How to hide Android apps
Do your friends miss an opportunity to peek at the latest apps you have installed on your Android smartphone ? Do your kids occasionally use your tablet and worry that it could wreak havoc on your work apps? In my opinion you should keep your device “safe” by solving these potential problems at the root.
If you have come this far, you probably think so too and in fact you are wondering how to hide apps on Android . Don’t worry: this is not a complex operation to perform and obviously you will not have to delete applications from your device. You will simply avoid making them accessible to anyone.
On the other hand, between any meddling friends and children, having a little privacy in relation to important applications, whether it is personal relationships, work or otherwise, never hurts. If you agree, then, just continue reading the tutorial to reach your goal. In fact, below are all the relevant indications. There is nothing left for me to do, except wish you a good reading!
Index
- How to hide apps on Android without root
- Native Android functionality
- Hide app icons
- Third party solutions
How to hide apps on Android without root
As for the procedure on how to hide apps on Android , you should know that there are several possibilities that allow you to achieve the purpose in question. Below I show you some of the best.
Native Android functionality
The simplest way to hide applications on an Android device is to go through a native feature of the “green robot” operating system.
In fact, also given the growing attention to privacy , some manufacturers have decided to implement the ability to hide installed applications on their devices . Put simply, in this case there is no need to download any third-party applications: the models in question already have everything you need.
To give you a practical example, Samsung usually offers in the most recent models a feature called Personal Area , through which a sort of protected folder is created, accessible only by entering an access key chosen by the user and in which to place the most important applications.
Among other things, you can change the My Area icon so that other people using the device cannot understand the contents of the secure folder.
Enabling this feature on compatible Samsung devices is very simple: just press the quick button Personal Area in the notification curtain and tap on the Accept item .
Once your identity has been confirmed via the email address linked to your Samsung account , your Personal Area will be created . The system will ask you how you want to protect it: you can choose between Sign , PIN and Password . There is also the possibility to enable fingerprint or face recognition on supported devices.
Therefore, you just have to add what you do not want to be accessible by others using the Add applications and Add files buttons , then pressing the three dots icon , present at the top right and tapping the Lock and exit button . Be aware that the applications you put inside the folder are copies , so you may need to uninstall those that are still potentially accessible to anyone.
If you have any doubts about the procedure, I invite you to consult my tutorial on how to hide apps on Samsung , in which I have gone into further detail regarding the possibilities available.
In any case, clearly what I have done is only an example relating to the native features integrated by the manufacturers, but on the market there are many different models of smartphones and tablets with different functions (even if from the same manufacturer), so it is difficult for me to provide you with specific indications related to your device.
In any case, I advise you to “comb through” the settings of your smartphone in search of a feature of this type. In fact, there are not a few manufacturers that implement solutions similar to that of Samsung: for example, some Huawei smartphones have Private Space , a feature very similar to Personal Area.
In other cases, for example in some OnePlus devices , just swipe from left to right starting from the app drawer screen (where all the installed applications are present). By doing so, you will access the Hidden Space , where you can place all the apps you don’t want to be immediately visible. In short, there are many native features that might interest you.
Therefore, access the Settings of your device and try to do a search using terms like those I mentioned earlier, in relation to the names used by the various manufacturers for their privacy functions designed to hide apps and private files.
On any device, however, it is possible to block access to apps with a PIN or with unlocking via fingerprint / face (however, keeping the icon visible in Home and in the drawer): I told you about it here .
Hide app icons
If a specific native feature is not available to create a protected space and properly hide the elements to be kept private, you could simply think of making the app icons “disappear” , at least so as not to make them accessible quickly or not to make them. see while you are using the device in public.
This feature is generally not lacking in newer Android models. Obviously, given the existence of many devices that have the “green robot” operating system, even in this case I cannot provide you with specific information for your device, but generally carrying out this operation is very simple.
For example, if you simply want the applications not to be seen on the Home screen of your device, usually just hold down an app icon and select the Remove or similar option (being careful not to press “Uninstall”). In some cases, it is also possible to drag an app icon upwards , making it “match” with the Remove option or the like.
I know: there are many variables at play, but the advice is to take a look at the options proposed by your device, which could actually be useful at least not to “show off” certain applications.
In any case, the aforementioned operation can certainly be useful for not showing everyone certain apps immediately, but I remind you that the apps involved generally remain visible in the app drawer (in other words, the screen where all the applications are present installed on the device). This means that, for example, if you swipe from bottom to top , others may still see the icons of the applications you want to hide.
You could therefore think of looking inside your device for any other possibilities to hide the icons . To give you a concrete example, some Samsung devices allow you to do this in a very simple way.
In fact, just access the app drawer , press on the three dots icon peeking out at the top right, tap on the Home screen settings option and select the Hide app option . You will see a list of the applications installed on your device appear on the screen : choose the apps to hide and press the Done button .
In other cases, you may need an alternative launcher , like the one I’ll tell you about later .
Perfect, now the applications involved will no longer be present either on the Home screen or in the app drawer . If you want to find them, you will have to go the other way, removing the apps from the Hidden Applications pane .
Third party solutions
How do you say? Have you tried searching far and wide on your Android device, but haven’t found many useful features to achieve your goal? No problem, I will immediately show you some third-party solutions that can be useful essentially on any Android device.
Before starting with the directions, I give you just one piece of advice: the Play Store and other Android stores are teeming with applications that promise to hide apps. However, it’s probably best to steer clear of those kinds of solutions, as there are potentially important security permissions at stake. For this reason I have focused the tutorial on official solutions implemented directly by the manufacturers, but in any case below you can find some very well known and reasonably safe apps that could be for you.
Nova Launcher
Much appreciated by Android users, due to its high degree of customization, Nova Launcher represents an interesting possibility to hide applications on Android.
However, this solution is not for everyone: I remind fact that a launcher is to change the Home screen and in general the ‘ user interface of the device, so keep in mind the fact that there will be changes with respect to what you are used if you will proceed in this way.
Furthermore, the feature that allows you to hide applications from the Home screen and from the app drawer is accessible only through the Nova Launcher Prime version , which is sold for 3.99 euros (except for promotions).
In short, it is certainly an application suitable only for those who are a little familiar with the Android world and intend to customize the operating system also at the interface level.
To hide the icons with Nova, you need to install the launcher in question from the Play Store (or from any alternative stores ), access the Android Settings and set it as the default launcher (usually just select it in the Home Page section ).
At this point, go back to the Android home screen, keep your finger pressed on the screen and select the Settings icon that appears at the bottom. Now go to Application menu> Hide apps , put the check mark next to the icons of the applications you want to hide and that’s it. Read more here .
Norton App Lock
Among the most popular free third-party solutions to block access to apps that you want to keep private, there is Norton App Lock : app is made by the same software house behind the popular antivirus .
Well, Norton App Lock allows you to “secure” the most important applications , making them accessible only by entering a special PIN or an unlock pattern . To install the application on your device, just search for it in the Play Store or in reliable alternative stores .
Once Norton App Lock is open , click on I accept and start , to continue. After that, the application will ask you for some permissions necessary for its proper functioning. In this case it is an app made by security experts and therefore with proven reliability , so there are not too many problems (this is the reason why I advised you to stay away from other “dubious” apps).
To proceed, then tap on the OK item and move the Norton App Lock lever to ON (the operation to be performed may vary slightly depending on the device you are using). So go back to the app and tap on the Configuration item : you will be asked to allow access to the usage data : in this case too, just move the appropriate lever to ON to continue.
After that, you will need to type in an unlock pattern . Alternatively, just press on the item SWITCH TO PASSCODE , located at the top right, to choose a 4-digit PIN . In any case, once this operation has been carried out and the method to be used to verify the identity has been confirmed, you will be prompted to press on the item Choose the Google account and select the profile you want to use to possibly retrieve the passcode in case you forget it .
Once this is done, just press on Continue and you will access the Norton App Lock main screen. From here you can select the apps to block using the method you have chosen by simply pressing on their box . Once an app is blocked, you will be prompted to verify your identity (including via a fingerprint sensor, if set) to access it.
Perfect, now you know how to prevent access to important applications . Of course, the icons are not hidden in this case, but by doing so you can at least prevent children from accessing your work apps, for example.
Also, if your device also has native functionality like the ones mentioned above, you might want to consider using Norton App Lock for an extra degree of privacy . For the rest, if you want to deepen the question, I suggest you consult my tutorial on how to password applications .
