 prototypes to ensure the hardware works as expected. There are still DVT (Design Validation Test) and PVT (Production Validation Test) stages to...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

20th Anniversary iPhone Likely to Be Made in China Due to 'Extraordinarily Complex' Design

Monday April 28, 2025 4:29 am PDT by
Apple will likely manufacture its 20th anniversary iPhone models in China, despite broader efforts to shift production to India, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In 2027, Apple is planning a "major shake-up" for the iPhone lineup to mark two decades since the original model launched. Gurman's previous reporting indicates the company will introduce a foldable iPhone alongside a "bold"...
apple watch ultra yellow

What's Next for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3

Friday April 25, 2025 2:44 pm PDT by
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too. 2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3 Apple didn't update the...
iphone 17 air iphone 16 pro

iPhone 17 Air USB-C Port May Have This Unusual Design Quirk

Wednesday April 30, 2025 3:59 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to launch a dramatically thinner iPhone this September, and if recent leaks are anything to go by, the so-called iPhone 17 Air could boast one of the most radical design shifts in recent years. iPhone 17 Air dummy model alongside iPhone 16 Pro (credit: AppleTrack) At just 5.5mm thick (excluding a slightly raised camera bump), the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air is expected to become ...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iPhone 17 Pro on Desk Feature

All iPhone 17 Models Again Rumored to Feature 12GB of RAM

Tuesday April 29, 2025 3:36 am PDT by
All upcoming iPhone 17 models will come equipped with 12GB of RAM to support Apple Intelligence, according to the Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station. The claim from the Chinese leaker, who has sources within Apple's supply chain, comes a few days after industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max will all be equipped with 12GB of RAM. ...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:30 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...