Are you tired of stocking unused iPhone apps on your home screen inside folders that are rarely opened? According to AppAdvice, iOS 10 might come with a new feature that allows users to hide the apps they do not want. Apple has recently added a few extra keys to iTunes’ metadata that would be useful in removing the unused apps.
If you take a closer look at the metadata, you can find keys such as ‘isFirstParty’ and ‘isFirstPartyHideableApp’ on every iPhone app available in the App Store. This new adjustment in the metadata suggests that some of the default iPhone apps such as Voice Memos, Stocks, and Compass that remain unused will be completely hidden from the screen.
As of now, the keys are set to ‘false’ however experts believe that this might be activated after the Worldwide Developers Conference called by Apple. The conference be held in June and Apple CEO Tim Cook might announce the release of iOS 10 at the event.
The new keys have been interpreted in various ways by the iPhone app experts and this is just one way to look at it. Tim Cook had already hinted in a previous interview about a feature that would allow users to hide apps that remain idle and unused.
In an interview with Buzzfeed News in September, Cook said that there are a few apps that are linked to other functions on the iPhone and if they are removed then it might result in issues in the device. He further said that there are also some apps that are not linked to other functions in the iPhone and that the company would think of a way to remove such apps.
The Apple Configurator 2.2 allows users to hide the stock apps in devices that are used across schools and businesses. There’s also a possibility to hide the unused apps on Apple TV.
If the rumors are true then with the launch of iOS 10, the new keys will allow iPhone users to remove or hide the apps they don’t require.
