I think people can hide apps from the home screen, but can someone hide apps from the library or installed apps list? Where can I find such apps? I am very confused!!!
Great question! So here’s the thing yes, people CAN hide apps from the home screen pretty easily on an iPhone, but hiding them from the App Library is a whole different story 
Apple introduced the App Library in iOS 14, and every app you install automatically shows up there. You can’t completely delete an app from the App Library without uninstalling it entirely. BUT there are a few sneaky tricks people use:
• Screen Time Restrictions: Someone can use Screen Time to restrict visibility of certain apps, especially in the Content & Privacy settings. These apps still exist on the phone but may not be accessible normally.
• Hidden Home Screen Pages: You can actually hide entire Home Screen pages! The apps are still in the App Library though.
• Folders buried inside folders: Classic trick. People drop apps into folders, name the folder something boring like ‘Tools’ and bury the real app 3 pages deep.
So the bottom line? The App Library is your best bet to find everything installed. But Screen Time is where things can get tricky. 
Oh wow, I didn’t even know you could hide Home Screen pages 
I have been swiping forever looking for apps like an absolute fool. Apple really said ‘here’s a magic trick nobody asked for.’
But seriously though @PixelPioneer23 is right about Screen Time. That’s actually the sneakiest method. My younger brother used it to hide a gaming app from our parents and it took them weeks to figure out. The icon just… vanishes. Spooky stuff.
Here’s a proper step-by-step method to find hidden apps using the iPhone Settings and Spotlight Search 
Check via App Library:
- Swipe all the way to the right on your Home Screen until you reach the App Library.
- You’ll see all apps sorted into automatic categories.
- Tap the search bar at the top and search for any specific app name.
- Every installed app shows up here regardless of whether it’s on the Home Screen or not.
Use Spotlight Search:
- Swipe down from the middle of any Home Screen page.
- Type the name of the app you’re looking for.
- If it’s installed, it will appear in search results even if it’s hidden from the Home Screen.
- Tap it directly from search to open it.
Check Screen Time for restricted apps:
- Open Settings on your iPhone.
- Tap Screen Time.
- Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions.
- Tap Allowed Apps.
- Here you can see which apps have been toggled off toggled-off apps disappear from view but are still installed.
These three methods cover like 90% of cases where apps appear ‘missing.’ 
I tried the Spotlight trick and found three apps I completely forgot I installed 
One of them was a meditation app I downloaded in 2021 during my ‘I’m going to be a new person’ phase. Narrator: they were not a new person.
But genuinely useful tip! Spotlight is underrated for finding things on iPhone. @ByteNavigator’s steps are solid, follow those!
Just want to add something @ByteNavigator and @PixelPioneer23 might have missed, there’s also the Storage Settings method which is super reliable 
Here are the steps:
STEPS TO FIND ALL INSTALLED APPS VIA STORAGE:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and tap General.
- Tap iPhone Storage.
- Wait a few seconds while it loads — it will show you a complete list of every single app installed on the device.
- Scroll through the full list — this is the most complete view of installed apps on an iPhone. You cannot hide from this list.
- Apps are sorted by size by default, but you can scroll and scan the full list.
This method is foolproof because even if an app is hidden from the Home Screen and doesn’t show in App Library categories, the Storage list always shows it. 
Also bonus tip, if an app has been offloaded (removed but its data kept), it shows up with a little cloud icon. That means it was installed at some point!
Okay but can we talk about how wild it is that Apple made it this complicated Like I just want to know what’s on my phone, I’m not doing a full forensic investigation here.
All jokes aside, the Storage method @DevSyncer mentioned is genuinely the best one. I used it when I was doing a cleanup and I found apps I had literally zero memory of installing. Digital hoarding is real, people.
I’m a parent and I need to be very real here for a second 
My teenager has been dropping references to content I know they shouldn’t have access to certain memes, phrases, inside jokes from communities that I’m very familiar with as a parent who stays informed. I’ve gone through their phone multiple times. Checked the Home Screen, scrolled through apps, even tried searching for specific app names. Nothing showed up. But I KNOW something is there because the references keep coming.
Is there a way they could be hiding apps that even the methods above wouldn’t catch? Because at this point I feel like I’m losing this battle. I’m not trying to invade their privacy unnecessarily but some of this content is genuinely harmful and I’m worried about them. Any parent here who’s been through this and found a solution?
Hey @ModTechLab first of all, you’re not overreacting. Trusting your gut as a parent is important, and if something feels off, it usually is. 
I’d actually recommend looking into Xnspy. It’s a parental monitoring app that works in the background and gives parents a proper overview of what’s happening on their child’s device.
One of its most useful features is the Installed Apps section it shows you a complete list of every app installed on the monitored device, including apps that have been hidden from the Home Screen or tucked away using tricks like the ones discussed in this thread. You’d be able to see app names, and monitor usage without your child necessarily knowing what you can see.
Beyond just apps, Xnspy also covers text messages, call logs, browsing history, and social media activity so it gives you a fuller picture. It’s designed specifically to help parents keep children safe from online risks, whether that’s inappropriate content, contact with strangers, or exposure to harmful communities.
Given what you described, it sounds like a solid option worth exploring. Keeping kids safe online is genuinely hard in 2024 and tools like this exist for exactly this reason. 