It may be necessary to hide apps on your phone for privacy or to reduce how much processing power it consumes. If you’re visiting a country or work for a company that restricts certain apps but don’t want to offload them, hiding apps is a great way to meet their requirements without risking data loss. Hiding apps is also a good option if you want to keep your dating, healthcare, or habit trackers secret. Hiding apps also removes notifications and ensures unwanted eyes can’t see what you’re doing.
Five ways to hide apps on an Android phone
1. Settings
There is a built-in setting to help hide apps on Android phones. When you open “Settings”, look for the “Hide apps” option and select it. Under the OnePlus, this is under the “Privacy” setting. You can also get the option from Android’s default settings. Go to “Settings”, select “Home Screen” and scroll to “Hide apps”. Select the apps you want to hide and move them to the “Hidden apps” section.
Xiaomi phones have an App Lock option under app settings. When you turn on the app lock option, it will ask you for a passcode to lock apps. LG phones don’t need a special locking feature. Under “Settings” find the home screen. You can also find it under “Display” settings. Under “Home screen”, select “Hide apps”. It will prompt you to select the apps you want to hide on your home screen.
2. Apps
There are app vaults that help hide apps. They are available in Google’s Play Store. They include Nova Launcher, App Hider, and App Vault. Nova Launcher replaces the home screen and lets you shuffle apps as needed. App Vault hides apps, and files, and enables password locking. App Hider lets you hide apps and manage them from different accounts. It’s also disguised as a calculator.
3. Secure folder
Most Android devices have a security folder where you can hide files and apps. Xiaomi and Redmi phones have the Dual Apps option that clones apps to hide information you don’t want people to access. Samsung has a Secure Folder which hides data. To use the Secure Folder, go to “Settings”, select “Security and privacy” and launch a Secure folder. You’ll need to use your account to create the folder. Add it to your home screen and add the apps you want to hide using the (+) button.
4. Guest mode
If someone else is borrowing your phone and you don’t want them to access your apps, you can switch to “Guest mode”. Go to “Settings” and find the “Guest User” option to set up a guest account to use your phone. Samsung phones don’t have this option but the tablets do. Under “Settings”, find “Accounts” and select “Multiple User”. It will then give you an option to open an account for guest users.
5. Disable
If you don’t want to uninstall an app, you can disable it to hide data. Some apps also can’t be uninstalled, such as system apps. When you disable an app, it stops appearing on the home screen or menu drawers. This also helps save on processor space. To disable an app, search for “Apps” under “Settings”, find the app you want to disable and click on it. When you scroll to the bottom, you’ll see the options to disable, uninstall, or clear the cache.
Hide apps on your iPhone
Hiding apps on an iPhone is just as easy. To hide a single app, long press on the icon of the app until a menu pops up. Select “Remove App” then select “Remove from Home Screen”. The app will still be visible in the app library but it won’t be accessible from the home screen.
To remove a whole page of apps, press and hold the search button until the icons on the screen start shaking. Use the scroll bar below to display all your home screens on one window. Select the tick of the page you want to hide then select “Done”. The page will disappear from your home screen.
To hide apps so that they don’t appear in searches, go to “Settings” and then select “Siri & Search”. From the menu that shows up, select the apps you want to hide. Once you’ve selected the app, switch off the “Show up in Search” button. It will no longer show up in searches but remain installed on the device. To save space on your phone or improve processing speeds, you’ll need to remove the app completely.
How to lock apps on your phone
To lock apps on an Android phone, install an app locker. There are many available on the Google Play Store including AppLock. When you install it, the app will ask you to set a password and permit it to draw over other apps. Within the app locker, you can select from a menu which apps you want to lock and password-protect. Whenever you want to unlock the app, you must insert your PIN.
iPhones let users lock apps using Screen Time. You can also lock apps using Face ID, Touch ID, and Guided Access. To set up passwords for your “Screen Time”, find the option in “Settings”. Tap on “App Limits”. You can choose all apps or select categories or individual apps. This option helps you determine how much time you can spend on each app. Under this option, you choose to password-set each app.
To use Guided Access to lock apps, go to “Settings” and then find “Accessibility”. Toggle on Guided Access. Select “Passcode Settings” and set the Guided Access Passcode. Enter the passcode twice to lock it. You can also choose to use Face ID instead.
To ensure apps are locked using a password, Face ID, or Touch ID, go to “Settings” and select “Face ID & Passcode”. Enter your passcode. Select “Use Face ID” and toggle the apps to lock them with Face ID. The same steps apply to Touch ID. You will select “Use Touch ID” instead.
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