Introduction
There is always a danger that someone may ultimately get their hands on your unlocked phone, even with the most impenetrable lock screen in the world. It’s comforting to know that you can keep your most private applications hidden from view in case that ever occurs. To keep your internet activities secret, acquire a VPN after learning how to hide apps on Android .
On your Android phone, you may hide applications for various reasons. Due to the widespread use of mobile payments, many of us have private financial information on our phones that is available to anybody who can bypass the lock screen. In addition, parents may employ content-locking technologies to conceal applications and prevent their children from accessing information they shouldn’t on their gadgets.
It’s helpful to know that hiding applications on your Android phone are simple, even if you merely want to keep things private while lending your smartphone to a friend or member of your family. This article demonstrates many techniques for hiding and disguising applications so that others cannot access them.
Apps on Android may be hidden using built-in settings.
Apps may be hidden on certain Android phones using the home screen or phone settings. You could be lucky if you own a phone made by Samsung, LG, Xiaomi, OnePlus, or Huawei. If not, go on to the third-party Android app hiding solutions section.
On Samsung phones, hide the applications.
Here’s how to conceal applications on an Android Samsung phone. Although not all Samsung phones have the same settings, the following approach ought to work:
- Launch the app drawer.
- Select other options by clicking the three dots in the top right corner.
- Open the Home Screen Options (or just Settings).
- Choose the option to hide applications.
- Select the program or apps you wish to hide.
- Use the Apply button to confirm (or press Done).
On LG phones, hide applications.
- You may conceal applications through the home screen settings on certain LG phones.
- To access Home Screen Settings, long-press the home screen.
- Activate the “Hide Apps” option.
- Select the program or apps you wish to hide.
- Use the Done button to confirm.
On Xiaomi phones, hide applications.
The built-in app-lock function on Xiaomi phones has to be configured. The following is how to cover up applications on Xiaomi phones:
- Navigate to Settings.
- After selecting App lock, tap the gear icon.
- Select Hidden applications.
- Then choose Manage hidden applications.
- Select the applications you wish to hide.
You may uncover the applications you’ve hidden by zooming out on the home screen and using your fingerprint to activate the app lock function later.
App privacy on OnePlus phones
You may conceal applications on OnePlus phones using the Hidden Space folder feature. To ensure that your applications remain hidden, you may password-protect the Hidden Space folder. How to hide applications on OnePlus phones is as follows:
- Swipe right after opening the app drawer.
- To add applications, tap +.
- If you’re sure, tap the checkbox.
- The menu may be accessed by selecting the three dots in the top right corner.
- For the highest level of protection, choose Enable password and create a strong password.
Huawei phones with hidden applications
Huawei phones include a hidden folder called PrivateSpace, where you may lock it with your fingerprint and conceal programs and data. However, you can only download applications straight to the PrivateSpace Folder; you cannot transfer apps from your home screen to PrivateSpace.
- By heading to Settings > Security & privacy > PrivateSpace, you must first set up PrivateSpace. Here’s how to hide applications on your Huawei phone once that is configured:
- Your fingerprint will unlock PrivateSpace.
Make use of an external app hider.
Install a third-party program made expressly to conceal Android applications if you’re dissatisfied with Android’s default app-hiding functionality. You may entirely hide your apps or modify their names and icons with these app-hider applications. Some of these covert apps may even assume the form of another discrete software, such as a calculator or calendar.
Let’s examine two of the most widely used third-party app hiders currently available (remember, when installing third-party software, always practice responsible Android app safety).
You may customize your phone by using launchers.
You may customize your home screen with app hiders. However, they often ask for many private rights from your device; some of them could be malware in disguise.
Anyone seeking to change their user experience should utilize Nova Launcher, offered in free and premium editions. You don’t have to give the app complete power over your phone since it doesn’t need root access. You may modify the titles and icons of your applications in the app drawer after downloading Nova and making it your default launcher so that they look how you choose.
Here’s how to modify the applications on your home screen using Nova Launcher:
- Open your app drawer by swiping up, then long-pressing the app you wish to change and choosing Edit.
- Editing an app under Android’s Nova Launcher
- Change the app’s name in any way you like, then hit Done. By touching the app icon, you can also modify it.
- Changing an app’s name in the Android launcher Nova
- You can conceal applications from your app drawer using Nova Launcher’s premium edition, but such apps will still be accessible if someone knows what to look for.
App Hider
App Hider, as its name suggests, will assist you in hiding your applications. It is another well-liked free (and ad-supported) option. Additionally, it disguises itself as a calculator, making it far less probable for anybody looking through your phone to suspect you’ve pulled any tricks.
Here’s how to conceal your applications with App Hider:
- Open and install App Hider.
- To choose the app(s) you want to hide, tap the Plus icon.
- Choosing an Android app to hide with App Hider
- In this illustration, Slack has been kept a secret.
Adding an app to Android’s App Hider
Once your chosen app has been imported into App Hider, touch it in the App Hider menu to either hide it or use the Dual function to run several instances of it simultaneously.
Android App Hider: Hiding an App
You may disguise the app as a calculator from the App Hider menu.
Activating the Android App Hider’s Calculator+ function
A PIN setting prompt will appear. This PIN will launch App Hider when entered into the Calculator+ app. Otherwise, it will generally operate like a calculator.
Using the Android app Calculator+ to enter a PIN
Returning to our app drawer, we see that Calculator+ has taken the position of the previously present App Hider. The Android app drawer has the Calculator+ app.
Apps may be hidden using Samsung’s Secure Folder.
To conceal applications on a Samsung smartphone, you must create a safe folder and copy or move your apps (and other data) inside that folder. Here’s how to use a Secure folder to conceal applications on a Samsung phone.
- New Secure Folder creation
- Here’s how to create a new Secure Folder on a Samsung phone:
- Tap the little settings cog in the upper right corner after swiping down from the top of your screen
- Pick security and biometrics.
- Click Secure Folder.
- If you already have a Samsung account, log in. If not, register now. Tap Sign in, Continue or Agree after that.
- Enter your account information, then choose OK or Sign in.
- Select the lock type you like (pattern, PIN, or password), then touch Next.
- Choose Continue, type in your lock method a second time, and then touch Confirm.
- On your home and app screens, a shortcut to your Secure folder will now be visible; you may put files and applications there to keep them concealed.
- Create a Secure Folder for applications.
On a Samsung phone, follow these steps to transfer applications to a Secure Folder:
- Choose Add files or the Plus icon in your Secure folder to add files.
- Pick the applications you wish to add. Tap Download from Play Store to download applications straight to your Secure folder.
- Tap Add after choosing the applications you wish to hide.
- Your Secure folder will now include your chosen applications concealed. Additionally, you may transfer data to your safe folder. This is how:
- Select Add files from the three vertical dots after opening your Secure folder.
- Select the kind of file you wish to add (images, docs, etc.).
- Choose whether to transfer or copy the files you wish to add.
Additionally, you may transfer files (such as private images) directly by choosing each separately, heading to the settings menu (represented by three vertical dots), and selecting Move to Secure Folder.
To conceal applications, create a guest account or utilize the private mode on your phone.
You can utilize a guest user account with stock Android if you don’t want to install a third-party app hider. It’s not the most secure solution, and it’s a hassle to switch to the guest account while sharing your phone. However, it’s a useful option for parents who wish to child-proof their phones or keep their kids secure online.
The technique isn’t accessible on all devices, particularly newer Android phones, and it differs significantly based on your Android version and phone maker. This “borrow my phone” snoop-proofing technique is presented by confident phone makers in their own way.
The Private Mode feature on our Samsung Galaxy S7, which runs Android 8.0 Oreo, allows you to restrict unauthorized people from reading specific files. This is how it goes:
- To access your Settings, swipe down from the top of your screen and press the cog symbol.
- Tap the Lock screen and security after scrobbling down.
- Tap the Private mode that you find.
- Use the toggle in the top-right corner to turn on Private mode.
- Choose a password, fingerprint, pattern, or PIN as your access type for private mode.
Once your access type has been set up, you may enable or disable Private mode as necessary. Only those with access to your Private mode can see the stuff you’ve selected. Make sure Private way is on if you’re planning to give someone your phone.
Installing applications or making modifications beyond your phone’s built-in limitations requires rooting, often known as jailbreaking. The danger increases due to this greater freedom since your phone’s security mechanisms may no longer guard against malicious software and risky applications, and you risk nullifying the manufacturer’s warranty.
When you search for applications on your phone, disabled apps could still appear in your search results. They could also appear in the list of applications in your Settings, depending on the manufacturer of your device. On certain phones, Google Assistant could unlock blocked applications. The most significant benefit of disabling applications is that you won’t have to see them on your home screen anymore.
To deactivate applications on Android, follow these steps:
- By sliding down and pressing the cog symbol, you may access your Settings.
- Click the Apps menu.
- Choose the app you wish to turn off from the Apps menu, then hit the Disable button at the bottom of the screen. The deactivate option will be greyed out if the program cannot be disabled (perhaps because it is required for vital functions). (You’ll also have the opportunity to uninstall the program if it can be removed.)
- By selecting Disable app, you may confirm your decision to turn the app off.
- Follow the instructions as before, but this time pick Enable if you ever want to use the app again.
After rooting it, you should download one of the top Android privacy or security applications to shield your phone from viruses. If not, you risk having to remove viruses from your phone in addition to the most innocuous junk that brought you here. As previously said, rooting your phone would invalidate the warranty from the manufacturer.
If you opt to root, you’ll need to choose an app that has root access and can uninstall system applications. Since you’ve disabled your phone’s security features, exercise additional caution while looking into and selecting a replacement.
FAQs
On Android, can you hide apps?
On Android phones, hiding applications is simple. You can hide applications using your phone’s settings on various Android devices. You may also deactivate specific applications or utilize third-party app hiders. However, doing so poses a security risk, and you can soon find yourself frantically trying to remove viruses and other malware. Jailbreaking or rooting your phone can enable you to entirely delete applications tied to the operating system. Check out our guide about hiding applications on iOS devices if you have an iPhone.
Can I hide applications without rooting Android?
Yes, it would be best if you didn’t jailbreak or root your phone only to conceal applications. It’s not required to hide applications, and rooting has security risks. On certain Android phones, system settings allow for the hiding, muting, or restricting of background data for Android applications. Third-party solutions compatible with Android antivirus software let you change app visibility and other behaviours.
Without using another software, how do I hide applications on Android?
Some Android phone models, like those from Samsung, LG, and Xiaomi, enable you to modify app permissions directly via the phone’s settings if you want to conceal Android applications without downloading another program. Using the Secure Folder and PrivateSpace capabilities on Samsung and Huawei handsets, you may also hide applications without third-party programs.
An app drawer is what?
An Android device’s app drawer is a menu that displays every program presently installed except those that you’ve opted to conceal. App drawers, often called app trays or app launches, make it simple to launch applications from the menu or add apps to your home screen by dragging, dropping, or touching the app icons.
On Android, how can I detect hidden apps?
The Android app drawer may be accessed simply by sliding your finger down from the screen’s top (or up from the bottom). Or, access Settings by touching the gear symbol to see hidden applications. To see the list of installed programs, including sneaky malware and other apps hidden from the home screen launcher, choose “Apps” from the settings menu and then select “See All Apps.”
