How to Find Hidden Apps on Android

By default, you should be able to find all apps either on your Android phone's home screen or in the app drawer. However, if you've previously hidden some apps, or you want to access some hidden system apps, this tutorial covers how to hide Android apps and how to find them once they're hidden. Our methods work on all Android phones and tablets, but your specific device model may have different menu options.

1. Via the app drawer

You'll find all your installed apps in the App Drawer unless you choose to hide some of them. Depending on your phone's home screen layout and settings, go to App Drawer To determine if there are any hidden applications.

1. Go to Search bar In your phone's app drawer, tap The three points To open options.
   
2. Click on anything that says "Settings" Regarding the app drawer. If you don't have this option, you may have to long-press on your phone's home screen and select Home page settings.
   
3. as soon as . appears Home screen settings Find the option to hide apps. You may need to scroll down a bit.
4. Click on any menu that says Hide apps To view more options.
   
5. Inside the list Hide apps In the app drawer, you will find all the apps that were hidden from the home screen.
   
6. You can easily add your own apps to the hidden apps list on Android by dragging and dropping.
   
7. As mentioned earlier, different phone models may have different options. For example, older OnePlus devices (running Oxygen 11 OS and earlier) offer Hidden Space , where you can place your own apps. You will need to swipe from App Drawer To make it visible.

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2. Use the search bar on the Android home screen.

You can also search for hidden apps directly in the search bar on the Android home screen of Samsung Galaxy devices and other supported brands. If you find the app name in the Settings option but can't find the app elsewhere, follow the steps below to find it again.

1. Open option Show hidden apps , if available, in the search results.
   
2. If the toggle to show hidden apps is turned off, enable it.
   
3. Exit the screen to find and launch the hidden app icon, even if it's not visible on the home screen.
   

3. Through the “All Apps” settings

On select devices, you can view a filter. All applications To discover any hidden apps within this main apps list. This option is not supported on all phones and models.

1. Click icon Settings Your phone's.
2. Search for an option Application Management Or Applications To view the option settings.
   
3. Your phone may have: Additional filters To view all apps – even hidden ones.
   
4. Once you have identified an app that does not appear in App Drawer You can further modify its settings and default behavior.
   

Tip: Get to know How to Run Android Apps on Windows.

4. Use the access code/passcode.

On some Android models, you can find hidden apps by requesting a passcode or access code in the Phone app. This is a great benefit for users. These hidden apps are inaccessible to everyone except the user themselves.

• For Oppo phones , Go to “Settings -> Privacy -> Hide apps” or “Settings -> Security -> App encryption” Set a privacy passcode and security questions. Later, select the apps you want to hide. This will prompt you to enter a dial-in passcode that begins and ends with a number.
• For OnePlus phones For those running OxygenOS 12 and later, go to Settings -> Privacy -> Hide apps Set a privacy password. Your device will prompt you to select the apps you want to hide and set an access code of up to 16 digits. As with Oppo, it must begin and end with a number.

5. Check apps with special access

Of all the apps on your Android device, some have special access, meaning they sit at the top of the list of device permissions required. These are mostly system apps, but they can also include some regular installed apps. Follow these steps to find them.

1. Find a list "special access" In the search bar under Settings Or directly within the option Settings.
   
2. There are different types of private access, such as: Access all files و Device administrator apps Etc. Navigate through each of these lists to find apps that are hidden from view.
   
3. The following shows some of the hidden system apps within: “Access all files.” It includes ImsLogger , a message synchronization service for Samsung devices. It also includes the MTP app, which refers to the automatic transfer of media files and photos.
   

6. Take a look at the application folders.

This is a simple and elegant trick that not many people know about. In all newer versions of Android, you can create your own app folders. This can be used to hide specific apps, like the example below, which shows a folder named “Hidden1”. The process described is for phones Samsung.

1. Press and hold the app you want to hide. You'll see an option "Specify" If you are using a Samsung device. On other devices, such as pixel You will need to touch and hold one app and drag and drop it over another app to create a folder.
2. To create a folder on some devices, you may need more than one app. Otherwise, this option is disabled.
   
3. After selecting the desired number of applications, an option appears. Create a folder once again.
   
4. You will see the apps you want to put away inside the newly created folder.
   
5. Create a name for this folder.

7. Check App Hider apps

Google Play has several app-hiding apps that can easily hide a variety of apps. This is by far the most accurate way to hide apps. In most cases, you can't access them without a PIN or password. Since most of these apps are similar, we'll provide a few examples.

Note: Apps hidden by Hidden Apps can be difficult to find, unless you can select the specific app and access the password.

1. Most of these apps try to disguise themselves as common apps you likely have on your phone. For example, the dialer app is harmless.
   
2. Dialer Lock – AppHider It is a convenient non-root app from Google Play to hide apps.
   
3. After installing Dialer Lock, you will need to enter a six-digit password.
   
4. You can import apps to the Dialer lock screen but you will need to provide some permissions.
   
5. Likewise, if you find a similar icon to Notepad on your phone, you might look into:  Notepad Vault , which is a convenient trick app.
   
6. You might think you can enter notes in Notepad Vault And you can. But once you type in the numeric password, it opens an entire vault where you can hide selected apps.
7. There are other scam apps that are supposed to Similar to calculators , which works the same way.
   

8. Through operator applications

Some Android home screen launchers can be used, such as: UI Launcher Lite To hide apps that you don't want others to see.

1. After installing the UI Launcher Lite app, set it as your default launcher.
   
2. Once you enter the application, you will find a menu “Hide apps.”
   
3. Click "numbers" Inside hide apps to view More options.
4. As is common with these apps, you will need to set a password for the hide apps option.
   
5. Hide any apps you want to hide from the home screen by placing them inside the launcher menu.
   

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. How do I hide apps in Google Play?
answer. You can also hide apps from appearing in Google Play. For example, if you're a parent who doesn't want your child to access harmful apps directly from Google Play, there's a setting "Parental Controls". Go to Google Play page Home, click Your account name code , and go to Settings. You will find a choice Parental Controls within "Family". Note that some children find ways to get around these controls.

Q2. How do I hide photos and files on Android?
answer. You can easily Hide photos, files, and media apps on any Android phone By adding a point (.) to the beginning of its file name.

Q3. How do I hide a secret folder on Android?
answer. You can use the file extension .NOMEDIA To hide a folder of your choice on Android, in the File Manager app, create a .NOMEDIA folder (including the dot at the beginning). It will be hidden by default.