Sometimes it isn’t only the photos you want hidden. It’s the fact that a vault app is on your phone at all. Here are the ways to hide an app on Android, and what each one leaves visible.

1. Hide it in your launcher

Many launchers, including Samsung’s One UI and Nova, can hide an app from the home screen and app drawer. On Samsung: Home screen settings → Hide apps on Home and Apps screens.

Watch out: the app still shows in Settings → Apps and in Play Store, and anyone can un-hide it from the same menu.

2. Android Private space

On Android 15 and newer, Settings → Security & privacy → Private space creates a locked area at the bottom of the app drawer. Apps installed there are hidden until you unlock it.

Watch out: only on newer phones, and the Private space entry itself is visible to anyone who scrolls.

3. Samsung Secure Folder

Secure Folder keeps separate copies of apps behind their own lock. You can even rename its icon. It needs a Samsung account and only works on Galaxy phones.

4. Disguise the app as something else

Some vault apps can change their own icon and name, so on your home screen they look like an ordinary app. Opened normally, they show nothing unusual; only your code or pattern reveals the vault.

This works on any Android phone, and it’s the hardest for a curious person to notice, because there’s nothing “hidden” to look for.

What to look for in a disguise

Your choice of icon and name. A disguise works best when it blends in with the apps you already have.
Real encryption underneath. The disguise hides that a vault exists; encryption is what protects the files if someone finds it.
No account and no internet. Otherwise the “hidden” app is still talking to a server about you.

The honest limit

Android’s Settings → Apps list always shows an app’s real name. A disguise is camouflage against a quick look, not against someone searching your phone in detail. That’s why the files inside still need strong encryption and a lock of their own.

Our app

Sealcloak Pro can disguise itself with any picture and name you choose, so it looks like another app on your home screen. Inside, every file is encrypted with AES-256, with no account and no internet permission.

How to hide apps on Android