To hide the status bar in a phonegap project:

1. Double click on your project, or .plist, in XCode
2. Select the tab named "Info"
3. Add a new property by selecting an item in the list and then clicking the plus sign
4. Name the property "View controller-based status bar appearance"
5. Set the property value to "NO"

Next:

1. Select the tab named general
2. Check the "Hide status bar" located under "Deployment Info"

Done.