--- title: "How to Hide WhatsApp on iPhone: 5 Ways (iOS 27)" description: "Hide WhatsApp on iPhone in 10 seconds: Hide and Require Face ID moves it to a locked Hidden folder. Plus lock a chat, alerts and search." url: https://www.vaultforyou.app/hide-apps/whatsapp lang: en published: 2026-10-31 updated: 2026-10-31 author: "VaultForYou Editorial Team" publisher: VaultForYou --- # How to hide WhatsApp on iPhone > WhatsApp can disappear from your Home Screen and search in 10 seconds. Its name still turns up in a few places, listed below. Published 2026-10-31 - Updated 2026-10-31 - By VaultForYou Editorial Team - Checked against iOS 27 - Oct 31, 2026 ## Quick answer Touch and hold the WhatsApp icon, tap Require Face ID, then Hide and Require Face ID, and tap Hide App. It takes about 10 seconds on iOS 18 or later. WhatsApp moves to a locked Hidden folder in App Library and drops out of search. WhatsApp also has its own option inside the app: Lock a chat. Its name can still appear in Screen Time. - **Fastest way:** Hide and Require Face ID (iOS 18 or later). - **Can it be hidden?:** Yes. It moves to the locked Hidden folder in App Library. - **Own privacy setting:** Lock a chat. - **Still visible in:** Screen Time, Battery and your App Store purchases. - **iOS version:** iOS 18 or later - **Time needed:** About 10 seconds - **Difficulty:** Easy - **Needs an app?:** No - **Reversible?:** Yes - **Changes backups?:** No WhatsApp can be hidden in about 10 seconds with the iOS Hidden folder, and WhatsApp has 5 privacy settings of its own. Below are 5 ways, fastest first, and the places WhatsApp still shows up afterwards. We checked the iOS steps against Apple's iOS 27 documentation and WhatsApp's settings against its official help pages in October 2026. ## Method 1: Hide WhatsApp with Face ID (iOS 18 and later) This is the only built-in way that hides WhatsApp from your Home Screen, App Library and search at once. 1. **Find WhatsApp on your Home Screen** Touch and hold the WhatsApp icon until the quick actions menu opens. 2. **Tap Require Face ID** On iPhones with Touch ID it says Require Touch ID. You can also choose Require Passcode. 3. **Tap Hide and Require Face ID** Authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode. 4. **Tap Hide App** WhatsApp leaves the Home Screen and moves to the locked Hidden folder at the bottom of App Library. WhatsApp keeps working, and its data is untouched. Open it from the Hidden folder at the bottom of App Library. On iOS 17 or earlier, remove it from the Home Screen instead (see below). **What this does not do:** it doesn't hide WhatsApp from Screen Time, and it doesn't change iCloud backups. Anyone who knows your iPhone passcode can open the Hidden folder. ## Method 2: WhatsApp's own privacy settings iOS hides the app icon. WhatsApp itself can hide what's inside it. These settings work on any iOS version that WhatsApp supports. ### Lock a chat Swipe left on a chat, or touch and hold it, and choose to lock it. The chat moves to a Locked Chats folder that opens with Face ID, your iPhone passcode, or a secret code. The other people in the chat are not notified. ### Hide the Locked Chats folder with a secret code You can hide the Locked Chats folder from your chat list. To open it, type your secret code in the search bar. If you forget the code, you can only reset it by clearing all messages, photos, and videos in your locked chats. ### Send photos and videos as View once View once photos, videos, and voice messages cannot be forwarded, saved, starred, or shared by the person who receives them. ### Screen Lock Requires Face ID or Touch ID to open WhatsApp, after a wait time you choose. If Face ID or Touch ID fails, your iPhone passcode unlocks it. You can still reply to messages from notifications and answer calls while it is locked. ### Hide WhatsApp message previews Go to **Settings -> Notifications -> Show Preview**. Turn off Show Preview to hide message text in WhatsApp notifications. Locked chats always show only "WhatsApp" instead of the contact name and message. ## Method 3: Move WhatsApp photos into a vault Hiding the app doesn't hide photos you've saved from it. Those sit in your camera roll, where anyone scrolling Photos can see them. Move them into a vault, then delete the originals from Photos and empty Recently Deleted. > **Lock this in VaultForYou.** Keep WhatsApp photos in an encrypted vault that opens only with a pattern you draw. [Download on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/vaultforyou/id0000000000) See [how to hide photos in WhatsApp](/hide-photos/whatsapp) for the in-app options. ## Other ways to hide WhatsApp - **Remove it from the Home Screen.** Touch and hold WhatsApp, 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 WhatsApp. Apple says excluded apps aren't available to Siri, Search or suggestions. - **Hide its notification previews.** Go to **Settings -> Notifications -> WhatsApp -> Show Previews** and choose **Never** or **When Unlocked**. - **Hide it from your App Store purchases.** In the App Store, tap your photo, tap **Apps & Purchase History**, then swipe left on WhatsApp and tap **Hide**. ## Does hiding WhatsApp hide its notifications, Siri suggestions, Spotlight and backups? | Where | Hidden with Face ID | Removed from Home Screen | |---|---|---| | Notification previews | Content hidden | Still shown | | Siri suggestions | Not shown | Still shown | | Spotlight search | App hidden from results | 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. ## How to unhide WhatsApp 1. **Open App Library.** Swipe left past your last Home Screen page. 2. **Open the Hidden folder.** Scroll to the bottom, tap Hidden and authenticate. 3. **Unhide WhatsApp.** Touch and hold WhatsApp, tap Don't Require Face ID and authenticate again. WhatsApp goes back to App Library. Drag it to your Home Screen from there. ## Hide WhatsApp on iPad The same Require Face ID menu works on iPad with iPadOS 18 or later. Hiding doesn't sync through iCloud, so hide WhatsApp separately on each device. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can you hide WhatsApp on iPhone? Yes. On iOS 18 or later, touch and hold WhatsApp, tap Require Face ID, then Hide and Require Face ID. WhatsApp moves to a locked Hidden folder in App Library and disappears from search. On older iOS versions you can only remove it from the Home Screen, which leaves it in App Library. ### Where does WhatsApp go when you hide it? It goes to the Hidden folder at the very bottom of App Library. Swipe left past your last Home Screen page, scroll down and tap Hidden. The folder opens with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode. WhatsApp keeps working from there, with all its data. ### Does hiding WhatsApp delete it or its data? No. Hiding or removing WhatsApp from the Home Screen doesn't delete the app or anything in it. Only Delete App removes it from your iPhone. Even then, data stored in your WhatsApp account online is not deleted. ### Can someone tell that I hid WhatsApp? Possibly. The Hidden folder itself is visible at the bottom of App Library, though it needs Face ID or your passcode to open. WhatsApp 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 WhatsApp have its own lock? Yes. WhatsApp has Screen Lock. It works alongside the iOS lock. It uses the same Face ID or passcode as your iPhone, so it adds a second prompt but no separate secret. ## Bottom line Hide and Require Face ID is the fastest way to hide WhatsApp: about 10 seconds, and it's gone from your Home Screen and search. Add WhatsApp's own settings to hide what's inside it. For photos, a vault is the only option that takes them out of Photos. ## 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) - [WhatsApp Help Center: Turn chat lock on or off](https://faq.whatsapp.com/764072925284841/?cms_platform=iphone) - [WhatsApp Help Center: How to use Touch ID or Face ID for WhatsApp](https://faq.whatsapp.com/876873509397404/) - [WhatsApp Help Center: How to manage your notifications](https://faq.whatsapp.com/797069521522888/?cms_platform=iphone) - [WhatsApp Blog: Introducing parent-managed accounts](https://blog.whatsapp.com/introducing-parent-managed-accounts-on-whatsapp) ## More WhatsApp privacy guides - [How to lock WhatsApp on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/lock-apps/whatsapp) - [How to block WhatsApp on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/block-apps/whatsapp) - [How to hide photos in WhatsApp](https://www.vaultforyou.app/hide-photos/whatsapp) - [WhatsApp privacy on iPhone: every setting](https://www.vaultforyou.app/apps/whatsapp) ## Hide apps for other apps - [How to hide Messages on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/hide-apps/messages) - [How to hide Facebook Messenger on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/hide-apps/messenger) - [How to hide Signal on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/hide-apps/signal) - [How to hide Telegram on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/hide-apps/telegram) - [How to hide LINE on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/hide-apps/line) - [How to hide Viber on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/hide-apps/viber) - [All hide-app guides](https://www.vaultforyou.app/hide-apps) ## The full guide - [How to hide apps on iPhone, and where hidden apps still show up](https://www.vaultforyou.app/blog/hide-apps-on-iphone) --- 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