Apps Disappeared on iPhone but Still Installed or Unistalled? Fixed!

Though iOS is a stable enough operating system, it still contains various potential issues. Have you ever encountered a situation that one day you unlock your iPhone and found all your apps disappeared on your phone? Usually, this issue occurs after an iOS system update. Sometimes a single app is lost, and sometimes the whole page. If by any chance you are troubled by this problem, I think this passage can offer you the best solutions to fix app disappeared from iPhone Home screen. All the 11 methods are easy-to-use and workable.

Part 1. Why Did My Apps Disappeared from iPhone?

Before the detailed tutorial, I think understanding why my apps disappeared from iPhone happens is necessary. However, it is still no precise or official explanation for this problem. This issue looks like that iOS system clean up the outdated apps automatically. There are two different situations: apps disappeared but are still installed on your iPhone, or your apps were uninstalled without your permission. The former situation can be caused by system update failure or system errors on your iPhone, while the latter one can be due to the iOS new feature – Offload Unused Apps. Read on the post, and I will list out the responding methods to troubleshoot this app disappeared from iPhone but still installed issue.

Part 2. Top 11 Methods to Fix Apps Disappeared on iPhone

Method 1. Find Your Apps in Apps Library

If your iPhone is now running in iOS 14 or later version, you can see find the app from Apps Library. Apps Library is a feature that will sort the apps on your iPhone automatically. If you have found that the app was lost on your iPhone but still installed, try finding it in Apps Library. If you don't know how to, just follow the following steps to find it.

Step 1: Go back to your Home page and swipe left until you see the Apps Library.

Step 2: Find your app in the corresponding folder. If you can't find it, the Search Bar on the top will help you.

Step 3: When you find the app, keep holding until a dropdown appears. Click on the Add to Home Screen button.

Method 2. Check Your Folders

Sometimes, you may put your apps in folders to organize it, or simply put them into folders accidentally. Therefore, if you can’t find the installed app, it might be inside one of the folders on your Home screen. You can look inside the folders on the screen to check if the disappeared app is there.

Method 3. Check Screen Time Settings

Another thing you need to check is the Screen Time settings on your iPhone. Screen Time can help you limit your app usage via hiding the icons of apps. With Screen Time, such apps as Mail, Safari, and Camera can be hidden on your Home screen. Thus, if apps disappeared from iPhone, you need to check and unhide the restricted apps.

Step 1: Run the Settings app on your iPhone and head to Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions.

Step 2: Choose the Allowed Apps option and then ensure that the toggles next to all apps are turned on.

Step 3: Go back to the Content & Privacy Restrictions. Then, choose Content Restrictions > Apps, and tap on Allow All Apps.

Method 4. Reboot Your iPhone

If you face the all apps disappeared from iPhone issue, restarting your iPhone is not a bad choice. Rebooting your iPhone means to force refresh your iPhone, which can help you get back the icons of your lost apps.

If you are attempting to use this method, follow the corresponding way to restart your iPhone.

iPhone 6s or earlier: Keep holding the Power button and Home button simultaneously. When the Apple logo appears, release the two buttons.

iPhone 7: Keep holding the Volume Down button and the Power button simultaneously. When the Apple logo showing up, release the two buttons quickly.

iPhone 8 or later: Hold and release the Volume Up button quickly, and then hold and quickly release the Volume Down button, then press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo shows up.

Method 5. Disabled Offload Unused Apps

Offload Unused Apps is a new feature that aims at releasing more storage of iPhone. If you update your iOS system version and your iPhone exactly exists unused app, you will meet the issue that apps disappeared on iPhone. You need to switch off this feature to stop the next offload. You can enter Settings > iTunes & App Store > Offload Unused Apps. It is worth noting that this method can't get your lost apps back, and you can install them again via Apps Store.

Method 6. Unhide Home Screen Page

In some cases, if you have hidden the Home Screen page, the icons on it will disappear together. To fix it, you need to long press anywhere on the screen, and then click on the dots at the bottom. Then, you can see all the Home Screen pages. You need to ensure that all the pages are ticked and then click Done.

Method 7. Unhide Purchased Apps

If the apps appear on your iPhone but not on your App Store, you might have hidden your purchases. You can try to unhide these apps through the steps in the following.

Step 1: Run App Store on your iPhone, and then click on your profile picture in the top right corner.

Step 2: Hit on your Apple ID at the top, and then scroll down to choose Hidden Purchases.

Step 3: Tap on the Unhide button next to the app you want to unhide.

Method 8. Reset Home Screen Layout

Resetting Home Screen Layout can help you locate your missing apps that are still installed and arrange them in alphabetical order. Then, you can find them on your Home screen after the reset. The following is the specific steps to reset Home screen layout.

Step 1: On your iPhone, head to Settings > General, and then click on Transfer or Reset iPhone.

Step 2: Choose Reset Home Screen Layout from the list, and the layout of your iPhone will be reset.

Method 9. Reset All Your iPhone Settings

iPhone setting changed unknowingly will cause the issue that apps disappeared from iPhone Home screen. Hence, reset all your iPhone settings is a workable way to fix this issue. You can reset your iPhone via Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset All Settings. Though this operation won't erase all your iPhone data, you will lose your keyboard dictionary, screen layout, Wi-Fi password, and so on.

Method 10. Restore your iPhone from iTunes

If you had ever backup your iPhone via iTunes, you can try to use this method to fix the problem that my apps disappeared from iPhone. As an Apple official tool, iTunes can always help us in many different situations. Connect your iPhone to iTunes, wait until iTunes detects your iPhone. Then, click the tiny iPhone icon, select Summary and click the Restore Backup. Your lost apps will be back once the restore process is done. But remember, your iPhone will lose the data that you aren't backup.

Method 11. Fix apps disappeared from iPhone using TunesKit iOS System Recovery

When the above four methods are not working, you should consider whether if your iPhone faces some software issues. I think TunesKit iOS System Recovery can meet your need in fixing this problem. It is a dedicated iOS fixing tool that can help you deal with the common iOS issues like iPhone stuck on update requested, iPhone X stuck in Recovery mode, or iPhone could not be restored the device cannot be found. With this useful tool, you are allowed to fix your iPhone/iPad/iPod/Apple TV instantly with four simple steps. Thanks to the clear and user-friendly guidance of this program, you can fix your iPhone at ease without seeking others' help.

Here is the detailed tutorial.

Step 1Connect iPhone to PC

Firstly, you should install and launch TunesKit iOS System Recovery. Connect your iPhone to a computer with a working cable, and TunesKit will detect your iPhone. What's more, you can enter/exit Recovery Mode with one click in the main interface.

Step 2Select a mode

In TunesKit iOS System Recovery, there are two recovery modes for you to choose to fix your iPhone. The Standard Repair can meet all your needs in fixing all apps disappeared from iPhone. The Deep Repair can fix severe snags. However, it will erase all your iPhone data.

Step 3Download firmware package

Next up, TunesKit will turn another page and ask you to download the firmware package to fix the issue that app disappeared from iPhone but still installed. Before downloading, please confirm that the information given is corresponding to the model you are going to fix.

Step 4Fix apps disappeared on iPhone

Once the downloading is finished, TunesKit iOS System Recovery will fix that app disappeared from iPhone but still installed. The process will take several minutes. TunesKit iOS System Recovery is reliable, and your phone will get back to its normal state soon.

Part 3. Related Questions about Apps Disappeared

Q1: Can I use Siri to search apps?

Yes. If the apps are still installed on your iPhone, you can use Siri to search for them. Remember to enable Siri and Suggestions first in Settings > Siri & Search. Then, say Hey Siri to activate it, and give a voice command to run the app you are looking for.

Q2: How can I get my app icon back on my iPhone?

If the app on you iPhone is uninstalled, you can retrieve it by reinstalling this app. If the app on your iPhone is still installed, you can try to get it back by restarting your iPhone or using TunesKit iOS System Recovery.

Part 4. Summary

I believe that there is a workable method for you to fix the issue that apps disappeared on iPhone. If you haven't decided yet, I think TunesKit iOS System Recovery is the best method for you to choose. It can not only fix a certain method but is also effective in fixing other common iOS issues.