Frequently Asked Questions

App Usage
How do I hide Cape?

Unfortunately due to iOS limitations, Cape cannot hide itself. However, you can remove it from the home screen by following these steps: Long press its icon → Remove App → Remove from the Home Screen. You can find the Cape by searching for it, or drag it back to the Home Screen if you need.

Why is Cape consuming a lot of battery in background?

Cape needs to perform tasks in the background, but it won’t cost extra battery life. You can turn off “Show Today’s Usage” & “Take a Break” for each group, so Cape won’t perform background tasks.

Can Cape hide apps from the battery section or Screen Time section?

Unfortunately due to iOS limitations, Cape can’t hide apps from battery usage or Screen Time usage.

What if I forget my passcode?

If you forget your passcode, you can only delete Cape and reinstall it. However, if you have previously enabled "Disable app removal", please go to "Settings" -> "Screen Time" on iOS to turn off the Cape button, then delete Cape and reinstall it. If you have purchased Cape Pro, after reinstalling, visit Cape's Settings > Cape Pro to automatically restore your purchase.

When I use Cape to hide and then unhide WhatsApp, I am logged out and prompted to register as a new user. This issue has started occurring recently.

After further investigation, we find out that when you have both WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business installed on your device, and you launch one of them while hiding the other one with Cape, the hidden app will be signed out.

Same situation will also happen when you offload an app via Settings app → General → iPhone Storage → (WhatsApp or WA Business) → Offload app. When apps are hidden by Cape, they behave like being offloaded, they can’t be launched, perform background tasks, receive notifications, or be detected by other apps from the same vendor. As a result, launching the non-hidden app triggers a reset of the hidden one to its default state because the non-hidden app cannot detect its hidden counterpart, a process dictated by WhatsApp’s own internal logic.

As a third-party app on iOS, Cape cannot access or alter the data or behavior of other apps. To avoid resetting, consider adding both apps to the same App Group in Cape and hiding them simultaneously. This ensures that both apps remain undisturbed.

Is there a feature to change the app name after downloading in order to prenvent others from searching for it?

Unfortunately due to iOS limitations, Cape does not have the ability to use a custom name provided by the user.

When an app is hidden, the hidden app appears under Screen Time of system "Settings", is this normal?

Unfortunately due to iOS limitations, Cape can’t hide apps from battery usage or screen time usage.

I set up a safe zone with Cape, but when I left the safe zone, the apps I selected were not hidden. Why is that?

Please check the following:

- In Cape → Zones, you have chosen an app group for each zone.


- In the Settings app → Cape, location permission is set to 'Always', 'Screen Time Restrictions' permission is enabled, and the system's location services are turned on and functioning properly.


The Safe Zones / Restrict Zones use iOS's native geofencing features, and background location operation may have deviations and delays. If it still does not work, we suggest you restart your phone and try again.


You can also try delete the app group and the zone, then create new ones.


Please note that the hiding/restoring of apps triggered through Safe Zones / Restrict Zones only occurs when crossing the boundaries of the safe zone. If you do not cross the zone boundaries, Cape will not perform any actions.

Can I select a folder with multiple application within the folder to hide and unhide?

The "Choose Activities" screen is provided by iOS in a privacy protected way. Due to current limitations of iOS, this interface does not allow selection of folders on the Home Screen.

Can I remove an application from the list of chosen applications which were hidden?

Yes, you can do that, by tap on the app group card, then swipe to left on the app you would like to remove.

How do I make widgets not display ICONS?

You can long tap on the widget → Edit Widget → turn off "Icon & Text".

Why when I hide it only shows in App Library and not back onto my home screen where they were originally placed?

If you update your iPhone / iPad to iOS 17.3 or later, restored apps will be placed to their original locations.

After hiding with Cape, the app is still showing in the App Library, but cannot be opened.

Please update your Cape to latest version, then go to Cape → Settings → Troubleshooting → turn on "Hiding Failure Workaround".

Why is App Store disappearing from my Home Screen?

There is a bug in the current version of iOS that causes hidden apps to still appear in the App Library. To address this issue, we have added a workaround in the new version that ensures hidden apps no longer appear in the App Library. However, this may cause the App Store to disappear from the home screen. You can turn off this workaround in Cape -> Settings -> Troubleshooting -> Hiding Failure Workaround.

If you need to access the App Store and it's not visible on your home screen, simply use the search box on your home screen to find it. You can then drag the App Store icon from the search results back to your home screen for easy access.

Can I use the app while it is hidden?

Unfortunately due to current iOS limitations, you’ll need to restore the apps before using them. You can start a timer to temporarily restore the apps, then hide them automatically when timer reaches the end.

Why whenever I hide the app it still ends up showing the notifications of that app even though it is hidden?

If you are getting notifications from hidden apps, this is caused by an iOS bug. Please restart your iPhone. We also suggest updating your iPhone to latest version of iOS.

Why does it go blank when I'm selecting apps to restrict?

The "Choose Activities" screen is provided by iOS, and it is very buggy. Unfortunately only Apple can fix it in iOS updates. We suggest using the search box in that screen to locate your app. Restarting your iPhone may also help.

About Cape Pro
Do the Cape Pro premium features for a lifetime or monthly payment?

Cape Pro is a lifetime purchase, not a subscription.

Why can't I buy the Pro version?

Cape uses your App Store account to process payments. If you have issues with your App Store account, you need to contact Apple.

Can I synchronize my paid iOS app with my iPadOS one?

Yes you can, just sign in to same App Store account on your iPad, then restore purchase in Cape → Settings → Cape Pro.

Feature Requests
Can I customize the theme color?

We will add an option to change the color scheme in a future update.

Does Cape support blocking web sites?

Cape does not support blocking web sites yet, will be provided in a future update.

Is it possible that someone could control the screen time of some of my apps from his phone?

Cape does not support remote control yet. You can use iOS built-in Screen Time & parental control features:  https://support.apple.com/en-us/guide/iphone/iph00ba7d632/ios