How to Hide Apps From Your App Drawer (Android & iPhone)

Every phone hides apps differently. Here's exactly how to hide apps on Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus, Pixel, and iPhone — and what hiding actually does.

9/11/20265 min read

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Not every app on your phone needs to be sitting in plain sight. Maybe it's a banking app you don't want visible when you hand your phone to a friend, or a game you're tired of seeing every time you open the drawer. Whatever the reason, most phones let you tuck an app out of view without deleting it — the tricky part is that the option lives in a different place on almost every brand.

This guide covers where to find it on Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus, Google Pixel, and iPhone, since Android manufacturers each built their own version of this feature instead of sharing one standard.

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What "Hiding an App" Actually Means

Hiding an app is not the same as uninstalling it or locking it.

When you hide an app, you're removing its icon from the home screen and app drawer. The app itself stays installed, keeps its data, and in most cases can still receive notifications unless you separately silence them.

Locking an app is a different feature. It requires a PIN, pattern, or biometric check before the app opens, even if the icon is still visible. Some phones let you hide and lock an app at the same time; others treat these as two separate settings.

Keep that distinction in mind, because it affects how private "hidden" actually is on your specific phone.

How to Hide Apps on Samsung Galaxy (One UI)

Samsung's One UI has had a native hide-apps option for years, and it's one of the more straightforward implementations.

Long-press an empty area of your home screen, or pinch inward on the screen.
Tap the gear-shaped Settings icon that appears (labeled "Home screen settings" on some versions).
Scroll down and tap Hide apps.
Select every app you want to hide, then tap Done or Apply.

To bring an app back, return to the same Hide apps menu, deselect it, and tap Done again.

One thing to know: this is a launcher-level hide, not a privacy lock. On some One UI versions, a hidden app can still turn up if someone types its name into the app drawer's search bar. Treat it as a way to declutter or keep an app out of casual view, not as a substitute for a passcode.

If you want an actual security layer, Samsung's separate Secure Folder feature locks apps behind a PIN or biometric check and keeps them in an isolated space.

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How to Hide Apps on Xiaomi, Redmi, and POCO Phones

Xiaomi's MIUI and its successor, HyperOS, build app hiding into the pre-installed Security app rather than the home screen settings.

Open the Security app that comes installed on the phone.
Look for App Lock, or search "Hide apps" directly in Settings if you don't see it right away — the exact menu location has moved between HyperOS 2.0 and HyperOS 3.0.
Set up a passcode, pattern, or fingerprint if you haven't already, since Hide Apps sits behind the same lock as App Lock.
Open the Hidden apps tab and toggle on each app you want to hide.

The hidden apps disappear from the home screen, app drawer, and system search. To get to them again, perform a two-finger pinch-out gesture on the home screen and enter your passcode when prompted.

How to Hide Apps on OnePlus (OxygenOS)

OnePlus phones running OxygenOS 12 or later handle hidden apps through the Privacy menu rather than the old swipe-to-reveal "Hidden Space" from earlier OxygenOS versions.

Open Settings and tap Privacy.
Under Privacy Protection, tap Hide apps.
Set up a privacy password if you're prompted, along with a separate access code for the hidden space.
Choose the apps you want to hide.

To view hidden apps afterward, open the Phone app's dialer and enter your access code surrounded by the # symbol. If that doesn't work on your version, check Settings > Apps > See all apps for a "Hidden Space" entry near the bottom — OnePlus has changed the access flow more than once across recent OxygenOS releases.

Google Pixel and Stock Android Don't Have a Built-In Option

This one catches people off guard. Pixel's launcher, and stock Android generally, has never included a native way to hide an app icon from the drawer. Android 17 added a toggle to hide app names under icons, but that's a cosmetic label change — the icons themselves, and the app drawer's own listing, stay exactly where they are.

To actually hide an app on a Pixel or any phone running close-to-stock Android, you need a third-party launcher.

Hiding Apps With Nova Launcher

Nova Launcher is the most common choice for this, and it works the same way across different Android phones.

Install Nova Launcher from the Play Store and set it as your default launcher.
Long-press the app icon you want to hide, tap the info ("i") icon, then select Hide app. Alternatively, go to Nova Settings > App & Widget Drawers > Hide apps and select apps from the list.
Note that the hide feature is part of Nova Launcher Prime, a one-time unlock (roughly $5, though Play Store pricing shows in your local currency) or subscription — it isn't included in the free version.
To find a hidden app again, search for it by name in Nova's app drawer search, or revisit the Hide apps list to unhide it.

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iPhone Doesn't Have an App Drawer, But You Can Still Hide Apps

Technically, iPhone has no app drawer at all — every installed app automatically shows up in the App Library, which sits to the right of your last home screen page. That said, Apple does let you hide and lock individual apps, a feature Apple introduced with iOS 18 and that still works the same way in the current iOS 26.

Touch and hold the app icon on your home screen.
Tap Require Face ID (or Touch ID, or Passcode, depending on your device).
Tap it again, choosing Hide and Require Face ID, authenticate, then confirm Hide App.

The app moves into a Hidden folder at the bottom of App Library. To open it, swipe all the way past your home screens to App Library, tap the Hidden folder, and authenticate.

A few limits worth knowing: only apps you downloaded separately can be hidden this way — apps that came preinstalled with iOS can't be. If you just want to declutter without locking anything, long-pressing an icon and choosing Remove from Home Screen keeps the app in App Library without a passcode attached.

Hiding an App Isn't the Same as Locking It

Across almost every phone in this guide, "hiding" mainly controls what shows up on your screen — it doesn't encrypt anything or stop the app from running. Someone who checks your full app list in Settings, or who knows where to look, can often still find what's installed.

If your goal is genuine privacy rather than a tidier home screen, look for these instead:

Samsung Secure Folder – an isolated, PIN-protected space for apps and files
Xiaomi Second Space or App Lock – a separate profile or per-app passcode
OnePlus App Locker – individual app-level PIN protection
iPhone's Face ID app lock – hides content previews in notifications and search, not just the icon
Android Work Profile – a fully separated set of apps and data, available on most Android phones through Settings

Frequently Asked Questions

Does hiding an app delete its data?

No. Hiding only affects visibility. The app stays installed with all its data intact, and unhiding it restores everything exactly as it was.

Will a hidden app still send notifications?

It depends on the phone. Xiaomi and OnePlus's hidden-app features typically suppress notifications for hidden apps. Samsung's Hide Apps and Nova Launcher's hide feature are icon-only, so notifications keep showing unless you mute them separately in the app's notification settings.

Can someone else find my hidden apps?

Often, yes, with enough effort. Most hiding features are meant for tidiness or casual privacy, not to withstand someone who deliberately searches your settings or app list. For stronger protection, pair hiding with a passcode-based feature like Secure Folder, App Lock, or Face ID locking.

What if my phone brand isn't covered here?

Check Settings > Privacy or long-press your home screen and look for "Home screen settings" first — most Android skins put the option in one of those two places. If neither has it, a third-party launcher like Nova Launcher will work regardless of your phone's brand.