How to Find Hidden Apps on iPhone (2022)

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There are a few reasons why an app might disappear from your iPhone — ranging from getting buried in a folder to accidentally getting moved from the Home screen to the App Library. Whatever the reason you can’t find an app on your iPhone, we've got five surefire ways to find hidden apps on your iPhone and get those apps back on your Home screen.

Related: How to Hide Apps on iPhone

Jump To:

• 1. App Library Method: How to Get Apps Back on the Home Screen
• 2. Home Screen Method: What to Do If ALL Your Apps Disappeared from Your Home Screen
• 3. Siri Search Method: How to Find an App That’s Not Showing on iPhone 
• 4. App Store Method: How to Restore an App on iPhone or Recover Recently Deleted Apps
• 5. Unhide Purchases Method: How to Find Hidden App Purchases

1. App Library Method: How to Get Apps Back on the Home Screen

If an app disappeared from the Home screen on your iPhone, the first place you should look is the App Library. Every app on your iPhone can be found in the App Library, even if you’ve removed them from your Home screen. Here’s how to get apps back on the Home screen using the App Library:

1. First, find your App Library by swiping left until you've gone one screen past your last Home screen page. Your App Library is made up of groupings or folders of apps that auto-sort.
   
   
2. If you don't immediately notice your app in the App Library, the fastest way to find it is to search for it. If you do see it, skip to step 4. Tap the bar that says App Library with a magnifying glass to search.
   
   
3. Type the name of the app.
   
   
4. You should see the app icon appear in the results list.Press and hold the app icon until a menu appears and tap on Add to Home Screen.
   
   

If you don’t see the option Add to Home Screen, it likely means the app is buried in a folder or on a hidden Home page and you’ll have to unhide that page to get the app back. If you can’t find the app in the App Library at all, it means the app isn’t on your iPhone and you’ll need to redownload it.

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2. Home Screen Method: What to Do If ALL Your Apps Disappeared from Your Home Screen

Sometimes it’s not the iPhone apps that are disappearing, it’s the Home screen itself, in which case, the App Library won’t be much help! Apple has made it possible to hide multiple apps at once by hiding entire Home screen pages. Similar to a butt dial, this can happen accidentally. If all your apps have disappeared from your Home screen, this is the likely culprit. To check if you have hidden Home screen pages on your iPhone:

1. Long press the background of your Home screen until the icons jiggle.
   
   
2. Tap the dots at the bottom of the screen.
   
   
3. You will see all of your Home screen pages. If a Home screen doesn’t have a checkmark, that means it is hidden.
   
   
4. Tap the empty circle to make the Home screen page visible.
   
   
5. Tap Done.
   
   

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3. Siri Search Method: How to Find an App That’s Not Showing on iPhone

If you’ve checked the App Library and any hidden Home screen pages and you still can’t find the app on your iPhone, it may be hidden in an app folder. Here’s how to find missing app icons on the iPhone and find the name of the folder where the app is.

1. To activate Search, swipe down from the center of the Home screen. (You can also access Search from the Today View by swiping right on the first Home screen.)
   
   
2. Type the name of the missing app in the search field; try to match it exactly if possible. 
   
   
3. If the app is on your device, the app icon will appear right under the search bar.
   
   
4. If the app icon appears with an iCloud symbol, it is on your phone but needs to be redownloaded. Just tap the icon to begin the download.
   
   
5. If Search App Store appears under the Search in Apps heading, the app isn't on your iPhone. But if you tap it, you’ll be redirected to the App Store where you can download it.
   
   

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4. App Store Method: How to Restore an App on iPhone or Recover Recently Deleted Apps

If your iPhone app is still not showing, you can use the App Store to determine whether it’s on your phone or whether it’s been deleted. Here’s how to find hidden apps on your iPhone using the App Store and how to get those apps back on your iPhone once you’ve located them.

1. Open the App Store.
   
   
2. On the bottom menu, choose Search. 
   
3. Next, type the name of your missing app into the search bar.
   
   
4. Now, tap Search and your app will appear! 
   
   
5. If there is a download icon next to the app, tap it to download the app again. 
   
   
6. If Open appears, the app is still on your iPhone and you can tap it to access your app immediately
   
   

Pro Tip: If you are wondering how to see recently deleted apps, go to your purchases by tapping your profile icon or your photo in the upper-right corner. As previously mentioned, any apps with the download icon indicate that these apps have been deleted from your iPhone and you can see them all by tapping Not on this iPhone. Now you know how to find deleted apps on iPhone!

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5. Unhide Purchases Method: How to Find Hidden App Purchases

Oops! Did you hide an iPhone app too well, and now you can't find it in your App Store purchases either? We'll show you how to unhide App Store purchases so you can get those apps back on your iPhone.

1. Open the App Store.
   
   
2. Tap on the profile icon or your photo in the upper right corner.
   
   
3. Tap on your Apple ID. You may need to enter your Apple ID password. Use Face or Touch ID if prompted.
   
   
4. Tap Hidden Purchases to find hidden apps and unhide them.
   
   

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Sometimes an app will disappear. Does this mean that there is an app missing on your iPhone? It’s possible. Whether you have a missing app on your iPhone, a hidden app on your iPhone, or have simply deleted your app, we've taught you various strategies about how to find a hidden app that disappeared from iPhone. If you find the App Library distasteful, check out our tips on how to minimize its impact on your life.