A practical guide on how to hide apps on an Android phone easily. You don’t need to root your Android.
Do you want to hide applications installed on your Android device in order to guarantee your privacy? For example, you have a dating application or your bank’s application installed on your device. Now, you want to hide them from praying eyes. It is possible to hide Android applications and we will explain how to do it step by step. Best of all, you don’t need to root your device.
Having applications installed on our mobile devices is something very normal. It is always advisable to keep in sight the apps you use regularly, such as WhatsApp or your email. So, you can access them much faster. But you should hide your important or secret apps to keep them safe.
That is why we have the option of making those applications hidden and only we can access them whenever we want. Let’s see how to hide Android apps.
How to hide apps on your Samsung mobile?
In some phones, such as Samsung, you will not need to install any additional app to hide the applications of your mobile since the Samsung launcher already includes that feature.
Access the application drawer of your Samsung device and tap on the Options icon in the upper right corner. In the menu that appears, choose the option Hide applications. Next, check the apps you want to hide and tap Done in the upper right corner to hide them. All of them will disappear from the app drawer, but they are not uninstalled from the system. You can access them again from the same menu that you just used. In order to make them visible again, just uncheck the apps that are already hidden.
Hide application from launcher
If your phone does not offer the option by default to hide applications on Android, you need to install a launcher application that lets you hide applications. There are many applications of this type in the Google Play Store. Now let’s see some of the best free and paid Android launcher apps for this task.
Attention: After installing any of the launcher apps below, touch the start button and select “Always” to leave the launcher permanently configured and hide apps. You can undo this configuration and then change to another launcher from the launcher settings or by deleting the default values.
ADW Launcher 2.0 (Free)
Follow the steps below to hide applications
1. Open the application menu.
2. Touch the menu button (top right).
3. Choose the option “Edit” on the first line that says All Apps.
4. Uncheck all applications that are going to hide.
5. Click on OK.
To unhide the applications and make them visible again, redial them.
Apex Launcher (Free)
To hide applications with this launcher, proceed as follows:
1. Tap the Apex Settings icon (it’s in the home screen or application menu).
2. Select Applications drawer options
3. Click on Hidden Applications.
4. Mark the applications that you want to hide
5. Press the Save button
Nova Launcher Prime (Payment)
Maybe the best launcher for Android phones right now, on a general level. Proceed as follows to hide applications in Nova Launcher Prime:
1. Tap on the Nova Settings icon (it’s in the applications menu).
2. Select “Applications.”
3. Choose “Hide applications.”
4. Mark the apps that you want to hide. You do not need to save the changes.
Uncheck the apps to uncover them.
These are powerful launchers for Android devices, which among many of their features, have the option of gestures. Through it, you can enter hidden applications by drawing gestures on the main screen. For example, make a pinch on the desktop to open WhatsApp. This way, you do not have to uncover the application to enter it.
How to hide applications in other launchers?
Action Launcher 3 Plus (Payment)
The second best launcher for Android (the first for some). To hide applications, the process is similar to the previous one. On the main screen, touch the three-point button on the top right and then touch “Settings”. Then, tap “Applications” and then “Hide applications.” Select the apps that you want to hide or deselect those that are already marked to make them visible again.
ZEN UI Launcher (Free)
This is the launcher application that comes by default on ASUS
LINE Launcher (Free)
Formerly known as Dodol Launcher. It is a barely acceptable application since it was acquired by the LINE company. To hide applications in Line Launcher, open the drawer or application menu, tap the three-point button on the top right and choose “Hide applications”. In the list, select or mark the desired applications to hide them and save the changes. Uncheck the applications to see them again.
There are other free launchers that have the option to hide applications, but most of them are full of unwanted applications and some form of advertising that is unpleasant at the level of user experience.
Hide apps are not safe
Although these applications are good for hiding apps, anyone can still access them from the recent applications button on the device. You have to carefully remove them from that list.
On the other hand, this method is useless if a third person knows this procedure. In this case, the alternative is simply to protect your sensitive apps and data completely with a lock screen or use a locker application that individually blocks installed apps with a password.
Samsung Galaxy: Another alternative is to use the Secure Folder. This is a very useful security app that can hide applications with a key.
Android 5: You can create an alternate user profile on the system that does not contain private applications. You can use this method to prevent others from seeing your private applications. The user can change from one profile to another at will, although it can also be done by a person who has knowledge about it.
And with these last lines, we close this guide. Remember to follow us on the Social Network to stay updated on the latest blog. Also, we would be very pleased if you shared this guide through the social buttons you find at the end.