Everyone has different reasons to hide apps. While some want to hide dating, VPN, or social media apps, others would like to hide work-related apps from kids. Whatever the reason, the methods mentioned below will let you hide apps on Android without rooting your device too. Without making you more curious, let’s check how to hide apps on Android phones such as Samsung, OnePlus, Redmi, etc. without disabling the apps.
1. Use Stock Launcher
Phones from brands like Samsung, OnePlus, and Redmi offers a native feature to hide apps using their launcher. Here’s how to do it on them.
Hide Apps on Samsung One UI Launcher
On the home screen, long-tap an empty space and tap on Home screen settings. Scroll down and tap on Hide apps. Select the apps that you want to hide and tap on Apply. Tip: You can also use the Secure Folder in Samsung phones to hide the apps.
Hide Apps on Xiaomi Redmi Phones
On phones running MIUI, open the Security app on your app and go to App Lock. Add the apps that you want to hide.
Hide Apps Using OnePlus Launcher
In the OnePlus Launcher, open the app drawer. Swipe right from the left edge of the screen. You will see Hidden Space. Tap on the add icon (+) at the top and select the apps that you want to hide.
2. Use Third-Party Launchers
If your phone’s native launcher doesn’t offer the ability to hide apps, you can download third-party launchers such as POCO and Evie. You can hide apps in these launchers using the hide apps option available in the launcher settings. Check our detailed post with the steps regarding launchers that let you hide apps.
3. Change App Name and Icon
An app is identified on your phone by its name and icon. What you need to do is change its name and icon to something else using a launcher. We will tell you the steps for the popular Nova Launcher. The basic idea of the steps remains the same on all launchers. Open the app drawer in the Nova Launcher. Long-tap on the app that you want to hide. Select Edit from the menu. Change the name of the app under App Label. Keep it something ordinary, such as a calculator. Then, tap on the app icon and change the icon on the next screen. Again, keep it simple so that one would think it’s a system app. Note: Changing the app’s name and the icon isn’t a prime feature in Nova Launcher. You can do it in the free version too.
4. Rename a Folder
Another simple way to hide apps is to add them to a folder. Then, name the folder in a way that no one would be interested to tap on it. For instance, useless apps or bloatware. This method will hide the app on either the app drawer or on the home screen based on where you added the app in a folder. While all launchers let you add apps to folders on the home screen, only a few launchers provide the feature of folders in the app drawer. And, if you don’t like the app drawer, check the best launchers without an app drawer. Tip: You can use the folder swipe feature also to hide the apps. It is available on apps like Nova and Action Launcher.
5. Use Multiple Users Feature
If you want to hide apps without a launcher, you can use the multiple users feature. Basically, you will have to create a new user and install the secret apps in that profile. Each profile is independent of the other and the installed apps are available on the profile where they were installed. To create a new user, open Settings on your phone and go to System. Tap on Multiple users. Then, tap on Add a user. The steps may differ in various devices. Just look for users in the search available in the Settings. Once the user is created, switch to it from the user icon in the quick panel.
Bonus Tips for Android Users
Here are some tips that will help you in daily lives.
View App Shortcuts
On Android phones running Android Nougat 7.1+, long-tap on an icon on the home screen to reveal app shortcuts. You can tap on a shortcut to directly open an app feature.
View Notification History
To view the notification log on your Android phones, long-tap on an empty space on the home screen and tap on Widgets. Scroll down and look for Settings shortcuts. Drag it to the home screen. Then, select Notification log. Tap on the Notification log on the home screen to view the missed notifications.
Be Careful
The above methods will hide the apps from the app drawer and home screen only. They won’t be hidden under the installed apps section in Settings. So if someone is snooping badly on your phone, be careful about it. You will have to uninstall the app to hide it from the settings. Next up: Is your current launcher draining the battery of your phone? Check out these 5 launchers that come with battery-saving features. The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.
