Ever wanted to hide apps from prying eyes? Since you have several reasons to hide apps, we wouldn’t be surprised if you have. For example, you have a personal app installed on your device, such as a dating app that you don’t want others to see. While you can always lock apps on Android, people keep seeing the app and as we all know, the world can be quite judgmental. So, if you are considering ways to hide apps on Android, we have good news for you. Here are multiple ways to hide apps on Android devices.
Hide Apps on Android Devices (Updated July 2020)
Recently, Android skins ship with a native ability to hide apps. No need to root or disable apps to hide your important apps on Android. we’re talking about here native methods wherever applicable and a generic method for all Android devices. You can check the steps from the link below.
- Hide Apps on OnePlus Android Devices
- Hide Apps on Xiaomi (Mi/Redmi/POCO) Android Devices
- Hide Apps on Realme Android Devices
- Hide Apps on Samsung Android Devices
- Hide Apps on Any Android Device Using Launcher
- Hide Apps Without Changing the Launcher
- Hide Apps on Rooted Smartphones
Remove Apps from App Drawer
1. OnePlus Hide Apps on Android Devices
1. Swipe up from the home screen to open the launcher menu. Now, swipe right and a “Hidden Space” will open. Press the “+” button here.
2. Now select the apps you want to hide on your Android device. You can also touch the 3-dot menu and enable password To access hidden apps
2. Hide Apps on Xiaomi Devices (Mi/Redmi/Poco)
1. Open Settings and go to Apps -> app lock.
2. Next, swipe left and tap “Hidden apps” section is at the top. Here, enable toggle For apps you want to hide. This much.
3. Hide Apps on Realme Android Devices
1. Open Settings and Privacy -> App Lock.
2. If you haven’t already, set a privacy password now.
3. Now tap on the app you want to hide (I am keeping the Photos app for this example) and enable the toggle for password authentication. Once you do that, the option to hide the home screen icon will reveal itself. Just activate the toggle and you’re done.
4. Hide Apps on Samsung Devices
1. Swipe up to open the App Drawer and 3-point menu located in the upper right corner. Here, open the Home screen settings.
2. ““Hide App” menu. Here select the apps you want to hide and tap on “Done”. You’re done.
5. Hide Apps on Any Android Device (Stock Android, Motorola, Asus, Pixel, LG)
If you don’t have a native feature to hide apps on your Android device, you’ll have to use a third-party launcher. Here we will show you how to hide apps using Lawnchair. However, keep in mind that this is not a surefire solution, as anyone can invoke the app from the Play Store app. well fully protect hidden apps, you should also use an App Locker on your Android device. Having said all that, let’s move on to the steps now.
1. First of all, download lawn chair (Free) and install it on your Android device.
2. Next, tap and hold the home screen and open “Home Settings”. Now, “Drawr” episode.
3. Here, tap on “.Hidden App Shortcuts” and select the apps you want to hide. Instantly, these selected apps will be hidden from your Android device. This is pretty simple, right?
6. Hide Apps Without Changing the Launcher
If you don’t want to change your launcher to hide apps, you can use an ingenious way to hide app in app drawer. you can simply change icon image upload it to a common app (like the Calculator or Dialer app) so no one can smell your app. This way the app will be in the app drawer but hidden from view. Here’s how you can do that.
1. Download X Icon Changer (Free) and install it.
2. Now, choose app and select an icon from its library and tap the “OK” button. It will now change the icon image from the app drawer.
Note: If you are using Android 9 or 10, it cannot change the icon image in the app drawer. Instead, it will create a new shortcut with a new image on your home screen. If you want to hide apps on Android 9/10, you will need root and you can find below steps.
7. Hide Apps on Android Devices [Root Required]
1. First of all, install Hide App (Free) and on the first run, root permission.
2. Next, tap on it. “+” button and select the app you want to hide. After that, tap the “Hide” button.
3. Now, open the default launcher and you won’t find the blocked app. In fact, the application will Unable to access from Play Store additionally. For example, you can’t find the Netflix app here.
Keep Your Apps Away From Prying Eyes
This is how you can hide apps on Android devices. We have mentioned the steps for different Android devices and also a general method applicable to all Android devices. If your smartphone comes with a native incognito feature, I’d say use it to your full advantage. Anyway, that’s it for us. If you run into any issues, comment below and let us know.
