How to make an application invisible on Android. How to hide an application shortcut on Android - how to find it and get it back

The security of your data is the main concern for many users. Private information needs to be protected, but how can you do this if you don’t want to lock your entire phone? A great way is to hide the application icon. If the shortcut is not visible, then no one will be able to launch this program. In this regard, many users are interested in how to hide an application on Android. This is quite easy to do using standard functions or third-party software.

In what cases will you need to hide shortcuts?

Every user has some private data on their phone. These could be personal photographs, any documents or accounts on social networks or banks. Of course, you can, but you will have to enter it every time, which is very inconvenient. In this regard, some users prefer to simply hide the shortcuts so that scammers or very curious friends cannot get to your private data.

Removing the shortcut from the desktop

If you just need to hide some icon from the page on the main screen, you don’t have to install anything or go into the phone settings. All manipulations are performed directly on the desktop. To hide an application on Android, follow these steps:

After these steps, you will clear the screen page of this shortcut, but keep in mind that the icon will not disappear anywhere in the list of all programs.

Hide completely

But how to hide an application even from the general list of programs? This can also be done using standard settings in Android versions 4 and higher. Some phone manufacturers do not provide this feature. To hide applications, use the following instructions:

Hidden applications will be displayed in the same list, with a check mark next to them. Finding hidden shortcuts will not be possible until you return them back.

How to hide pre-installed programs

The above method allows you to hide any applications. If you have problems with standard software, you can try an alternative option. Users will have to go into the settings of this app and then disable it. Don't know how to find a specific application page on your phone? Follow a few simple steps:

This method allows you to hide the application icon of most standard Google services such as “Press”, “Movies”, “Maps” and more. Now you know how to hide pre-installed and downloaded applications on Android. But if the standard phone functions do not work for some reason, you can try to perform these manipulations using third-party applications.

File managers and specialized programs

If you couldn't find the application menu or its specific settings, you can use AppMng 3. This is a functional program that is distributed free of charge on Google Play. With its help, you can clear the cache, view the memory status, or hide programs. To do this you need:

The program will automatically redirect you to the settings page. This is very convenient and will save your time. In the second tab you can find a list of hidden programs.

No less effective is specialized software called AppHider. It will also help remove the program from the list of watched ones, but to use it you will need to open Root rights. You can find AppHider in the official Play Market store. The main advantage of this program is that the user can set a password to unlock the visibility list. Thanks to this, even advanced users will not be able to restore the hidden application.

To hide the desired icon, follow these steps:

1. Run the program and then give it superuser rights.
   
   
2. Click on the “+” icon to add the program to hidden ones.
   
3. Select the required application (or several) from the general list.
   
4. When prompted to set a password, click Set it to select a password.
   
5. Enter the number combination and then click Continue.
   
6. Confirm your recovery mailbox address.
   

Now, to make the program visible again, you will have to enter the PIN code. This software will provide a high level of security for your data.

This program will help you hide your messages from prying eyes. It's quite easy to use. After installation and first launch, the program will ask you to designate it as the default application for working with SMS. Now you just need to move the messages you want to hide to private.

KeepSafe

Using the KeepSafe application, you will be able to move your intimate photos and videos to a special storage. Only you will have access to this storage using a special PIN code. The application is very easy to understand, and working with it does not raise any questions.

There is a useful function “False PIN code”. You can create a special code that, when entered, will display your storage space as empty.

In F.A.Q. a fun way to use the application is described - to create a full-length photo. These selfies are necessary to keep track of .

Vault

This program can hide not only photos and videos, but also contacts of prostitutes and SMS. Currently, SMS cannot be hidden if you have Android 5.0. But it is possible to hide messages on Facebook.

The app has a paid version that will allow you to store your hidden files in the cloud, hide the Vault icon, and alert you about hacking attempts. The cost is $2.99 ​​per month.

AppLock

This is a real harvester for hiding information on Android. With it, you can hide photos or videos, block incoming calls, prevent installation or uninstallation of applications, change settings, launch applications and much more.

When you first launch it, you create a code with which you can access storage with hidden videos, as well as change application settings. I advise you to carefully study the AppLock settings, you can find a lot of useful things for yourself.

The most popular operating system currently in existence is undoubtedly Android. Most modern devices and various gadgets operate under its control. If earlier we could only see it on smartphones, now it is used everywhere. It is difficult to imagine a modern TV running a different system. All this happens for one simple reason. This system is very functional and has many settings. But, despite its prevalence and ease of use, many do not even realize what secrets the Android device holds.

Among the many common functions that the average user uses every day, there is also a well-hidden functionality. A person can use his smartphone for several years and not even realize all the capabilities of his gadget.

It's time to reveal all the secrets and talk about the hidden “tricks” of the popular operating system. In this article we will try to reveal all the secrets of Android.

Safely hidden mini-game

Every device, regardless of the Android version, has a hidden mini-game. It is different in different versions of Android, but they are all exciting and quite complex. It is almost impossible to independently guess where this game is located. It is so well hidden that an uninformed person cannot trigger it by accident. Let us describe a universal algorithm for launching a hidden game.

First of all, go to the basic settings of the device. At the very bottom of the list there will be an inconspicuous and rarely used “About phone” item. That's exactly what we need. Click on it and move on. Now a huge amount of information will appear on the display screen. We will see the name of our gadget, the amount of RAM, the kernel version and much more. But, we need a line that says “Android version”.

After we have found it, by quickly pressing this line multiple times, we open the mini-game. You need to click on this inscription many times and at short intervals. It’s difficult to say the exact number of taps, but we can assume that you’ll have to tap the screen five to ten times.

Of course, you can install more advanced games with modern graphics on Android, but finding something new in a long-familiar thing is always nice.

Safe mode

Modern mobile phones are almost equal in functionality to personal computers. It's hard to even say where they are inferior. They have their own safe boot mode, which not everyone knows about.

This mode will be especially useful if a serious failure has occurred in the system and the device has completely frozen. This function will also be extremely useful for smartphones infected with a large number of virus programs that cause malfunctions.


When booting in this mode, the device blocks absolutely all third-party applications. In other words, the phone will start only with the factory list of programs. After this, you can remove malicious software or incompatible applications that were slowing down the operation of the device.

In order to carry out this action, you must press the power key. After the power off button appears on the screen, press it and do not release it for a long time. Then we confirm the reboot in the selected mode.

After the reboot, all previously installed applications will be colored in black and white. Thus, they can be easily distinguished from system programs and subsequently removed.

Hidden menu

Going to the main menu, we see the main list of tabs that we use to configure our device. In fact, this is far from a complete list of settings. The Android system has a hidden menu item that is intended exclusively for advanced users.

You can activate this item by going to the main phone settings. After this, scroll to the very bottom of the page that opens. There we will see an item called “About phone”. That's exactly what we need. We go into it with one click. Among the numerous lines we look for the inscription “Build number”. Click on it without stopping until an inscription with the text “You are a developer” appears on the display.

After this, you can congratulate you, the secret menu item is activated. To enter it, open the main menu again and go to the “Advanced” tab. Now we scroll to the end of the page and in one of the last positions there will be the inscription “For Developers”. This is the very menu that was previously inaccessible and not even displayed.
This tab contains a lot of new features:

1. You can view process statistics. Essentially, this information is provided in order to analyze the running time of applications. If one of the applications runs continuously and is not a system one, this is a good reason to think about deleting it or stopping this process.

2. USB debugging. This point is especially important for experienced users who are involved in flashing devices and developing Android applications.

3. You can limit the maximum number of background processes.

4. Ability to display CPU load.

5. Change the animation scale, highlight the boundaries of objects and much more.

We will not list all the items on this menu now, there are a very large number of them. Everyone can independently activate this option and become familiar with all the capabilities of their device.

Magnifier

The secrets of Android do not end there, but rather just begin. Another quite useful feature is the ability to enlarge the screen or, as it is also called, a screen magnifier. This feature is very helpful for people with visual impairments. This function becomes especially relevant for those who have a small screen diagonal.
Activating such a function will not be difficult. As in most cases, go to the gadget settings and go to the “Special Features” item. In this tab, among the numerous settings, you need to find “Gestures for zooming”. We activate this feature and now we can enlarge any area of ​​the display with a triple finger press.

Increasing internal memory

Until recently, the amount of internal phone memory was catastrophically small. Smartphones with a memory capacity of more than eight gigabytes were considered flagship. A lot of time has passed since then, but even now on some models, the amount of built-in memory is not large. If we take away from them the space that the system occupies, then the user has practically nothing left. In this case, the inserted flash drive does not save the situation, since games and programs cannot be installed on it.

Starting from the sixth Android, this problem disappeared. This version of the operating system has a very convenient feature. Now, if you insert a flash drive into your device, the operating system will immediately ask the user a question about the purpose of this flash drive. It is enough to select the item that we want to use it as internal memory. After this, your gadget will independently format the drive and will recognize it as the internal memory of the device. This will allow you to install all kinds of games and programs on it without any problems.

When taking advantage of this privilege, it is worth remembering that all flash cards have different data transfer rates. Now it is best to use tenth class drives. Otherwise, the installed content will open slowly and not work correctly.

Screenshot of an Android device

While using your phone, it is often necessary to save an image of the screen. There can be many reasons for this: catching a still frame of a movie, recording an error that appears on the screen, saving a fragment of your correspondence, etc. The reasons are different for each user.


In order to save the display image, just press the volume down button and the gadget’s power key at the same time. After this, the photo will be automatically saved in the smartphone gallery.

Secret codes

As mentioned earlier, the Android system has a huge number of settings and a lot of possibilities for stabilizing the shell. But for many users it will be a real discovery that you can control the device not only using the standard settings menu, but also by typing a secret combination of characters.

Some of the most useful combinations include:

*#*#0*#*#* — allows you to test the display;

*#06#- using the specified command you can find out the unique imei of your gadget;

*#*#4636#*#* - using this combination you can find out a lot of information about your smartphone and its battery.

Blocking the device in case of theft

Smartphones and other devices running the Android operating system often become desirable targets for thieves. What should you do if your smartphone is stolen and there is a huge amount of personal data stored on it that should not fall into the wrong hands?

There is one proven method that will help you reliably secure your personal information. To do this, go to the main settings, then open the “security” tab. Among the proposed options, we need to click on “Device Administrators”. We activate the “Remote search and blocking” function. Now our data is securely protected. Using your personal Google account, you can block your phone, no matter where it is located.


Also, this opportunity will be very relevant if you lose your gadget. In addition to blocking the device, all its data can be restored on your computer.

Traffic control

All mobile operators have their own traffic limits and tariffs. In most cases, the user has access to a limited amount of Internet traffic per month. To keep track of how many megabytes you've used, you can contact your carrier or install one of the many third-party apps. But if you take a closer look at the capabilities of your smartphone, you will notice that there is a standard function in the settings. It allows you to be aware of the megabytes spent.


To set the limit, you need to go to the main settings, after which we go to the “Data transfer” tab. It is there that we can set the number of megabytes that we plan to use. Once the user exceeds the specified threshold, the device will immediately report this. In addition, using this function you can track which application consumes the most Internet resources. This is very convenient and allows you to save on GPRS traffic.

Other secrets

The most interesting secrets of Android were listed above. These features are standard and present on every device. In addition to general secrets, there are also a large number of individual secrets for each phone manufacturer and each version of Android. The fact is that each manufacturer uses its own unique Android shell. However, all shells are different and have different advantages. Each specific phone manufacturer has its own unique features. For example, on ZTE Nubia smartphones, repeatedly pressing an empty area of ​​the display produces the effect of a broken screen. There is no useful functionality in this, but it looks very funny.

To summarize, I would like to note that with the advent of new versions of the operating system, the number of Android functions and secrets increases. It is quite possible that this list will soon be replenished with new interesting functions.

This article will look at how you can hide Android applications (or games) on your smartphone in several ways, each of which has its own positive and negative sides, depending on the situation.

Hide unused stock apps

Nowadays, manufacturers of Android devices already include standard software in the system. For example, on LG devices such an application is SmartWorld, which duplicates the capabilities of the Google Play store.
There can be a huge number of such applications and assistants; they cannot be removed using standard methods, because... These are system utilities. But you can hide them or turn them off. This will lightly relieve the internal memory of the device and remove unnecessary cache and updates.
To disable unnecessary programs:

After the above manipulations, the application will be placed in the “Disabled” section, where it can be returned by clicking on “Enable”.

Hide application icons

If you just want to hide the program icon in the menu, you will need to resort to third-party launchers. The most effective of them is ZenUI or, they are very similar in functionality and have extensive settings.

How you can hide applications on Android will be discussed using the example of an application.

Hide programs from strangers

You will need to install the application. The name serves specifically to prevent outsiders from recognizing it. The program allows you to hide images, files and other material from public access. In addition to the hiding function, Hide it Pro can set passwords for the selected file. It does not matter which launcher is currently being used.

The utility will require ROOT access.

To hide the icon of a particular function, you will need:

Now we’ve sorted out all the methods on how to hide applications on Android. This process does not cause any particular difficulties.

How to hide an application on Android: video

Read the article on how to hide applications on Android and make any files hidden. And then how to view and open hidden programs and documents.

A smartphone is a private device. However, from time to time we still make it available to friends or family. In this case, I would first like to hide some files or even applications. But how to do that? Let's figure it out.

Any operating system allows you to hide any files. On Windows, to do this, just check the corresponding box in the file properties. In Linux, you can write a special character in the file name or drop an empty file with a special extension into the folder with it. Well, what to do in the case of Android? The article you opened will try to answer this question.

How to hide applications on an Android smartphone?

Whatever version of the Android operating system you have installed, it will not allow you to hide the display of applications with a couple of taps. By default, there is only one method, which will take you some time. Your actions should be as follows:

1. Go to "Settings".
2. Go to “Application Manager” (the item may simply be called “Applications”).
3. Click on the program or game you want to hide.
4. In the menu that appears, click on the “Stop” button.

If you then want to return the application, you need to visit the “Disabled” tab. It will contain all the programs you have stopped.

This method has a number of disadvantages. Firstly, real hiding still does not occur - you can see all the programs installed on your device in the same “Application Manager”. Secondly, if you disabled the program, then, logically, it will not work. This is similar to deleting an application, but without freeing up permanent memory. And the program settings should not be lost when it is stopped.

What should you do if you want to hide a shortcut from the menu, but without stopping the application? The operating system will not help you in this case. However, some launchers can come to the rescue. They may have a built-in application hiding feature. After its activation, access to the list with hidden shortcuts is provided only after entering a password or placing a finger on the fingerprint sensor. And often hidden programs disappear even from the aforementioned “Dispatcher”, or access to it is also blocked by a password.

One of the launchers with the function of hiding shortcuts is C Launcher. We talked about it in more detail in the article about. And if you search carefully on Google Play, you can find several more launchers that have similar functionality.

How to hide files and folders on Android?

Any programmer will tell you that Android is a Unix-like operating system. In this regard, approximately the same techniques that work on “desktop” Linux apply here. You can hide any file by starting its name with a dot. You can rename in almost any application that is used to view documents, photos and other files.

It should be remembered that in this way you will hide the file only from those applications that are pre-installed on your smartphone or tablet. In third-party programs, a file with a name like “.photo.jpeg” can still be displayed - it all depends on the implementation of the specific application. And it will certainly be displayed in file managers if the corresponding option is enabled.

In this way, you can hide not only files, but also an entire folder. Your actions in this case will not be different - you also need to add a dot to the beginning of the name. If you need to view hidden files and folders, you will have to download and install a third-party file manager. For example, you can use an application called Total Commander - in its settings there is an option that activates the display of hidden files and folders. We have already talked about those designed for the Android operating system in a separate article.

Sometimes you can do without renaming. Many applications designed for viewing images have a “Hide” button. Something similar may be present in your music player. It may have a similar button and an installed file manager. Although it is possible that the functionality of this button repeats the actions described above - pressing it simply automatically renames the file, adding a dot to the beginning of its name.

How to hide media files: music, videos and photos?

When do you most often need to hide images? Perhaps when they start to get boring with their display in the “Gallery”. For example, this application can display album covers of music. This quickly becomes annoying. Also, photos are automatically copied to the Instagram folder if you add them to this social network. As a result, the folder plays a kind of cache role, but at the same time, repeated photos in the “Gallery” begin to infuriate. What to do? Shouldn't we hide each image separately? Shouldn't we rename every music album? Of course not. Here another trick comes to the rescue, familiar to many owners of computers with the Linux operating system installed.

Install a file manager for yourself. However, you can also use the preinstalled option, if one was provided by the manufacturer of your device. In the file manager, you need to go to the folder from which you would not like to see images in the “Gallery”. In particular, you can go to the folder with music tracks. Here you should click on the “New File” button. Enter the following as its name: “.nomedia”. That's all! From now on, pictures and videos from this folder will not be recognized by the operating system. You can see them only in the file manager if the corresponding setting is activated in it.

You can delete the created file in the future. After this, the images will again be displayed in applications designed to view them.

Using specialized programs to hide files on Android

There are special utilities that do an even better job of hiding files. When using them, you will not be able to access hidden folders and files even through a computer - they will either not be displayed or will be encrypted. In this case, viewing files and folder contents will only be possible when using the installed program.

You can find dozens of similar applications on Google Play, they all work on approximately the same principle. For example, you can download GalleryVault. This utility is distributed free of charge; you will only be asked to pay money to disable advertising. This program allows you to hide any photo and video files. At the same time, they are securely encrypted, so neither the computer nor anything else will help the attackers. Interestingly, the shortcut for this application can also be hidden - in this case, it is completely difficult to guess that you are keeping something secret. If someone opens this program and enters the wrong password, they will be shown fake content. The attacker will think that he guessed the password and will leave with nothing. However, this setting can be disabled - in case your smartphone might fall into the hands of a smart person who is unlikely to believe in guessing the password the first time.

Most often, when connecting a smartphone to a PC, the built-in tools in Windows will allow you to see hidden files. However, downloading them will do nothing. When you try to open these files, the operating system will display an error message. This is explained by the fact that everything downloaded was encrypted. Only the program you installed that hid the files can decrypt.

Summarizing

Now you know how you can hide files and folders on Android. We recommend doing this only as a last resort. It's better to simply not give your smartphone into the wrong hands - after all, this device is intended for personal use. You also don’t have to store anything on your device that can’t be seen by other people’s eyes. And don’t forget that you will simply lose the encrypted files if something happens to your smartphone, because you won’t be able to restore them on another device.

Do you hide any files on your smartphone? Or do you think that the game is not worth the candle? We are eager to read your opinion in the comments.