'HiddenApps' Hides Stock Apps, iAds and More on Non-Jailbroken iOS Devices [Update: Removed]

[MauiBoy]

Not working on my iPhone 5 either. Maybe Apple has caught wind of the app and killed the authentication keys? It never launched after several attempts after downloading the app.

 

[Peace]

See here, this is how the app works, there's nothing shady going on. The popup may very well come up after hiding the apps because it might have taken time for the download to fail on your phone. The site it tries to connect to is owned by the developer too.

Ahh.. I see..

How in the heck did this get through the Appstore ?

 

[Mike MA]

Finally, I can get rid of newsstand

Exactly my thought

 

[ugahairydawgs]

How in the world did this actually go live? I get that stuff makes it through the cracks and all, but with a name like that?

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Watch out ! I had a blue pop up asking me if i wanted to install some software from denmark.

Same here.

 

[Dwalls90]

Apple does have the ability to remove apps remotely but they've never used it in the past.

That would spark a whole media fire over privacy and consumer rights I'm guessing ...

The problem with Apple's approach to the App Store is that the only real mechanism that they have to check whether or not an App does unauthorised things is by Apple actually using it.

When you're using an App, you have no idea what it's doing behind the scenes. You have no idea how the programmer has written it. It might be doing something very useful, or it might be doing something completely malicious.

The App could simply be designed to check online to see if the hidden features should be enabled.

That's my point! The app's title is a dead give away, and just by opening the app should it be readily apparent as to how it functions, right?

It's not like those flashlight apps with a hidden tethering function, this app seems all too obvious.

 

[HowEver]

You gotta love how Americans think ".de" is "Denmark."

 

[braddick]

Gone!
It was there, refreshed the page, and now it's been removed.

 

[Peace]

You gotta love how Americans think ".de" is "Denmark."

Might as well be. It's closer than new york is to me. But you are correct.

I should have thought it through. .de is Germany.

 

[cppguy]

Seems very buggy.

It isn't buggy, it's a hack. This is the only way the author could implement it.

For example, let's say you want to delete Newsstand. Launch Hidden Apps, choose Hide Apps, then Newsstand. When the dialog box "idoodler.de would like to install Poof" shows up, allow it to happen. Then Newsstand will be replaced by a Poof icon. You'll get another message that Poof could not be installed. Ignore it. Touch and hold the Poof icon until it wiggles, then delete it. Now your Newsstand is gone, until you reboot.

 

[Daveoc64]

That's my point! The app's title is a dead give away, and just by opening the app should it be readily apparent as to how it functions, right?

The screenshots for the App in the App Store didn't show the "Hidden" features.

Presumably when Apple tested the App, the features were disabled (on the developer's server).

Once the App was published to the App Store, the developer enabled the features and the App reflects that when it is started up now.

To be clear, the enabling/disabling of features would be done using some sort of configuration (file?) that the App checks for on startup.

 

[iParis]

Oddly enough, it put my phone into safe mode while trying to install "Poof." The weird thing is, "Poof" is coming up as an actual app ironically in place of the apps I'm attempting to hide. What the hell would have happened instead of safe mode if my phone wasn't jailbroken? This is sketchy as hell. Definitely getting rid of.

 

[Goodeye]

And it's gone.....

 

[Peace]

The screenshots for the App in the App Store didn't show the "Hidden" features.

Presumably when Apple tested the App, the features were disabled (on the developer's server).

Once the App was published to the App Store, the developer enabled the features and the App reflects that when it is started up now.

I'm gonna guess that developer just lost his membership. hehe

 

[0dev]

Oddly enough, it put my phone into safe mode while trying to install "Poof." The weird thing is, "Poof" is coming up as an actual app ironically in place of the apps I'm attempting to hide. What the hell would have happened instead of safe mode if my phone wasn't jailbroken? This is sketchy as hell. Definitely getting rid of.

It isn't compatible with jailbroken phones.

 

[bradhs]

Well, poof! It's gone! No longer in the app store.

 

[cocky jeremy]

Why is everyone saying "hurry and download it before Apple removes it"? Apple approved it. That's how it got added to the store in the first place.

Watch and see. It'll be gone by tonight.

UPDATE: Apparently it was already gone when I commented. Haha.

 

[WeegieMac]

While I'm jailbroken and have Springtomize, I managed to get this just as it got pulled. Superb.

 

[joueboy]

Great! Now you got the Stock app hidden but then, another app cluttered your home screen called Hidden Apps app. Now my problem is how to hide the Hidden Apps app.

 

[Peace]

Great! Now you got the Stock app hidden but then, another app cluttered your home screen called Hidden Apps app. Now my problem is how to hide the Hidden Apps app.

There's a new app coming out called hidden app apphider.

 

[WeegieMac]

Great! Now you got the Stock app hidden but then, another app cluttered your home screen called Hidden Apps app. Now my problem is how to hide the Hidden Apps app.

Hiding one is better than many ...

 

[0dev]

That would spark a whole media fire over privacy and consumer rights I'm guessing ...

I think the functionality is just there for if a piece of malware were to make its way into the App Store. Google has used the same feature in Android to remotely remove malware in the past.

And seeing as how this app demonstrates how easy it is to sneak apps with unauthorised features into the App Store (remember how Charlie Miller also did this back in 2011?) I wouldn't say it's an unlikely event for iOS either.

 

[iParis]

It isn't compatible with jailbroken phones.

Huh. Weird. I wonder how this interferes with the jailbreak. There's a lot of people that won't jailbreak because they're scared or sketched out, yet I'm sure they downloaded this in an instant. >.<

 

[Chastepe]

Apple Insiders!

Now we know for sure Apple employees have MacRumors' tab open in Safari while working in the headquarters.

 

[nzalog]

What else is this app doing that it shouldn't?

No thanks.

Yeah I'm already regretting trying it.

 

[iParis]

It isn't compatible with jailbroken phones.

Maybe not completely. My phone's battery died and when it turned back on I just deleted "poof," also deleting Game Center and Reminders. I'm sure my phone never would have gone into safe mode had I deleted "poof." I hope they come back after a respring.