--- title: "How to Hide FaceTime on iPhone: 4 Ways (iOS 27)" description: "FaceTime can't go in the iPhone Hidden folder. Here are the ways that work: remove it from the Home Screen, lock it with Face ID, hide it from search." url: https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/hide-apps/facetime lang: en-gb published: 2026-10-31 updated: 2026-10-31 author: "VaultForYou Editorial Team" publisher: VaultForYou --- # How to hide FaceTime on iPhone > FaceTime is built into iPhone, so it can't be hidden like an App Store app. These are the ways that work instead. Published 2026-10-31 - Updated 2026-10-31 - By VaultForYou Editorial Team - Checked against iOS 27 - 31 Oct 2026 ## Quick answer FaceTime comes with iPhone, so Apple won't let you put it in the Hidden folder. Instead, touch and hold it, tap Remove App, then Remove from Home Screen. It stays in App Library and search. To stop people opening it, lock it with Require Face ID. - **Fastest way:** Remove from Home Screen; it stays in App Library. - **Can it be hidden?:** No. Apple only lets you hide App Store apps. - **Own privacy setting:** Delete a call from your FaceTime call history (FaceTime -> touch and hold the call in your call history -> Delete). - **Still visible in:** Screen Time, Battery and your App Store purchases. - **iOS version:** Any recent iOS - **Time needed:** About 10 seconds - **Difficulty:** Easy - **Needs an app?:** No - **Reversible?:** Yes - **Changes backups?:** No FaceTime is built into iPhone, so it can't be hidden like an App Store app, and FaceTime has 3 privacy settings of its own. Below are 4 ways, fastest first, and the places FaceTime still shows up afterwards. We checked the iOS steps against Apple's iOS 27 documentation and FaceTime's settings against Apple's official help pages in October 2026. ## Method 1: Take FaceTime off your Home Screen Apple's Hidden folder only takes apps from the App Store, so FaceTime can't go in it. The next best thing is to take it off your Home Screen. 1. **Remove from the Home Screen** Touch and hold FaceTime, tap Remove App, then tap Remove from Home Screen. The app stays installed in App Library. FaceTime stays installed and keeps working from App Library. It still shows up when someone searches for it. To stop people opening it, lock it: touch and hold FaceTime, tap **Require Face ID**, then confirm. See [all FaceTime's privacy settings](/en-gb/apps/facetime). ## Method 2: FaceTime's own privacy settings iOS hides the app icon. FaceTime itself can hide what's inside it. These settings work on any iOS version that FaceTime supports. ### Delete a call from your FaceTime call history Go to **FaceTime -> touch and hold the call in your call history -> Delete**. Removes the entry from the FaceTime call history. ### Lock FaceTime to keep its info out of call history Go to **Home Screen -> touch and hold FaceTime -> Require Face ID -> Require Face ID**. Information inside a locked app won't appear in other locations, such as notification previews, search, Siri suggestions, or your call history. ### Hide FaceTime message previews Go to **Settings -> Notifications -> FaceTime (below Notification Style) -> Show Previews**. If a caller leaves a video message, you get a notification and a thumbnail appears in your FaceTime call history. ## Other ways to hide FaceTime - **Remove it from the Home Screen.** Touch and hold FaceTime, tap **Remove App**, then **Remove from Home Screen**. It moves to App Library and still shows in search. - **Keep it out of Siri and search.** Go to **Settings -> Siri -> Excluded Apps**, tap **Add Apps** and select FaceTime. Apple says excluded apps aren't available to Siri, Search or suggestions. - **Hide its notification previews.** Go to **Settings -> Notifications -> FaceTime -> Show Previews** and choose **Never** or **When Unlocked**. ## Does hiding FaceTime hide its notifications, Siri suggestions, Spotlight and backups? | Where | Locked with Face ID | Removed from Home Screen | |---|---|---| | Notification previews | Content hidden | Still shown | | Siri suggestions | Not shown | Still shown | | Spotlight search | Content hidden | Still shown | | iCloud backup | Unchanged | Unchanged | Apple says information inside a locked or hidden app doesn't appear in places like notification previews, search and Siri suggestions. Hiding never changes what your iPhone backs up. ## Hide FaceTime on iPad The same Require Face ID menu works on iPad with iPadOS 18 or later. Hiding doesn't sync through iCloud, so hide FaceTime separately on each device. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can you hide FaceTime on iPhone? Not in the Hidden folder. FaceTime comes with iPhone, and Apple only lets you hide App Store apps. You can remove it from your Home Screen so it lives only in App Library, and you can lock it with Require Face ID so it needs your face or passcode to open. ### Where does FaceTime go when you remove it from the Home Screen? It moves to App Library, the last page after your Home Screens. FaceTime stays installed and keeps all its data. You can also still find it by swiping down on the Home Screen and searching for its name. Drag it back to a Home Screen page any time. ### Does hiding FaceTime delete it or its data? No. Hiding or removing FaceTime from the Home Screen doesn't delete the app or anything in it. Only Delete App removes it from your iPhone. Data that FaceTime syncs through iCloud stays in iCloud either way. ### Can someone tell that I hid FaceTime? Possibly. The Hidden folder itself is visible at the bottom of App Library, though it needs Face ID or your passcode to open. FaceTime can also still appear in Screen Time, the Battery list and your App Store purchase history. Anyone who knows your passcode can open everything. ### Does hiding FaceTime on iPhone hide it on my iPad? No. Apple says hidden and locked apps don't sync through iCloud, so the setting only applies to the iPhone where you set it. If you use FaceTime on an iPad, hide it there too with the same Require Face ID menu. ## Bottom line FaceTime can't be hidden, but it can be taken off your Home Screen and locked. Add FaceTime's own settings to hide what's inside it. ## Sources - [Apple Support: Lock or hide an app on iPhone](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/lock-or-hide-an-app-iph00f208d05/ios) - [Apple Personal Safety User Guide: Lock or hide apps on your iPhone](https://support.apple.com/guide/personal-safety/ipsd0be4c185/web) - [Apple Support: Change Siri settings on iPhone](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/change-siri-settings-iphc28624b81abc/ios) - [Apple Support: Change notification settings on iPhone](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/change-notification-settings-iph7c3d96bab/ios) - [Apple Support: Lock or hide an app on iPad](https://support.apple.com/guide/ipad/lock-or-hide-an-app-ipad4026f2de/ipados) - [Apple Support: Receive FaceTime calls on iPhone](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/receive-facetime-calls-iph765b3a877/ios) ## More FaceTime privacy guides - [FaceTime privacy on iPhone: every setting](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/apps/facetime) ## Hide apps for other apps - [How to hide Photos on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/hide-apps/photos) - [How to hide Safari on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/hide-apps/safari) - [How to hide Notes on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/hide-apps/notes) - [How to hide Camera on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/hide-apps/camera) - [How to hide Files on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/hide-apps/files) - [How to hide Health on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/hide-apps/health) - [All hide-app guides](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/hide-apps) --- Our guides are written and fact-checked by the VaultForYou team against Apple's own documentation. We make VaultForYou, a private vault app for iPhone. Download on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/vaultforyou/id0000000000