Managing the visibility of applications on Apple’s mobile devices is a common user need. The upcoming iteration of the iPhone operating system, iOS 18, will likely retain and potentially enhance existing methods for controlling application visibility. Users may seek to achieve this for privacy reasons, to declutter the home screen, or to restrict access to specific applications for children or other users.
Controlling application visibility offers several benefits. It can improve user privacy by preventing casual observers from seeing which applications are installed. A cleaner home screen enhances usability, allowing for quicker access to frequently used applications. Furthermore, parents can effectively manage their children’s device usage by limiting access to certain apps. Historically, methods for managing application visibility on iOS have evolved from simply organizing apps into folders to more sophisticated techniques like offloading and utilizing the App Library.
