Alex Ruben
How To Reveal Hidden Apps on Android Devices
Ever had that moment where an app just disappears from your Home Screen or app drawer and you realize it’s hidden? Yeah, it’s kind of weird, but mostly it’s because of some settings or launcher quirks. Worry not—getting them back isn’t too complicated, but beware: depending on your phone, the steps can vary a bit.
Step 1: Access Your Home Screen
Start by unlocking your Android device and going to the Home Screen. If you’re using a custom launcher (like Nova Launcher or Action Launcher), things might look a bit different, but the core idea stays the same. From here, you want to jump into the app drawer.
Step 2: Open the App Drawer
Tap on the App Drawer icon—usually a grid icon or three dots at the bottom or upper part of the screen. This opens up all your installed apps. If you don’t see it, sometimes swiping up from the bottom does the trick. On some setups, this step can be a little confusing because the launcher layout isn’t standard, but most still have some way to get to the app list.
Step 3: Navigate to Settings
Inside the app drawer, look for a menu—either three dots or a gear icon, often at the top right. Tap on that, then find and select Settings. Some launchers have a dedicated ‘Hide Apps’ toggle here. If not, and you’re on stock Android or Samsung One UI, you might need to dive into device settings.
Step 4: Find the Hidden Apps Section
Once in Settings, scroll down or search for something like Home Screen or Apps & Notifications. Many devices have a Hide Apps option directly within the launcher settings or under specific sections like App Management. For example, on Samsung, it’s usually under Home Screen > Hide Apps.
Pro tip: on some phones, you actually have to hold on the Home Screen > tap Settings or Home Screen Settings to find this. It’s kind of a mess, I know.
Step 5: Manage Hidden Apps
Here, you’ll see a list of apps marked as hidden. On some phones, you’ll tap a checkbox or toggle switch to unhide the app. If your launcher or device uses a more manual method, you might need to tap a minus icon (–) or directly select the app again.
Step 6: Unhide the Desired App
Tap the app you want to bring back. Sometimes, you have to confirm by tapping Done or similar. Not sure why, but on some phones, unhide doesn’t take effect immediately—you might need to restart your device or relaunch the launcher app.
Step 7: Verify Your Changes
Back to your Home Screen or App Drawer — the app should now be visible again. If it’s still missing, double-check the hide list. Also, make sure your launcher cache isn’t messing with things: sometimes clearing launcher cache helps.
Extra Tips & Common Issues
– If the app isn’t there, maybe it’s actually uninstalled or disabled. Check that first in Settings > Apps.
– Device manufacturers love to hide these options in weird places. Search “Hide Apps” directly in Settings. Or even check if your launcher has an update—you might get better management options.
– On some setups, clearing launcher cache (via Settings > Apps > Your Launcher > Storage > Clear Cache) can fix weird hiding behavior.
Summary
- Find the hide settings—this could be under launcher options or device settings.
- Uncheck or unselect hidden apps.
- Return to your home screen and see if they pop back in.
Hopefully this shaves off a few hours for someone. Android can be a pain sometimes, especially with different manufacturer tweaks. Good luck!