Learn how to hide apps on iPhone or Android to protect your privacy. A step-by-step guide to working with iOS 18 and Android 15 features: securely hiding apps, protecting them from prying eyes, practical tips for improving privacy and digital security.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It describes how to hide apps on iPhone and Android to protect personal data and enhance user privacy. All actions are recommended to be performed only within the scope of legal use.
iOS and Android developers have been integrating the app hiding feature into their operating systems almost simultaneously. This new feature, available in the latest versions of the platforms, allows you to protect your most sensitive apps from unauthorized access. From curbing excessive curiosity to countering repressive measures, app hiding can be useful in many life situations. In this guide, we will take a detailed look at how to use this feature and what benefits it provides.
Users may have various reasons for hiding apps on their mobile devices.
You can hide apps to avoid annoying notifications without spending time setting them up.
Protect yourself from prying eyes: Hide apps so that no friends, family, or colleagues can see them when they use your phone.
Parents often hide games or other apps on their devices before giving them to their children.
This is a great way to protect important data or apps with sensitive information by using an extra layer of authentication.
If your device is lost or stolen, hidden apps are harder to find and use without your permission.
When your device is inspected by law enforcement, you can reduce the risk by keeping your most valuable apps hidden and requiring additional authorization to access them.
Tap and hold the app icon you want to hide.
From the quick actions menu, select Require Face ID (or Touch ID or passcode, depending on how you choose to unlock your phone).
Select Hide and Require Face ID (Touch ID/passcode).
Authenticate with Face ID/Touch ID or enter your passcode.
Select Hide App
On the Home screen, swipe left until you see the app library.
Scroll down and open the Hidden folder.
Tap the app you want and authenticate.
Open your app library.
Open the Hidden folder.
Tap and hold the app icon you want to unhide.
From the menu, select Don’t require Face ID (or Touch ID or passcode).
Authenticate.
Before Android 15, users had to resort to third-party solutions to hide their apps, such as Insular or Samsung’s built-in Secure Folder app. With the release of the new version of Android, developers have integrated a similar feature directly into the operating system, making it available to everyone. This feature is called Private Space.
Private Space creates an isolated environment with a separate account and apps, similar to work profiles. This allows users to work with three versions of the same app at the same time: in the main profile, in the work space, and in the private space. Access to Private Space requires additional authentication, such as entering a password.
Once activated, Private Space can be found at the bottom of the screen with a list of all apps. However, there is a function in the settings that allows you to hide this section, thanks to which the list of apps looks like a normal one until you unlock access to Private Space.
You can set a separate unlock method for Private Space, different from the main profile, for example, with your own password. The function is blocked either every time the screen is turned off (this option is more secure), or after the device is restarted.
Apps in Private Space remain completely inactive until unlocked. They do not run in the background, do not send notifications, and do not synchronize with the Internet. For example, email clients or messengers hosted in Private Space will not be updated until you enable this space.
A separate profile allows you to use your own VPN, which will only apply to applications in the Private Space. This is convenient for bypassing restrictions if you need to selectively activate the VPN for certain tasks. The browser in Private Space can be used to access blocked sites, leaving the main profile for regular tasks.
Although Private Space is isolated from the main profile, both of them share a single clipboard. This allows you to easily exchange data between all applications on the device, maintaining flexibility and ease of use.
In the Settings menu, select Security & Privacy.
Under Privacy, tap PrivateSpace.
Authenticate yourself.
Tap Create and confirm your choice.
Sign in to your Google Account or skip this step.
Choose how you want to lock PrivateSpace (on-device or otherwise).
Tap Done.
Open the list of all applications.
Find “Private Space” at the bottom and click on it.
Authenticate to unlock.
To the right of “Private Space”, select the settings gear icon.
Under “Access restrictions”, select “Hide Private Space when locked”.
Open the Settings app, select Security & Privacy.
Under Privacy, tap Private Space.
Authenticate using your chosen method to unlock Private Space.
With the updates to iOS 18 and Android 15, it has become easier for users to hide apps and protect their data. Now you can not only remove icons from the home screen, but also make them accessible only after entering a password or biometric verification. This is very useful for protecting against excessive curiosity, theft or even checks.
New features give you more control over your devices: you can isolate apps, hide notifications, set up a separate VPN and use your smartphone without worrying about the safety of your personal information. Now protecting your data is available to everyone!