You’ve been here before. You have too many apps on your Android phone and feel bogged down by the clutter. Maybe you have apps that contain sensitive information, such as banking apps, that you’d prefer didn’t show in your apps list. Perhaps you want to prevent your toddler from tapping an app that could result in disaster, like ordering an item on the Play Store when you’ve set your phone to one-tap buy.
Hiding your apps on an Android phone is easy. Here’s what you need to know about keeping apps hidden, whether it’s a budget Android phone or the latest Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.
If you have a Samsung Galaxy phone, you can skip extra steps by using Samsung’s One UI. Samsung made it possible to hide apps individually via a list.
To do so, follow these steps:
You must download a home screen launcher app on Google Pixel phones, such as the Google Pixel 8. A third-party launcher app replaces the standard home screen and full app list. One such launcher is Microsoft Launcher, which is free. You can also try Nova Launcher Prime, which requires a one-time $5 fee to use it to hide your apps.
Here’s how to use Microsoft Launcher to hide your apps:
Nova Launcher Prime uses an app drawer to hide apps. You can access it by installing the Nova Launcher, applying it as your launcher, going to Nova Settings > App drawer > Hide apps,and choosing which apps to hide before confirming.
For OnePlus users, there’s a simpler way to hide apps using its OxygenOS. Here’s how to go from unwanted apps showing to hiding them away in a few taps:
If you don’t want to use a third-party launcher to hide your apps, use a private folder to move sensitive items like photos or videos into it. Samsung’s OneUI has one included, called the Secure Folder, which you can set up with a passcode or biometrics and begin using it immediately.
Here’s how to move pictures and videos into your secure folder:
While not all Android phones offer a built-in system to hide apps, there are some exceptions, like Samsung Galaxy and OnePlus phones. For these smartphones, hiding apps is as easy as tapping through your settings. Other Android phones require a third-party workaround that you may or may not want to undertake. If you do, a trusted launcher can give you a similar result and keep apps hidden from the home and app pages.
You may not need to hide apps to clean up your homescreen. Instead, organize your apps and find them quickly.
Maybe if we start telling people the brain is an app they will start using it!
