Finding hidden applications on Android. Alternative ways to hide an application. How to hide apps on Samsung
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.
How to hide an app on Android
If you are afraid that your confidential files and applications will be seen by someone else? You don't want the person you share your smartphone with to see your personal files?
How to Hide an App Using Hide It Pro
There are many more similar situations in which the main thing for the smartphone owner is the need to hide his applications and files. And Hide It Pro for Android will solve this problem.
By the way, we already wrote in one of our previous articles.
Installing the Hide It Pro app
First of all, we need to download the application Hide It Pro for Android. You can download it using a direct link from the market
Now we install the application on our Android smartphone.
Setting up Hide It Pro
After installing this application, you will not find this name in the application menu. But then you will find Audio Manager appearing out of nowhere. In this way, the application disguises itself so that a stranger cannot guess that they are trying to hide something from him.
When you first launch the application, you will see several sliders that are designed to adjust different volume levels. At the top is the name of the application and below it there will be a notice that if you press the name with a delay, you can go to the Hide It Pro for Android options.
We do a long tap. The application prompts us to enter our secret code to protect the application settings. We enter your PIN code, Hide It Pro remembers it and prompts you to log in by entering it.
Hiding applications in Hide It Pro
Once we are in the main (functional) screen of the application, we can start hiding our important files and applications.
Hide It Pro makes this very easy. To do this, we need to click on the appropriate icon (depending on the file type) - image, music or video.
Then we create an album and add files to it that need to be hidden. Those files that we added to the Hide It Pro program in this way will become inaccessible to the rest of the device.
From the Android market, if necessary, you can install additional necessary plugins that allow you to expand the capabilities of the Hide It Pro application.
That's how you can use the Hide It Pro application on your Android smartphone or tablet.
Alternative ways to hide an application
You can hide applications using the Xposed framework. Several modules that allow you to hide or change the application.
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.
Every Android smartphone has many pre-installed applications, often they are similar. Over time, the user installs more and more different software, although the unnecessary can simply be removed from it, but with regard to the menu, unnecessary elements in Android can be hidden.
If there are applications that cannot be deleted (system ones) or that are important to you, but you rarely use them, then we will first use the standard smartphone settings and hide them.
Standard hiding
There are more and more standard programs from various smartphone developers. They build in branded products that many people won't use. To get rid of this software, at least temporarily, follow these steps:
If desired, a disabled program can be reactivated.
How to hide an icon
The rest of the software downloaded from Google Play or the Internet can be hidden. The standard capabilities of the built-in launcher do not allow this, unless, of course, the user has some kind of exotic firmware. To solve the problem we will use third party launcher.
Nova Launcher
This launcher is popular among users. There are both paid and free versions. You can download it from the Play Market: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.teslacoilsw.launcher. To hide data using this software, you need update it before the Pro version, otherwise there is no point in it.
We find the icon “ SettingsNova"(located in the same place as all the programs). 
Scroll down and go to the section “ Hide apps».
Check the unnecessary items and exit the settings. Let's check.
By the way, here you can hide not only individual software, but entire folders with programs.
Apex Launcher
This launcher is a bit similar to the previous one. Install it from the Play Market (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.anddoes.launcher) and go to settings.
We are looking for the section " Application menu settings", and then go to the subsection " Hidden apps" Check the boxes and click " Save" Here, by default, the “Apex Launcher” option is blocked, but the checkbox can be unchecked. 
To enable it, just uncheck the boxes in this section and save the changes.
There are also many utilities that expand the functionality of the smartphone and the system.
Hide Pictures
If you want to keep the old launcher, but the ability to hide software is still necessary, use Hide Pictures - Hide it Pro (https://hideitpro.com/).
For everything to work perfectly, it is advisable to have superuser rights(Root).
You can also download Hide it Pro from the Play Market: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hideitpro. After launch, a strange window opens with sliders responsible for volume. A message should appear that to activate Hide Pictures you need to click on the logo and then re-launch it. 
The next window means entering password or PIN code so that other users cannot find out about hidden programs. 
Now go to the section " Hide apps». 
A window will open asking you to install the plugin and grant superuser rights. They are absolutely necessary, otherwise nothing will work. 
Once you have granted rights, go to the “” tab. 
Select what you need and confirm with the OK button. 
Hide App
This tool is also downloaded from Google Play. After launching, you can immediately select which software you want to hide, and after everything is checked, click “ Save».
To secure your actions and prevent unauthorized persons from accessing the utility, you can set a PIN code.
PrivateMe
Download this software from the Play Market (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.trigtech.privateme) and launch it. Although the entire program has an English-language interface, there should not be any difficulties. Moreover, it does not require superuser rights.
This problem can be solved quite easily. What if you need to hide an application? After all, this is not a separate file whose name can be appended with a dot. But actually hiding an app icon is a little more difficult. How exactly this can be done is written in today’s article.
Modern versions of the Android operating system allow you to literally freeze an application if you have not used it for a long time. This will free up some RAM and also allow you to hide the application icon. Of course, the program will stop working in the background, so this method is not suitable for all users. If this does not scare you, then do the following:
Step 1. Go to " Settings».
Step 2. Click on the item " Applications" Somewhere it may be called " Application Manager"or some other way. You may also need to go to the " Are common».
Step 3. Now select the program that you want to hide (disable).
Step 4. Click on the button Disable».
Step 5. Confirm your action by clicking on the " OK».
Step 6. It is possible that you will be prompted to install the original version of this application. If you do not agree with this, then disconnection will be impossible. Therefore, you will have to click on the “ OK" and wait for the process to complete.
Unfortunately, Android does not allow you to disable all programs - many of them simply do not have a corresponding button. Well, if you want to return a disabled application back, then there will be no problems with this. You just need to go to the above section " Settings" and go to the tab " Disabled" Here you can tap on the program you need, and then click on the “ Turn on».
Using a third party launcher
Some users are thinking about how to hide applications on Android without disabling them. They want them to continue to work in the background, but not appear in the menu. This cannot be achieved using proprietary shells or “naked” Android. But third-party programs can help Nova Launcher And Apex Launcher. These are original launchers that try to change the interface of the operating system. In our example, the choice was made in favor of the second launcher, since it is a little easier to learn.
Step 1. Install and run Apex Launcher. Wait for the desktop to transform, then double-tap somewhere on an empty space on it.
Step 2. Click on the item " Apex Settings».
Step 3. Here you should select " Application menu settings».
Step 4. Go to the subsection " Hidden apps».
Step 5. Check the boxes for those programs and games that you do not want to see in the menu.
That's all. In the future, you can go back to this section of the launcher settings to remove the checkmarks and return the display of application icons in the menu. And don't forget that deleting Apex Launcher or switching to another shell - any of these actions will return the display of hidden programs.
Using Hide Pictures - Hide it Pro
If you do not want to install a third-party launcher that takes up a certain amount of RAM, then try downloading and installing Hide Pictures - Hide it Pro. Despite its name, the program can hide more than just photos. The creators assigned this name to the utility so that an outsider would not guess what actions need to be taken in order to see if there are hidden files, folders and applications on the smartphone.
Attention! To fully operate the program, you must obtain root rights!
It is noteworthy that the application helps not only hide icons, but also set a password for opening programs and toys. And it doesn’t matter to him which launcher you have installed. If you want to hide any icon, then follow our instructions:
Step 1. Install and run Hide Pictures - Hide it Pro. Please note that under the program icon there is a completely different name. An outsider will think that this is a utility that controls the volume.
Step 2. When you first launch you will be notified that to gain access to the main functionality of the application you need to hold your finger on the logo with the inscription Audio Manager. Follow the advice.
Step 3. Now you need to choose what type of protection you will use. In our case, this will be a numeric PIN code.
Step 4. Enter your password or PIN code, then click the " Save».
Step 5. Confirm your actions by pressing the button " OK».
Step 6. Enter your email address. This will help you regain access to the program in the future if you forget your password. Click the button OK" Theoretically, you can skip this step by clicking the corresponding button, but this is not recommended.
Step 7 Click the button OK" when you are notified to save your email address in the app settings.
Step 8 You will again be taken to the program start window. Keep your finger on the top logo.
Step 9 Enter password.
Step 10 Click on the item " Hide Apps" Or " Hide apps"if you have a Russian-language interface.
Step 11 Now you need to grant the program superuser rights. To do this, in the pop-up window, click " OK» and, if necessary, confirm your actions. If in the future you do not want to see a pop-up window, then check the corresponding box.
Step 12 Go to the tab " All applications" Click on the program you want to hide.
Step 13 Confirm that you want to hide the selected application. To do this, click " OK" It is possible that after this you will have to grant the program superuser rights again.
That's all. Hidden applications on Android will not be visible in the menu. But you can always find them in this utility, in the appropriate tab. Clicking on its icon will make the program visible again. In the same way, you can open a hidden application - in fact, this will be a kind of demo mode.
Summarizing
These are the three easiest ways to hide different programs from the menu. Don't forget that using Hide Pictures - Hide it Pro You can also hide different media files. Although it is much easier to rename them by adding a dot at the beginning of the name - this does not require any root rights.
