Hmm, up to no good, are we?
Alright, alright, let’s cut to the chase. You want to hide apps on Android. But how do we do that?
Well, one way to do it is to root your phone. But rooting is not only complicated (if you don’t have much technical knowledge on phones), but it’s also risky; there’s no telling what sort of data you’d lose, or if there’s any data you’d leave open to insecurities. There’s also the possibility that it might also render the manufacturer’s warranty void. So, we won’t get into rooting in this article.
Another way is to disable the app entirely. But that would deactivate the app itself. You probably don’t want that; what if you need it again?
So, how can we hide apps on Android without rooting or disabling anything? Lucky for you, I’ve got some information on that. I’ll largely talk about what sort of factors are involved in hiding apps on your Android phone, how you can do it with and without third-party apps, and even offer bits and pieces of important insights you should keep in mind.
That last part is especially important, because the processes are similar for every Android device, but it requires you to be a little more explorative with your phone. After all, not all phones are built to be the same; therefore, you should try what works best.
But whether it’s to secretly hide dating apps, or to hide a tracking app, the methods talked about should work. So, without further ado, let’s get into it.
Now, what you need to understand is that hiding apps is no easy task for some phones. It depends on:
There are two ways you could do it: One, do it directly if the phone allows it. Or two, you use third-party apps to do it for you. So, let’s dig right into it.
The process of how you can hide apps without any app shouldn’t be too different between phones. This is because the main operating system (OS) for your phone is Android. By default, the option to hide apps as a dedicated feature is within the Home Screen settings. So, these methods should work on any device running Android, be it a smartphone, a tablet, or a desktop.
If your Home Screen settings does not have that option, chances are that your phone’s stock launcher does not support it. This means that you need to replace your stock launcher with a third-party launcher that has the Hide Apps option. The following is a list of launchers or Android-based OS of the respective companies whose stock launchers come with the Hide Apps option by default, eliminating the need for a third-party app or launcher:
So, how do we hide apps on the phone directly without using third-party launchers? Well, assuming that your stock launcher supports it, the following steps should work.
Unchecking the apps will cause them to be unhid, so the entire process is easily reversible.
Not all phones will have this feature, but it’s still worth mentioning.
Once again, it’s an easily reversible process since you’re only checking and unchecking apps you want to hide and unhide.
Some phones (most notably Huawei and OnePlus phones) come with a dedicated private space feature called PrivateSpace (sometimes called SecondSpace, HiddenSpace, or Private Mode). In brief, it’s a space in which you can put in the apps you don’t want to associate with your primary space (called your MainSpace).
So, whenever you need your hidden apps, you can switch spaces, and still keep things segregated. None of the apps you put into your PrivateSpace will be shown on your MainSpace. This is how you do it:
It’s a bit of a hassle to configure, since you’d have to enter your password each time you visit a space. But it’s by far the most effective way to hide apps from prying eyes, especially from anyone who possesses a deeper technical knowledge on phone security than you do. It’s all thanks to the added password security layer; they’d have no other choice but to ask you for access.
Unfortunately, there are some phones that don’t have the feature built into the phone’s stock launcher.
Lo and behold, passionate developers with a penchant for answering our woes provide us with the best solution: Third-party apps! Swapping with launchers that have the option should fix the problem.
Understandably, not all third-party launchers and apps can be trusted. So, here are some of them that you can use without worrying too much about privacy concerns.
App Hider is one of the most popular apps on the Play Store, with its entire purpose surrounded around hiding apps for you. What’s interesting to note here is that App Hider isn’t a launcher, but is actually an app itself. When choosing to hide an app, App Hider will put your app in a specialized, private folder disguised in the form of a “Calculator+” app.
So, if you have any kleptomaniacal friends who tend to steal your phone frequently, then don’t worry too much. They’d be too oblivious to notice anything out of the ordinary.
Here’s how you hide apps with App Hider:
If you want to conceal the app as a Calculator+ app, then you’ll need to set up a PIN for it. This is a simple one-step process; set a PIN from the App Hider menu itself, and you’re set! If you enter the correct PIN, the Calculator+ app will launch App Hider, from where you could launch your hidden apps. Until then, it will run an actual calculator.
If you’re planning to size up your phone’s UI looks, then you’ll probably want to look into skins and launchers. One such launcher is the Nova Launcher; it’s pretty efficient thanks to its sleek user interface. It’s a great replacement for your phone’s stock launcher.
Nova Launcher comes in two forms; free, and paid. Most launchers in general offer the option to hide apps in the paid version itself. Here’s how you can hide apps with it:
Since Nova Launcher is similar to other launchers, you can use the same steps for other launchers. All launchers can and must have their own settings menu with different options available, so it shouldn’t be hard to get around this. Keep in mind that it depends on whether they offer this either freely or as a premium feature. Other launchers similar to Nova Launcher (and just as trusted) are:
Evie Launcher is removed from the Play Store for unknown reasons. But the app is still available to download as an .APK mirror. It’ll be easy to lose your way trying to find the right kind of mirror, so here’s the official developer’s APKMirror page. You can choose from various previous versions of the same app.
The intricacies of Android never ends. We use it a lot, yet some of the simplest intentions — such as to hide apps on Android — is still something most of us have little knowledge of. There’s always something to discover, something to explore.
Do you have something you’d like to add to this article? Maybe the steps you took were different, but it still worked. Or maybe they didn’t, but it helped you discover a solution that wasn’t covered here.
Either way, leave your thoughts in the comments below!
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This is a great tip! I've been looking for a way to hide some apps without rooting or disabling them. Thanks for the tip!
Thanks so much for your feedback :)