How To Hide Apps In Ipad 8th Generation

People are currently reading this guide.

👤

Published by A contributor at Hows.Tech sharing helpful insights.

📝 Article edited 0 times 🕒 Last modified by Default Author

Unlocking Privacy: A Comprehensive Guide to Hiding Apps on Your iPad 8th Generation

Hey there, iPad user! Ever felt that little flutter of anxiety when someone borrows your iPad and you realize that one app with all your sensitive information or guilty pleasure games is sitting right there on the Home Screen? Or maybe your Home Screen has just become a cluttered mess, and you're dreaming of a minimalist digital haven? Whatever your reason, mastering the art of hiding apps on your iPad 8th generation can bring you a newfound sense of control and privacy.

Ready to dive in and take back your digital space? Let's get started!

Step 1: Understand the "Why" and "What" of Hiding Apps

Before we jump into the "how," let's quickly clarify what "hiding" an app on your iPad 8th generation truly means, especially with the latest iPadOS updates. It's not about permanently deleting them, but rather making them less visible and, in some cases, requiring authentication to access. This can be incredibly useful for:

Maintaining Privacy: Keeping personal banking apps, health apps, or private messaging apps out of plain sight.
Decluttering Your Home Screen: Creating a cleaner, more organized look by moving less frequently used apps to the App Library.
Child Safety: Limiting access to certain apps for younger users without completely uninstalling them.
Work-Life Balance: Separating work apps from personal apps, making it easier to switch gears.

It's important to note that only apps you download from the App Store can be truly "hidden" in the new "Hidden" folder within the App Library. Essential Apple apps that come pre-installed with iPadOS (like Mail, Settings, Safari, etc.) cannot be hidden in this way, though you can remove them from your Home Screen.

Step 2: Ensure Your iPadOS is Up-to-Date (Crucial for Best Features!)

To access the most robust app hiding features, particularly the new "Hidden" folder and the ability to require Face ID/Touch ID/Passcode for specific apps, your iPad 8th generation should be running iPadOS 18 or later.

Why this matters: Older iPadOS versions had more limited options, primarily involving removing apps from the Home Screen or using Screen Time. iPadOS 18 introduced dedicated features for locking and hiding.

How to Check and Update Your iPadOS:

Open Settings: Tap the Settings app icon on your Home Screen (it looks like a set of gray gears).
Navigate to General: In the left-hand menu, tap on General.
Select Software Update: On the right side, tap Software Update.
Check for Updates: Your iPad will check for available updates. If an update is available, you'll see an option to Download and Install. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the update. Make sure your iPad is connected to Wi-Fi and has sufficient battery or is plugged in.

Once your iPad is running iPadOS 18 or later, you're ready to explore the powerful new app hiding options!

Step 3: The Official "Hide and Lock" Method (iPadOS 18+)

This is the most secure and comprehensive way to hide apps, as it not only removes them from your Home Screen but also places them in a dedicated, locked "Hidden" folder within the App Library.

Sub-heading 3.1: Hiding an App and Requiring Authentication

Locate the App: Find the app you want to hide on your Home Screen.
Long Press the App Icon: Touch and hold the app icon until a contextual menu appears. The apps might also start to "jiggle."
Select "Require Face ID" (or Touch ID/Passcode): From the menu, tap on Require Face ID (if your iPad has Face ID), Require Touch ID (if it has a Touch ID sensor), or Require Passcode.
Confirm and Choose "Hide": A new prompt will appear. Tap Hide and Require Face ID (or Hide and Require Touch ID or Hide and Require Passcode).
Authenticate: Your iPad will then ask you to authenticate using Face ID, Touch ID, or by entering your passcode.
Confirm "Hide App": A final pop-up will explain what happens when you hide an app (e.g., no notifications from the app, moves to Hidden folder). Tap Hide App to confirm.

Voila! The app will now disappear from your Home Screen and move to the Hidden folder in your App Library.

Sub-heading 3.2: Accessing Your Hidden Apps

Don't worry, your apps aren't gone forever! They're just tucked away securely.

Go to the App Library: Swipe left past all your Home Screen pages until you reach the App Library.
Locate the "Hidden" Folder: Scroll down to the bottom of the App Library. You'll see a folder labeled Hidden with a small lock icon.
Tap the Hidden Folder: Tap on this folder.
Authenticate: You will be prompted to authenticate using Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode to reveal the contents of the folder.
Open Your App: Once authenticated, you can tap on the app icon within the Hidden folder to open it.

Sub-heading 3.3: Unhiding an App

Want to bring an app back to your Home Screen or simply remove it from the "Hidden" folder?

Access the Hidden Folder: Follow the steps in "Sub-heading 3.2" to get into your Hidden folder.
Long Press the App Icon: Touch and hold the app icon you wish to unhide.
Select "Don't Require Face ID" (or Touch ID/Passcode): From the contextual menu, tap Don't Require Face ID (or Don't Require Touch ID or Don't Require Passcode).
Authenticate: Authenticate using Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode.

The app will be removed from the Hidden folder and placed back into another folder in the App Library. To get it back on your Home Screen:

Locate the App in App Library: Find the app in its new folder within the App Library.
Long Press and Drag: Touch and hold the app icon and drag it back to your Home Screen.

Step 4: Removing Apps from Home Screen (Without Hiding in Locked Folder)

This method is perfect if you simply want to declutter your Home Screen without adding an extra layer of authentication. The app will still be visible and accessible in the App Library and via Spotlight Search.

Locate the App: Find the app you want to remove from your Home Screen.
Long Press the App Icon: Touch and hold the app icon until a contextual menu appears and the apps begin to jiggle.
Tap "Remove App": From the menu, tap Remove App.
Confirm "Remove from Home Screen": You'll see two options: "Delete App" or "Remove from Home Screen." Tap Remove from Home Screen.

The app icon will vanish from your Home Screen, but it remains installed on your iPad and can be found in the App Library or by using Spotlight Search.

Step 5: Utilizing Screen Time for App Restrictions (Parental Controls/Self-Control)

Screen Time is a powerful built-in feature that allows you to set limits on app usage, restrict content, and even hide entire categories of apps. While not a "hide" feature in the same way as the new iPadOS 18 option, it's excellent for managing accessibility, especially for children.

Sub-heading 5.1: Content & Privacy Restrictions

Open Settings: Go to Settings (the gray gears icon).
Tap "Screen Time": In the left-hand menu, tap Screen Time.
Turn On Screen Time (if not already): If it's your first time, tap Turn On Screen Time and follow the prompts. You'll likely need to set a Screen Time Passcode.
Tap "Content & Privacy Restrictions": This is where the magic happens for hiding apps.
Toggle "Content & Privacy Restrictions" On: Make sure this is green.
Enter Your Screen Time Passcode: If prompted.

Sub-heading 5.2: Restricting Apps and Features

Once in "Content & Privacy Restrictions," you have several options:

Allowed Apps:
1. Tap Allowed Apps.
2. Toggle off any pre-installed Apple apps you want to completely remove from the Home Screen and App Library. For example, if you toggle off "Safari," the Safari browser icon will disappear from your iPad. This is one of the only ways to "hide" built-in Apple apps.
Content Restrictions > Apps:
1. Tap Content Restrictions.
2. Tap Apps.
3. Here, you can choose age ratings for apps. If you select an age rating (e.g., "9+"), any apps installed on your iPad that are rated higher than that will be hidden. This is particularly useful for hiding games or content not suitable for certain age groups. Apps restricted this way will disappear from your Home Screen and App Library.

Sub-heading 5.3: App Limits (for Time Management)

While not strictly "hiding," App Limits can make apps less accessible by limiting their usage time. Once the time limit is reached, the app icon will dim, and you'll need the Screen Time Passcode to extend usage.

Open Settings > Screen Time.
Tap "App Limits."
Tap "Add Limit."
Select App Categories: Choose the categories of apps you want to limit (e.g., "Social," "Games") or expand a category to select individual apps.
Set Time Limit: Choose the daily time limit.
Tap "Add."

Step 6: Organizing Apps into Folders (A Simple Decluttering Method)

This isn't "hiding" in the secure sense, but it's an excellent way to organize and de-clutter your Home Screen, making apps less prominent.

Long Press an App: Touch and hold an app icon until it begins to jiggle.
Drag and Drop: Drag that app icon on top of another app icon you want to group it with. A new folder will be created.
Name Your Folder: Tap on the folder name at the top to rename it (e.g., "Utilities," "Productivity," "Seldom Used").
Add More Apps: Continue dragging other apps into this newly created folder.
Arrange Folders: You can then move these folders around your Home Screen or even to less-used Home Screen pages.

Step 7: Removing Home Screen Pages (Advanced Decluttering)

If you have multiple Home Screen pages filled with apps, you can hide entire pages to simplify your setup.

Long Press an Empty Area: Touch and hold an empty space on your Home Screen until the app icons begin to jiggle.
Tap the Dots: At the bottom of the screen, you'll see a row of dots representing your Home Screen pages. Tap on these dots.
Hide Pages: A grid view of your Home Screen pages will appear. Uncheck the circles beneath the pages you want to hide.
Tap "Done": Tap "Done" in the top right corner.

The unchecked pages will no longer appear when you swipe through your Home Screens. The apps on those pages will still be available in the App Library and via Spotlight Search. To unhide a page, repeat the process and check the circle next to it.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Here are 10 common "How to" questions related to hiding apps on your iPad 8th generation:

How to find an app after I've hidden it?

Quick Answer: Swipe left until you reach the App Library, then scroll to the bottom and tap the "Hidden" folder. You'll need to authenticate to access it.

How to unhide an app on my iPad 8th generation?

Quick Answer: Go to the "Hidden" folder in the App Library, long-press the app, and select "Don't Require Face ID/Touch ID/Passcode." Then, if desired, drag it back to your Home Screen from the App Library.

How to hide pre-installed Apple apps like Safari or Mail?

Quick Answer: You generally cannot "hide" these in the "Hidden" folder. However, you can remove them from your Home Screen (they'll remain in the App Library) or restrict them using Screen Time's "Allowed Apps" settings.

How to prevent notifications from hidden apps?

Quick Answer: When you officially "hide" an app using the iPadOS 18+ method, notifications from that app are automatically silenced. You can also manually adjust notification settings for any app via Settings > Notifications.

How to hide apps without using Face ID or a passcode?

Quick Answer: You can remove apps from your Home Screen (they'll still be in the App Library). The new "Hide and Require Face ID/Touch ID/Passcode" feature inherently links hiding with authentication for security.

How to hide apps from Spotlight Search?

Quick Answer: Officially hiding an app using the iPadOS 18+ method will remove its icon and name from Spotlight Search. For apps you simply remove from the Home Screen, you can go to Settings > Siri & Search, find the app, and toggle off "Show App in Search" and "Show Content in Search."

How to organize apps into folders on my iPad?

Quick Answer: Long-press an app until it jiggles, then drag it on top of another app to create a folder. Drag more apps into the folder as needed.

How to hide entire Home Screen pages on my iPad?

Quick Answer: Long-press an empty space on your Home Screen until apps jiggle, tap the dots at the bottom, and uncheck the pages you want to hide.

How to ensure my hidden apps are truly secure?

Quick Answer: Use the "Hide and Require Face ID/Touch ID/Passcode" feature (available in iPadOS 18+). This places them in a locked "Hidden" folder requiring authentication to access. Also, ensure your overall iPad passcode is strong.

How to remove an app completely from my iPad 8th generation?

Quick Answer: Long-press the app icon, tap "Remove App," and then select "Delete App." Alternatively, go to Settings > General > iPad Storage, find the app, and tap "Delete App."

6956240802083852366