Want to hide some of your apps on Samsung Galaxy phones? This is the guide for you.
Undoubtedly, Samsung is a big name when it comes to Android phones. If you’re a Samsung user, you’re likely aware of the multitude of features that Samsung devices offer. And ability to hide apps is one of the useful features that everyone should know about. Here’s how to hide apps on a Samsung phone.
There are various reasons why someone might want to hide apps, with a common motive being to protect apps from children. You know how children are, once they get something in their hands, that thing will never be the same again. Similarly, there can be other reasons also. So whatever the reason, you can follow this guide.
Samsung Galaxy phones run on Android based One UI. One UI is a custom OS exclusive for Galaxy phones. Since it is a custom OS, its UI is different compared to other phones. So if you are using a Samsung phone for the first time then you may need to know about its features like hiding apps.
How does App hide feature work?
The app you hide will vanish from the app drawer, but it will still remain on the device. This ensures that if someone else is using your phone, they won’t be able to see the app, so you can enjoy your privacy.
There are different ways to hide apps on Samsung and other Android phones. There is no need to use third party apps as this is an inbuilt feature. However, if you want, you can use third party app of your choice. Now let’s start the guide with the first method.
How to Hide Apps on Samsung
The homescreen and lockscreen customization include the feature to hide apps. This is the simplest way to hide apps. Here’s how to use it.
- Open Settings on your Samsung phone.
- Navigate to Home Screen. Scroll down and you will find an option ‘Hide apps on Home and Apps Screens.’
- Tap the option and it will open the list of apps.
- Choose apps that you want to hide from the launcher.
- After selecting desired applications, tap Done.
Another quick way to reach the hide app option is by long tapping on the home screen. And then tap the Settings/Gear icon. Here you will see the Hide apps on Home and Apps screens options.
Only you will be aware of the app’s presence on the phone; However if someone thoroughly explore your phone other than the app drawer, they might be able to find its trace such as in the All App page under Settings.
Hide Apps on Samsung using Third Party Apps
Since hiding apps operates from the home screen, which is a component of the launcher, you can also hide apps using third-party app launchers. Yes, this trick is applicable to launchers such as Nova Launcher and others.
Install the launcher of your choice on your phone. Make it the default launcher of your phone. Now you can hide any app from the app drawer or launcher settings. The process to hide apps may be different for different launchers.
How to Unhide Apps
The unhiding process is quite the same as hiding. If you have used the inbuilt option to hide apps, you can follow these steps.
- On the home screen, long tap to bring launcher options.
- From here, select the Settings icon.
- Now open ‘Hide apps on Home and Apps Screens.’
- Remove apps that you want to unhide and tap Done.
Can You Use Secure Folder to Hide Apps?
Yes and No, It’s a bit complicated. If you add an app to Secure Folder, it creates a replica of that app that is hidden from the launcher. But the original app will still be available in the launcher. You can also install apps directly from the Play Store to Secure Folder and it will not be visible outside Secure Folder.
Secure Folder is a security and privacy feature on Galaxy Phones. It can be used to create copy of apps, keep files secure, and more. So if you want to use an app from scratch and want to keep it hidden, you can use the secure folder.
So that’s all on how to hide apps on Samsung phones. If I missed any method, do let us know in the comment section.
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