In order to keep your privacy intact, Android devices give you the option to hide any installed device. You can also choose to password-protect the hidden apps. While this is a nifty feature, it can prove to be a hurdle for parents who don’t want their kids accessing certain apps. In this article, we bring you the best 6 ways to find hidden apps on Android devices.
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Table of Contents
Find Hidden apps from Settings
The easiest way to find all hidden apps on your device is by going through the home screen settings. Here’s how.
Step 1: Go to Settings and select Home Screen.
Step 2: Scroll down and select ‘Hide apps’.
Step 3: You’ll be able to see the list of hidden apps. You can choose to hide more apps or unhide the hidden apps in this window.
Find Hidden apps using the app list
Your Android smartphone lets you view all the installed apps on your device in one place. You can find the hidden apps on this list too. Here’s how.
Step 1: Go to Settings.
Step 2: Select Apps.
Step 3: Go through the list of apps and look for the ones that aren’t present in the app drawer.
Look for a trick app
The problem with using the default Android method to hide apps is that any other Android user can easily figure out how to unhide them. This is why Google Play Store is full of privacy apps that have their own way of hiding apps on your device. Certain apps pose like system apps (like a Calculator or Photo Gallery) on your device and do not give you access to the hidden contents until you enter a code. A privacy app disguised as a calculator will function like a calculator until you punch in a particular code. To find hidden apps on an Android device, closely inspect the system apps and go through their app info in Settings to see if they were published by a third-party developer.
Go through the downloaded APKs
Another way to look for hidden apps is by going through the list of downloaded APKs on an Android device. Of course, this only works for apps downloaded from a third-party marketplace. This method won’t lead you to the installed app, but it will give you an idea about the apps that may be hidden on a device. To go through the list of APKs on an Android phone, go to the file manager and select the ‘Apps’ or ‘APK’ folder.
Use a third-party app launcher
If you can’t figure out the mechanism used to hide an app on an Android device, you can use a third-party app launcher like Nova Launcher or Apex Launcher. Upon downloading an app launcher, run it on your device and access the ‘hidden apps’ section. Any previously hidden apps will be visible here.
Check app permissions
If you’re worried that there’s a hidden spy app installed on your device, you can go through the permission list on your device and see which apps have the clearance to use your phone’s camera, media, microphone, location, and more. Apps which are usually hidden from the home screen or app drawer will be visible here. To go through the list of permissions go to Settings>Apps>Options (three dots)>Permissions.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find all the hidden apps?
To find the hidden files on your device, go to Settings>Home Screen and select ‘Hide Apps’. You can also browse through the app list to see every installed app on a device.
How do I unhide an app?
Go to Settings>Home Screen>Hide Apps and tap on the app you want to unhide.
What happens when an app is hidden?
When you hide an app it disappears from your phone’s app drawer and cannot be searched on your device. You can also choose to hide the notifications for any app on your phone.
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Conclusion
These are the best ways to find hidden apps on Android devices. Different Android skins have different features to hide and secure sensitive apps. Most devices allow users to password-protect an app while hiding it. Go through settings and find the special privacy features to get an idea of the level of security employed to keep the apps secure.
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