How to hide apps on Android
Most phones can hide an icon. Fewer can hide an app properly.
On Android 15 and later, Private space is the proper way. Apps inside it disappear, along with their notifications, until you unlock the space. Most brands also let you hide icons from the home screen and app list, but those apps still show up in Settings and can still send notifications.
Private space (Android 15 and later)
Private space is a locked area for apps, built into Android itself. Apps you put in it vanish from the app list, recent apps and notifications while the space is locked.
- Open Settings, then Security & privacy, then Private space.
- Follow the setup. You can use your main Google account or a separate one, and you can give the space its own lock.
- Install apps into the space from its own Play Store button.
- In the space's settings, turn on the option to hide it when it's locked.
On a Pixel, the space sits at the bottom of the app list. When it's hidden, you open it by typing "private space" into the app search. Samsung phones use Secure Folder for this instead.
Hiding the icon, brand by brand
Menus move around between versions, so if a label doesn't match, search Settings for "hide".
| Phone | Where to look |
|---|---|
| Samsung | Settings, then Home screen, then Hide apps on Home and Apps screens. Full steps in our Samsung guide |
| Google Pixel | The Pixel launcher can't hide icons. Use Private space |
| Xiaomi, Redmi, POCO | Look under App lock in Settings or the Security app for a Hidden apps option |
| OnePlus | In the app drawer, try a two finger spread to open Hidden Space, or look under Settings, then Privacy |
| Motorola | Long-press the home screen, open Home settings and look for Hide apps |
Any phone can also hide icons with a third party launcher that has a hidden apps option, but you'll be swapping your whole home screen for it.
What hiding an icon doesn't do
An app with a hidden icon is still installed. It's listed in Settings, under Apps, it shows in the Play Store's list of installed apps, and its notifications still appear unless you turn them off. If you need it out of sight for real, use Private space, Secure Folder on Samsung, or an app lock where your phone has one. Our guide to locking apps on Android covers which phones have one.
If it's photos you want hidden
Hiding your gallery app doesn't hide the photos in it. They still show up in Google Photos, the Files app and anything else with photo access. Dobr moves them into an encrypted vault and offers to delete the originals, so there's nothing left for other apps to find.
Last checked 2026-11-04. Phone menus change between Android versions and brands, so labels on your phone may differ slightly.