Hide Apps on Your Samsung Galaxy’s Home Screen, App Tray, and Search
Introduction:
In the digital age, privacy is a precious commodity, and controlling what appears on your smartphone is crucial. Samsung Galaxy users can take control of their app visibility by learning how to hide apps on various sections of their devices. This guide will walk you through the process of concealing apps on your Samsung Galaxy’s Home Screen, App Tray, and Search, ensuring your personal space remains private and organized.
Understanding the Need for App Hiding:
As smartphones become an integral part of our lives, the apps we use often contain sensitive information. Whether it’s private messaging apps, financial tools, or personal notes, the ability to hide these apps adds an extra layer of security and peace of mind.
Hiding Apps on the Home Screen:
Tap and Hold:
Start by navigating to your Home Screen and finding the app you want to hide. Tap and hold the app icon until a menu appears.
Select “Home Screen Settings”:
Look for the “Home Screen Settings” option in the menu and select it. This will open a submenu with various customization options.
Choose “Hide Apps”:
Within the submenu, choose the “Hide Apps” option. A list of all installed apps will appear.
Select Apps to Hide:
From the list, select the apps you want to hide. Once chosen, tap “Apply” or a similar confirmation option.
Check the Home Screen:
Return to your Home Screen and witness the magic – the selected apps are now hidden from plain view.
Hiding Apps in the App Tray:
Access App Tray:
Swipe up or down (depending on your device) to open the App Tray. This is where all your installed apps are listed.
Tap “Three Dots” Menu:
In the top-right corner of the App Tray, you’ll find three dots. Tap on them to reveal a menu.
Select “Home Screen Settings”:
Similar to the Home Screen process, select “Home Screen Settings” from the menu.
Choose “Hide Apps”:
Again, choose the “Hide Apps” option and select the apps you want to hide.
Confirm and Check App Tray:
Confirm your selection, and when you return to the App Tray, the chosen apps will be hidden.
Hiding Apps in Search:
Access Search:
On your Home Screen, swipe down to access the Search bar.
Search for App:
Begin typing the name of the app you want to hide in the search bar.
Long-Press App Icon:
When the app appears in the search results, long-press the app icon until a menu appears.
Select “Hide”:
In the menu, choose the “Hide” option. The app will be hidden from future searches.
Test the Search:
Try searching for the app again to ensure it no longer appears in the results.
Conclusion:
Mastering the art of hiding apps on your Samsung Galaxy is a powerful tool for maintaining privacy and creating an organized digital space. By following these simple steps, you can ensure that sensitive apps stay out of prying eyes, providing peace of mind and control over your smartphone experience. Embrace the power of app hiding and unlock a new level of privacy on your Samsung Galaxy device.
You don’t have to see every app installed on your phone if you don’t want to. Samsung One UI makes it easy to hide apps from your Samsung Galaxy’s home screen, app tray, and search tool, whether you want to declutter, simplify things, or keep other people from seeing some of the apps you use.
If that’s news to you, it’s because it’s not entirely obvious that you can hide apps from your Galaxy’s home screen and apps list. However, the feature has been available for almost ten years now in some form since at least Samsung TouchWiz Nature UX for Android 4.
You can hide apps on many Samsung Galaxy smartphones, whether your device is running the Samsung Experience or Samsung One UI skin. So newer models like the Galaxy S22, Galaxy A52, Galaxy M33, and Galaxy Z Fold and Flip models will work, as well as many other phones in the Galaxy S, Galaxy A, Galaxy Note, Galaxy M, Galaxy F, Galaxy J, and other Galaxy series.
To hide apps, perform one of the following actions:
Tap the vertical ellipsis in the app drawer, then choose “Home screen settings” or just “Settings.”
Long-press the background on your home screen, then choose “Home screen settings” or just “Settings.”
Navigate to Settings –> Display –> Home screen (Android 7–10)
Navigate to Settings –> Home Screen (Android 11–12)
In the home screen settings, tap “Hide Apps.” All of the apps visible in the app drawer will appear. Select each app you want to hide. Selected apps will show up in a “Hidden apps” section at the top in One UI but not in Experience. To save your selection, choose “Done” or “Apply.” You can always return to this menu later to unhide apps when needed.
Hiding apps will not prevent other people from unhiding and opening the apps up. However, it will disable software updates and prevent the apps from running in the background. You can enable software updates again by tapping “Enable” on the app’s Play Store page or going to Settings –> Apps –> [App Name] and tapping “Turn on.” The app will still be hidden but will continue to receive updates.
To lock your apps behind a password, use Samsung’s Secure Folder instead. If you just want to hide apps from your home screen but want them to still appear in your app drawer and search, long-press each app icon on the home screen, then choose “Remove” or “Remove from Home.” You can also disable pre-installed apps.
