You may have reasons to want to know how to hide apps on Android devices, be it to keep work apps out of the reach of little ones or sensitive apps out of prying eyes.
Perhaps you just want to hide your private apps on your phone, so knowing how to hide apps is crucial to maintaining your privacy from others no matter how connected they are. Here is what helps you in this article on how to hide applications on phones Android.
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What happens when you hide applications on Android phones
Do you know what exactly happens when you hide apps on Android? Then no one will be able to find them if they are browsing your phone, this does not mean that there are no other ways to find them (but not everyone is a pro). The Play Store app install history will show the apps you downloaded, and the app data folders will also remain on the device.
The hidden app will also not appear in the launcher search results, so even if someone tries to search for the app directly, they won’t be able to find it. They’ll need to look through the list of installed apps in the Settings menu or browse through your internal storage to find the data folders.
By then you’ll probably know what they’re up to and snatch your phone away from prying hands.
Hiding apps is different from disabling them, your device may have bloatware and pre-installed system apps that cannot be removed. Once disabled, these apps will no longer be able to use system resources and slow down your phone. However, you may just want to hide apps while also being able to use them, so they don’t show up in the launcher.
How to hide apps on Android without disabling them
These instructions were put together using a Samsung phone, but they will also work on most Android phones and tablets.
- Step 1: Swipe up from the home screen to open the launcher. Tap on the three-dot icon in the upper right corner.
- Step 2: Tap on Settings followed by Hide apps.
- Step 3: Select the app to hide it. You can also search for it. Once you have selected the required apps, tap Done.
If you have a Samsung phone, you can use Secure Folder to hide apps. For several years now Samsung phones have shipped with Secure Folder. This is a private, encrypted space on your Galaxy device that can be protected with a password or fingerprint. Secure Folder can be hidden as an extra security measure.
What distinguishes Secure Folder is that it remains isolated from the rest of the system, even application data folders are not visible in the file browser, this ensures complete separation of applications and data inside Secure Folder from outside.
The only downside here is that every time you want to use the app you’ll need to use it inside the Secure Folder, and despite the negatives it’s still a great solution for hiding apps on Android devices made by Samsung.
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