Posted by How to Hide Apps on Android. In our world today, phones have become one of the most important and most used possessions we own. There are a lot of things you can use your phone for, not just to keep in touch with your loved ones, but it also acts as the hub of our financial world, not to mention where we keep important data regarding our health.
How to Hide Apps on Android
How to hide apps on Android? Well, a lot of people make sure that their devices are locked so no one can see this sensitive information, but if you regularly let your friends, children, or partner use your phone to look things up or take photos, then you are at risk of your data being exposed.
In this article, you will find a simple way to reduce the chance of this happening – hiding apps. Below, you will be able to see how to protect your private information the easy way.
Hiding apps via Android settings
There are many versions of Android phones, and each of them will have a way to hide apps in their settings. However, the way to hide your app can change at any time, as newer iterations of Android appear and the software interfaces applied by manufacturers also change.
With the information below, you will be able to hide an app on some of the most popular Android phone brands.
How do I Hide Apps on My Samsung Phone
Launch the App Drawer (the page that shows all your apps) by swiping up from the bottom of the screen.
- Click on the three dots in the menu that appears.
- Select Hide Apps from the menu that appears.
- In the displayed screen, you will see a list of all your apps that appear. Go through and select the ones you want to hide.
- When you are finished, click “Done” at the bottom of the page.
- Then, all the apps you selected won’t appear in the app drawer anymore.
Well, to find the app, you just have to use the Google search widget (bar) or open the Google app and type in its name. From your apps section, you will see the app listed in the search results. Click it, and it will launch as normal.
How do I Hide Apps on the OnePlus Phone?
Swipe to the right after opening the App Drawer (the page that displays all of your apps). On the screen, you will see a page called “Hidden Space. It should display the message with no hidden application in the center of the screen.
- Click on the + icon in the top right corner.
- Select the apps you want to hide, then tap the tick icon in the top right corner.
- Then, you will see the hidden apps listed on the Hidden Space page.
That is all you need to hide apps on the One Plus phone. To unhide your apps back, return to the Hidden Space page and long-press on the app you wish to restore.
How do I Hide Apps on My Xiaomi Phone?
With MIUI 13, Xiaomi seems to have removed the Hidden Apps Feature, but you can still protect yourself via App Lock. This password can protect certain apps so no one can open them easily, and it also gives you the ability to hide any notifications linked to the particular app. Below is how to set it up.
- Lunch Settings and tap on Apps
- Select App Lock and tap the “Turn On” button.
- Then, you have to set up a Mi (Xiaomi) account if you haven’t done so already, as the feature needs that to function. It is free and will take just a moment.
- With this done, you will now see the App Lock Page with some suggested apps you may want to secure. Untick any you don’t want, then tap Use App Lock.
- Now you can select any app you want to lock. From now on, each will show a login screen when anyone taps them from now on (you can unlock them with your fingerprint).
That is all for that. You can also tap the “Want to hide sensitive notifications?” option to stop any private messages from appearing. You just have to go to the App Lock page and deselect them to unlock any of your apps.
How to Hide Apps on Android that have a New Launcher
Let’s say you are finding it very difficult to hide apps via the settings in Android, then you have the option to use a different launcher that will give you an increased amount of control over how the interface works. The Nova launcher is one of our all-time favorites, as it gives you so many choices when it comes to tailoring the interface of your device.
You just have to download and install the Nova launcher (others are also available that offer similar capabilities), and you can quickly sort out these errant apps.
- Open Nova, then click on the Nova Settings icon.
- Click the App Drawer option.
- Scroll down until you find the Apps section, then select Hide apps.
- Choose which apps you want to hide, then tap the back arrow in the top left corner when you’re done.
That is all you have to do. The apps should no longer appear in your app drawer. To reinstate them, just repeat the step available above but deselect the app from the list.
How do I disable apps on Android?
You have another option If you can’t get rid of pre-installed apps or just don’t want them running in the background at any point, you might be able to disable them. This won’t work on all apps’ PR versions of Android interfaces, but it’s worth a go.
- Launch the settings
- Click on Tap Apps and notifications, then select the app you want to stop.
- If it has the option, then select Disable.
If everything goes as planned, the app won’t appear in your App Drawer or at least won’t start running by itself. However, if you want to reinstate its permissions, just repeat the steps above but this time select “Enable.