The need to hide applications on the phone or tablet occurs for users for two reasons. The first is the desire to keep private life, correspondence or photo gallery in secret. The second – a large number of rarely used icons in the application panel, preventing you from finding the right ones.
So, how can you hide the icons on Android?
You can also check: How to update apps on Android
How to hide application icons using standard Android tools
Modern versions of the Android operating system allow you to literally freeze an application if it has not been used for a long time. This will free some amount of RAM, and also will hide the application icon. Of course, the program will stop working in the background, so this method is not suitable for all users. If this doesn’t frighten you, then do the following:
APPLICATION PANEL
Application Panel – a menu where icons of installed programs and games are collected. The function for hiding icons is provided on Android 4.0 and higher. Instruction:
- Go to the application bar. On the smartphone, the icon is located in the bottom panel of the main screen and looks like a circle or a square with 6-9 squares inside. Opening the panel, you will see the icons of the installed programs.
- At the top, you will see the “Applications” and “Widgets” tabs. Click the “Applications” tab.
- Find the button that opens the options menu on the phone. In new models of smartphones, it is located in the upper right corner of the screen. Touch the button and select “Hide applications”.
- Check the icons that you want to hide. The number of selected icons is displayed at the top of the display.
- Click the “Finish” button at the top of the display to the right – the icon will disappear from the application bar.
Attention! While hiding icons, scroll the list of icons to the right or up to view all. To display previously hidden icons, do similar actions and uncheck the highlighted applications, touching each one.
PHONE SETTINGS
The second way to hide applications is to use the standard settings. Suitable only for pre-installed programs that the system doesn’t allow to delete. The function is available on Android version 4.0 and higher. Instruction:
- Go to the phone settings and choose “General”, then select “Applications”.
- Scroll down to the “All” tab.
- Select the application you want to hide and tap the item.
- Click the “Disable” button on the right side and confirm the selection in the dialog box.
- Repeat for other applications.
Unfortunately, Android allows you to disable not all programs – for many of them you simply don’t find the corresponding button. Well, if you want to return a disabled application, then there will be no problems with it. You just need to go to the above section of the “Settings” and tap on the “Disabled” tab. Here you can tap on the program you need, and then click on the “Enable” button.
How to hide apps through launchers
Some users puzzle over how to hide applications on Android without disabling them. They want them to continue working in the background, but they weren’t displayed in the menu. In this case, third-party programs Nova Launcher and Apex Launcher can help. These are original launchers, trying to change the interface of the operating system.
NOVA LAUNCHER
Nova Launcher is a smart program that allows you to customize the graphical interface of the Android operating system. This application was developed by the American company TeslaCoil Software. This program is one of the most popular in its class. It has a wide functionality and allows fine-tuning of almost all elements of the desktop and the application menu.
In order to protect the installed utilities from prying eyes, we strongly recommend installing this launcher. The Nova Launcher application is available in the Play Store. By installing the Prime paid version, you can hide the application icons. Instruction:
Step 1. Open the application bar, select “Nova Settings”.
Step 2. Open the “Application menu” list and select “Hide applications” in the “Groups in application list” tab.
Step 3. Mark the necessary programs and exit the menu with the “Back” button. Changes are saved automatically.
Attention! Do not forget that after removing the launcher, the application icons that you hid will no longer be hidden.
APEX LAUNCHER
Apex Launcher is an application for Android that will help you customize your mobile phone the way you like. With it, you can hide the application and completely change the menu and desktop, the font size, customize the theme to your needs and much more. Apex, like any other launcher, must be downloaded and installed to hide the icons on your device. Follow the instruction to hide apps with Apex Launcher:
Step 1. Launch the application menu. Press the “Menu” system button. This button can be displayed as an ellipsis
Step 2. From the drop-down menu, select “Apex Settings”
Step 3. Go to “Application Settings” – “Hidden Applications”
Step 4. You will see a list of applications. To hide one or more of them, put a tick in front of the desired programs
Step 5. Click “Save”
That’s all. In the future, you can go back to this section of launcher settings to remove the checkmarks and return the display of application icons in the menu. And don’t forget that removing Apex Launcher or switching to another launcher – any of these actions will return the display of hidden programs.
Attention! The icon of the locker itself is hidden by default. You can add it to the application bar by unchecking it.
How to hide icons through other applications
HIDE PHOTOS, VIDEO-HIDE IT PRO
The name itself raises doubts about its functionality, but no, everything is as it should be: the application is specially named so that no one can recognize its real functions.
If you don’t want to install a third-party launcher that takes up a certain amount of RAM, then try downloading and installing Hide Photos, Video-Hide it Pro. Despite the name says, the program can hide not only photos. The creators gave the utility such a name in order to prevent from guessing what actions should be taken to see if there are hidden files, folders and applications on the smartphone.
Attention! For the full operation of the program, root-rights are required!
It is noteworthy that the application helps not only to hide icons but also to set a password for the opening of programs. And it doesn’t matter which launcher you have installed. If you want to hide any icon, then follow the instructions:
Step 1. Install Hide Photos, Video-Hide it Pro. Note that the program icon has another name. An outsider will think that this is a utility that controls loudness.
Step 2. When you first start, you will be informed that to access the main functionality of the application, you need to hold your finger on the logo labeled Audio Manager. Follow the advice.
Step 3. Now you need to choose which type of protection you will use. In our case, this will be a numeric pin-code.
Step 4. Enter the password or pin code, then click the “Save” button.
Step 5. Confirm your actions by clicking the “OK” button.
Step 6. Enter your email address. In the future, this will help restore access to the program if you forget the password. Click “OK”. Theoretically, you can skip this step by clicking the appropriate button, but this isn’t recommended.
Step 7. Click “OK” when you are notified about saving the e-mail address in the application settings.
Step 8. You will be returned to the start screen of the program. Hold your finger on the top logo.
Step 9. Enter the password.
Step 10. Click on “Hide Apps”.
Step 11. Now you need to confirm root rights. To do this, click “OK” in the pop-up window and, if necessary, confirm your actions.
Step 12. Click the “All applications” tab. Click on the program you want to hide.
Step 13. Confirm that you want to hide the selected application. To do this, click “OK”.
That’s all. Hidden applications on Android will not be visible in the menu. But you can always find them in the corresponding tab. Clicking on its icon will make the program visible again.
PRIVACY HIDER
PrivacyHider is an application that helps you protect the contents of your mobile device from the curious eyes.
PrivacyHider is a multifunctional program designed to keep the confidentiality of all your data. With it, you can hide your personal photos and videos, hide your correspondence in social networks and instant messengers, hide the search history in the browser, close access to any applications, except for those permitted by you personally, as well as disguise the program itself, including the fact of its installation. If you don’t want, no one will even guess that you are hiding something.
PrivacyHider creates an independent space on your device. In it, you can add files and move programs, and they can not be accessed from outside the Hider-space. Moreover, applications hidden in the Hider will no longer appear in the list of recently launched applications.
If you don’t want anyone to know about the existence of the Hider space on your device, disguise the entrance to it under an inoffensive calculator. Who will think that you are hiding something in the calculator?
With this program, you can also clone applications. This will allow using each of the clones for different accounts and use them simultaneously. You no longer need to re-log each time.
IMPORTANT! If you want to remove the Hider, you need to move all the data from its space at first. Otherwise, the programs and files that you have hidden will be deleted along with the Hider.
HIDE APP
You can hide unnecessary applications on Android when using the Hide App utility. Everything is simple. You need to download and install the program, select unnecessary applications from the menu that you want to hide, then click on the “Save” button. You can create the PIN to restrict access to the application.
Attention! Hidden applications remain functional, you can launch them from the Hide App interface.
A unique feature is that after installation, it can be renamed, for example, in MyApps or MyNotes. You can change the name of the program selecting one of the options that the program offers. You can not create a new name for yourself. Unfortunately, unlike PrivacyHider, Hide App doesn’t provide a change to its icon.
SMART HIDE CALCULATOR
We finish our review with a more specialized Smart Hide Calculator program. After installing this program, you will see an icon, its kind and name won’t cause any doubts that it is quite an ordinary calculator. However, in fact, this is not entirely true. To open it, you must set a password in the form of secret arithmetic. Then follow the instructions:
Step 1. Go to the program and enter the password.
Step 2. In the hidden part of Smart Hide, select the “Freeze Apps” item (root access is required).
Step 3. Mark the applications you want to hide and save your actions.
Step 4. To return hidden icons to the menu, restart the application and select the “Un-freeze Apps” item in the secret part.
Yes, Smart Hide Calculator is able to perform arithmetic operations, but the real purpose of this program is to hide confidential files or programs from prying eyes. In addition, Smart Hide Calculator can hide itself well, for example, it will not be visible in the list of recently launched programs.
Whatever method you choose, the result will be one: unnecessary Android applications will be safely hidden without losing access to them. The choice is yours!
