Hide Your Apps (I Won't Judge)

On the iPhone you can now hide apps.

At first glance this feels silly.

Why would you want to hide something?

I know what you’re thinking, I don’t want anyone seeing my hemorrhoid tracking app. But no, I’ve found a real use for this.

My default view only has Things 3 and Apple Calendar widgets (medium size). Everything else has been removed from the home screen.

So when I go to open an app I see all of them at once in the app library, with the (actually better than expected) default organization from Apple.

But there are times I just don’t want to see an app.

Maybe it’s one I open a few times a year, or am trying to break the habit of using—Stardew Valley I love you, but we had to pause, it was me not you.

I recently heard Myke Hurley talk about this on Connected and am glad to hear I’m not the only one using it this way.

The app library is a fantastic way to reduce usage of an app without going through all the hassle of reinstalling and logging back in.