Hidden App Store purchases: what hiding really does
Hiding an app removes it from your list of purchased apps in the App Store. It doesn’t erase the purchase: Apple says the app and its in-app purchases still appear in your complete purchase history. Hiding also doesn’t delete the app from any device.
Three different things called "hidden"
| Hidden purchase | Hidden app on the Home Screen | Deleted app | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where you do it | App Store → Your Apps | Home Screen, with Face ID, Touch ID or passcode | Home Screen or Settings |
| Removes the app from your device | No | No; it moves to a locked Hidden folder in App Library | Yes |
| Removes it from Your Apps | Yes | No | No |
| Removes it from complete purchase history | No | No | No |
| Undo | Unhide in Hidden Purchases | Manage it from the Hidden folder in App Library | Redownload from the App Store, at no extra cost |
When people search for "hidden purchases", they usually mean the first column. The rest of this guide is about that one.
What Apple says happens when you hide an app
- The app and any Apple In-App purchases, including extra content or subscriptions bought inside it, still appear in your complete purchase history in Settings.
- The app no longer appears in your list of purchases in the App Store.
- With Family Sharing, family members can’t redownload it from your shared purchases, and your in-app purchases for it are no longer shared with them.
- The app isn’t removed from your device, a family member’s device, or other devices signed in to your Apple Account.
Complete purchase history vs Your Apps
Your Apps is the list you redownload from; hiding removes an app from it. Complete purchase history is the transaction record; hiding leaves it alone. That is why an app can be "gone" from the App Store list and still show up as a purchase.
Family Sharing effects
Hiding is also a way to stop sharing one app with your family: once it is hidden, members can’t redownload it from your shared purchases, and its in-app purchases stop being shared. Apps already installed on their devices stay installed.
How to hide an app purchase
On iPhone or iPad
Or tap My Account and sign in.
On Mac
Or click Sign In first.
Confirm with Hide Purchase.
On Apple Vision Pro the steps are the same as on iPhone, but you pinch and drag left on the app. To unhide, Apple says to use an iPhone, iPad or Mac signed in to the same Apple Account.
How to unhide an app
On Mac, click your name at the bottom of the sidebar.
You might be asked to sign in to your Apple Account.
On Mac, the app reappears in your Apps list.
Redownloading after unhiding
Unhiding doesn’t reinstall anything. If you had deleted the app, it won’t reappear on its own: redownload it from the App Store. Apple confirms you don’t have to buy it again.
Subscriptions and in-app purchases
- Hiding doesn’t cancel a subscription. Manage it in Settings → your name → Subscriptions.
- Hiding doesn’t remove in-app purchases from your purchase history.
- If a non-consumable purchase (an upgrade, an unlocked feature) seems missing after reinstalling, use the app’s restore option while signed in to the same Apple Account. Consumables such as game currency can’t be restored.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Try this |
|---|---|
| I can’t find Hidden Purchases | Go through your name on the account page, not Apps & Purchase History. |
| The app isn’t in Hidden Purchases | It may have been bought with another Apple Account, or deleted rather than hidden. Search your complete purchase history. |
| A family member still has the app | Hiding doesn’t remove installed apps from other devices. |
| The app isn’t in the App Store anymore | Unhiding can’t bring back an app the developer removed. The purchase still shows in your history. |
Your Apple history, in one archive?
App Purchase Vault currently archives Google Play purchases on Android. Apple App Store import is planned, not available yet.