Simple techniques to to hide apps on Samsung smartphones

Samsung, it is no mystery, is one of the most popular smartphone brands globally today. A big reason for this is its feature-packed One UI interface. Which, along with features that increase everyday ease of use greatly, also gets a comprehensive list of security features to keep your data safe and secure at all times.  

One such feature is the ability to hide apps that you may not want your friends and family, or colleagues, to be able to access. These might include personal banking applications, your gallery app, in case you have any personal pictures and videos stored on it, and so on. And if you missed the feature on your Samsung Galaxy device, here’s a quick guide on how to use it.  

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There are mainly two ways to hide apps on your Samsung Galaxy device – one, using the settings menu, and second, using a secure folder.  

Hiding apps through the settings menu

This is one of the easiest ways to hide apps on your Samsung Galaxy device. It uses the built-in hide apps option available on Galaxy devices. Here’s how it works. 

Step 1: Press and hold on the home screen of your Galaxy smartphone 

Step 2: This will open the quick access option. Tap on it and select the Settings option from the bottom. 

Step 3: Now, Click on ‘Hide apps on Home and Apps screen.’ This will open a list of all the apps installed on your Samsung Galaxy smartphone. 

Step 4: Tap on the apps you want to hide. This process will add the selected apps to the “Hidden apps” box at the top of the screen. You can add as many apps as you want to hide. 

Step 5: Tap on ‘Done’ once you have selected all the apps you want to hide. 

The above steps will hide the apps you selected and return you to the Settings menu. 

Hiding apps through the Samsung secure folder

On Samsung Galaxy smartphones, you can create a secure folder to transfer apps and photos you want to hide. This secure folder is an encrypted space that keeps your data separate from the rest of your device.

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Here is how to use it. 

Step 1: Go to the Settings app on your Galaxy smartphone. 

Step 2: Tap on ‘Security and privacy.’ 

Step 3: Click on ‘Secure folder.’ 

Step 4: Click on ‘Continue’ to agree to the terms and conditions. 

Step 5: Now, sign in to your Samsung account. 

Step 6: Tap ‘Continue’ to allow the secure folder permission to access your phone storage. 

Step 7: Select a lock method (Pattern, PIN, password, or fingerprint). 

Step 8: Enter your desired lock pattern, PIN, password, or fingerprint. 

Step 9: Enter your lock method again to confirm. 

Step 10: Tap on ‘Confirm.’ 

Step 11: Now, open the secure folder from your home screen or the apps menu. Enter your chosen lock method to securely enter the folder. 

Step 12: Tap on the ‘+’ sign at the top of the secure folder to see a list of all the apps on your phone. 

Step 13: Click on the app or apps you want to add to your secure folder. 

Step 14: Tap on ‘Add’ from the bottom right corner to install a copy of the apps you selected earlier. 

Step 15: Since the secure folder creates a copy of an existing app, you can now delete the selected apps to ensure they cannot be accessed outside the secure folder. 

How to use the hidden apps on your Samsung device

With the above steps, you can easily hide apps and other files on your Samsung Galaxy smartphone. However, if you want to find and open those hidden apps, here’s what you need to do.  

1. Through the home screen 

You can access hidden apps via a dedicated menu under the home screen settings on Samsung Galaxy devices. Press and hold on your home screen and select ‘Settings’ from a set of options shown at the bottom. Now, scroll down and click on ‘Hide apps on Home and Apps screen.’ You will now see all the hidden apps at the top. To open a hidden app, first select the app you wish to unhide and press done. Now, press the home button, and your app should be visible in the app drawer. 

2. Through the settings app  

Open the settings app on your Samsung Galaxy smartphone and scroll down to find the Apps menu. Click on it and tap on the search icon at the top right corner to look for the hidden app. Enter the name of the hidden app, select the app, and open it from the bottom bar. 

3. Through the secure folder 

If you are looking to open apps hidden in the secure folder, then you need to first open Settings and select Security and privacy.

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Now, scroll down to select the secure folder and enter the lock method to unlock the folder. Click on the toggle next to ‘Add Secure Folder to Apps screen.’ Now, open the app drawer and open the secure folder to find every app previously hidden by you. Simply click on the app you want to open and you will have full access. 

While there are third-party apps that support the option to hide apps on Samsung phones, the native options work extremely well and leave little to be desired.