How to Hide Apps on Android Without Any App (2026)

Everybody has apps they'd rather keep to themselves: a banking app, a dating app, a private chat or a photo vault. The problem is that anyone who borrows your phone can see them on your app drawer. The good news: Android now has a built-in way to hide apps, with no third-party "app hider" needed. It's called Private Space, and it creates a locked, invisible area on your phone with its own password.

This guide shows you how to hide apps on Android using Private Space, how to make the space itself disappear, the Samsung alternative, and which "app hider" tricks to avoid.

What Is Private Space?

Private Space is a separate, locked area inside your phone. Apps you put there are kept apart from the rest of the phone. When the space is locked:

• its apps are hidden from the app drawer, recent apps and settings,
• its apps can't run in the background, and
• it needs its own PIN, pattern or fingerprint to open, separate from your main screen lock.

Think of it as a hidden second phone inside your phone.

Check If Your Phone Has Private Space

Private Space needs Android 15 or newer. Go to Settings > About phone > Android version to check. Some brands place it in a slightly different menu, so if you can't find it, type "private space" in the Settings search bar.

How to Hide Apps on Android With Private Space (Step by Step)

1. Open Settings > Security & privacy > Private space.
2. Unlock with your normal screen lock if asked, then tap Set up.
3. Sign in to a Google Account. Tip: use a separate Google Account if you want the hidden apps' activity kept completely apart from your main account.
4. Choose Use separate lock and set a PIN, pattern or fingerprint that's different from your phone's main lock.
5. Open your app drawer and scroll to the very bottom. You'll see Private space.
6. Unlock it, tap Install, and install the apps you want to hide from the Play Store.
7. Sign in to those apps inside Private Space, then uninstall the original copies from your main phone.
8. Tap the lock icon to lock the space. Your hidden apps vanish.

Make Private Space Itself Invisible

Even when it's locked, a "Private space" bar can still show at the bottom of the app drawer, and that can make people curious. You can hide it too:

1. Open Private space settings (Settings > Security & privacy > Private space).
2. Turn on the option to hide private space when it's locked.
3. To open it again later, type "private space" in the search bar of your app drawer and unlock it.

More Private Space Tricks

• Hide files and photos: unlock Private Space and use Add files. If you choose Move, the original file is deleted from your main storage, so it only exists inside the space.
• Auto-lock: in Private space settings you can choose when it locks automatically, for example every time your phone locks.
• Notifications: while the space is locked, its apps can't run in the background, so they won't pop up messages. Unlock it to check them.
• Delete everything at once: Private space settings has a Delete option that removes the space and all the apps and data inside it. Move anything you want to keep first.

Samsung Users: Secure Folder

Samsung Galaxy phones have Secure Folder, a similar locked area protected by Samsung Knox. Type "Secure Folder" in the Settings search bar to set it up. You can add apps and files, lock it with its own PIN or fingerprint, and hide its icon from the app screen.

Private Space vs Secure Folder vs Launcher "Hide Apps"

Private Space (Android 15+)	Separate locked area. Apps are hidden and can't run when locked. Very secure.
Samsung Secure Folder	Samsung's own locked area with its own lock. Very secure.
Launcher "hide apps"	Only removes the icon from the app drawer. The app still runs and can be found in Settings. Not secure.
Third-party app hider apps	Often full of ads, may ask for risky permissions. Avoid them.

FAQs

Can I hide apps on Android without installing another app?

Yes. On Android 15 and newer, use Private Space. On Samsung, use Secure Folder.

Can someone find my hidden apps?

When Private Space is locked and hidden, its apps don't show in the app drawer, recent apps or settings. Only someone who knows to search for it and has your separate lock can open it.

Will I get WhatsApp messages from an app in Private Space?

Only when Private Space is unlocked. While it's locked, its apps can't run in the background.

Does my phone have Private Space?

It needs Android 15 or newer. Check Settings > About phone > Android version, or search "private space" in Settings.

What happens if I delete Private Space?

All the apps and data inside it are deleted. Move anything you want to keep first.

More Android tricks: Android's hidden anti-theft features · How to know if your WhatsApp is hacked

Sources: Android.com (How to set up Private space), Asurion. Image credits (Wikimedia Commons): "Hands, coffee, smartphone, technology" by Pixel.la (CC0); "Love padlocks, Paris" by Jebulon (CC0).