Every smartphone user has a few private apps they’d rather keep hidden — social media accounts, personal messages, games, or work tools that aren’t meant for others’ eyes. If you’ve ever handed your phone to a friend or family member and worried they might open your private apps, this guide is for you.

Most people think hiding apps requires complicated third-party software or risky tweaks. But the truth is, you can easily hide apps directly inside your phone’s dialer, using just your phone’s built-in settings — no external apps, no rooting, and no privacy compromises.

In this article, we’ll go step by step through the full process of how to hide apps in your phone’s dialer, so that only you can access them with a secret code. We’ll also explore how to unhide those apps, recover forgotten passwords, and understand how this feature works on different phone brands such as OPPO, Vivo, Realme, and OnePlus.

So let’s get started!

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🔒 Why Hide Apps in the Dialer?

Before diving into the steps, let’s understand why hiding apps in the dialer is such a clever privacy feature.

We all have certain apps that contain sensitive information:

• Banking and payment apps (like Google Pay, Paytm, or PhonePe)
• Social apps (like Instagram, Facebook, or WhatsApp)
• Work-related tools (like Microsoft Teams, Slack, or Gmail)
• Games you’d rather keep private or out of sight

While Android allows app hiding through launchers, these methods are often visible or easy to undo. But the dialer-based hiding method makes your apps completely invisible from the home screen and app drawer.

Even better — you can access them secretly by entering a custom code in your dialer.
No one will know you even have those apps installed!

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⚙️ Step 1: Open the Settings Menu

The entire process starts inside your phone’s default Settings app. You won’t need any third-party tools.

Here’s what to do:

1. Unlock your Android phone.
2. Locate and open the Settings app. (Usually represented by a gear ⚙️ icon.)
3. Scroll down carefully to find the Privacy or Security & Privacy option.

📘 Tip:
On most phones (like OPPO, Realme, and Vivo), this option is under Settings → Privacy → Hide Apps.
On other phones, you can simply use the search bar at the top of the Settings screen and type “Hide Apps”. You’ll see the option appear right away.

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🧭 Step 2: Navigate to “Hide Apps” Option

Once you’re inside the Privacy settings, scroll down until you see “Hide Apps”.

Tap on it. This is where the actual app-hiding system lives.

If it’s your first time using this feature, the phone will ask you to set up a privacy password before continuing.

Let’s go through that next.

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🔐 Step 3: Set Up a Privacy Password or Pattern

To make sure your hidden apps stay truly secure, your phone will ask you to set a Privacy Password. This password prevents anyone else from accessing the Hide Apps section.

You’ll now see two options:

1. Set Privacy Password (using a 6-digit code)
2. Use a Different Password Type (like PIN, Pattern, or Alphanumeric)

You can choose whatever method feels safest for you.

For example:

• Choose PIN if you prefer numbers.
• Choose Pattern if you want something quick and easy to draw.

Once you create the password:

• The system will ask you to re-enter it to confirm.
• Then it will prompt you to set a Security Question.

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🧠 Step 4: Add a Security Question (Optional but Important)

This step is optional but highly recommended. If you ever forget your privacy password, you’ll need the security question to recover access.

• Choose a question from the list (e.g., “What’s your favorite color?” or “Your first school name?”).
• Type a memorable answer.
• Tap OK to confirm.

Now your Hide Apps feature is fully activated and ready to use.

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📱 Step 5: Select the Apps You Want to Hide

After you’ve completed the setup, you’ll see a list of all installed apps on your phone.

From here, you can decide which apps you want to hide. Simply toggle them ON one by one.

For example:

• Turn ON next to YouTube → it will disappear from your main screen.
• Turn ON next to WhatsApp → it will also be hidden.
• You can do this for Instagram, Facebook, or any game you want.

💡 Note:
Hidden apps won’t appear in your app drawer, on your home screen, or in recent apps. They remain completely invisible to anyone browsing your phone.

Once you’re done selecting, tap the back button to exit.

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⚙️ Step 6: Create an Access Code (Dialer Unlock Code)

Now comes the most exciting part — creating a Dialer Access Code to open your hidden apps secretly.

Here’s how it works:

This code will look like a phone number and will be used inside your phone’s dialer (the app where you make calls).

For example:

#1234#

When you type this code in your phone dialer and press Call, your hidden apps list will appear!

Let’s create it step by step:

1. Tap on the three dots (⋮) in the top right corner inside the Hide Apps page.
2. Select Change Access Code or Set Access Code (depending on your phone model).
3. You’ll see an example format like: #yourcode# The code must always start and end with a hashtag (#).
4. Enter your chosen code (for example, #2222# or #4440#).
5. Tap OK and then Done.

Within 4–5 seconds, your access code will be saved, and your setup is complete.

Now, your hidden apps can only be accessed through this dialer code — and no one else will even know where to look.

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📞 Step 7: Access Your Hidden Apps Through Dialer

Once you’ve hidden your apps, here’s how to open them anytime you want:

1. Open your phone’s Dialer (the app you use for phone calls).
2. Type your access code — for example: #2222#
3. As soon as you type the full code, the hidden apps interface will appear automatically.
4. You can now use your hidden apps just like before.
   (They work normally — messages, videos, and settings are intact.)

Only you can access this hidden section because only you know the code.

When you exit, they disappear again — safely hidden from the app drawer.

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🧭 Step 8: How to Unhide Apps (If Needed)

If you want to make any app visible again, it’s just as simple:

1. Open Settings → Privacy → Hide Apps.
2. Enter your privacy password.
3. Turn OFF the toggle next to the app you want to unhide.
4. Exit settings. The app will reappear on your home screen.

You can repeat this process anytime to manage which apps stay hidden.

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🧩 Step 9: What If You Can’t Find “Hide Apps” in Settings?

Some phone brands place the Hide Apps feature under slightly different names or sections. Here’s how to locate it if it’s missing:

Option 1: Use the Settings Search Bar

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap on the search icon at the top.
3. Type “Hide Apps.”
4. You’ll immediately see the “Hide Apps” or “App Lock & Hide” setting. Tap to open it.

Option 2: Check Security & Privacy Section

If searching doesn’t work:

1. Go to Settings → Security & Privacy.
2. Scroll down until you find Hide Apps or App Lock.

Option 3: Brand-Specific Paths

Here’s how it usually appears for popular brands:

Brand	Menu Path
OPPO	Settings → Security & Privacy → Hide Apps
Realme	Settings → Privacy → Hide Apps
Vivo	Settings → Privacy → App Encryption / Hide Apps
OnePlus	Settings → Utilities → Hidden Space
Samsung	Settings → Home Screen → Hide Apps
Xiaomi / Redmi	Settings → Apps → App Lock → Hidden Apps

No matter what brand you use, there’s always a way to access it. If your device doesn’t have this option by default, you can use App Lock or Secure Folder features that work similarly.

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⚠️ Step 10: Important Tips & Precautions

Before you rely on this feature completely, here are a few important things to keep in mind:

• Remember your privacy password and access code.
  If you forget both, you’ll need to reset your settings or answer the security question.
• Hidden apps still take up storage and receive updates.
  They’re hidden from the interface, not uninstalled.
• Notifications:
  Depending on your phone model, hidden apps may still send notifications. You can disable them individually in Settings → Notifications.
• If you factory reset your phone:
  All hidden apps become visible again, since the privacy settings reset to default.

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🧠 How This Feature Actually Works

This hiding mechanism works through your phone’s system launcher (the part that displays your home screen and app icons). When you mark an app as hidden:

• The launcher removes the app icon from all visible areas.
• The app’s shortcut, cache, and data remain safe internally.
• The dialer access code acts as a trigger to open the hidden app list.

It’s a smart layer of security — not full encryption — but enough to keep your private apps out of sight for anyone casually using your phone.

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🧩 Alternative Ways to Hide Apps (If Your Phone Doesn’t Support It)

If your Android version doesn’t include “Hide Apps,” you can use alternative safe methods like:

1. App Lock Feature

Most phones have App Lock built-in. It doesn’t hide apps but locks them behind a password or fingerprint.

Path: Settings → Privacy → App Lock

2. Secure Folder (Samsung Phones)

Samsung users can use Secure Folder, which completely hides and encrypts selected apps and files.

Learn more: Samsung Secure Folder

3. Guest Mode or Private Space

On newer Android phones, you can use “Guest Mode” or “Private Space” to create a second user profile with restricted apps.

Path: Settings → System → Multiple Users → Add Guest

These are useful alternatives if you can’t find Hide Apps on your device.

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💬 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: Can hidden apps still run in the background?
Yes, some background services like notifications or updates may still run. You can turn off background permissions individually.

Q2: Can someone find out I’ve hidden apps?
No — unless they know your access code or go deep into your privacy settings. To regular users, those apps appear uninstalled.

Q3: What if I forget my access code?
You can reset it through your Security Question (set during setup). If that fails, you may need to reset privacy settings entirely.

Q4: Does hiding apps delete my data?
No, it only hides the interface. When you unhide the app, all your data and login info remain intact.

Q5: Is this feature safe?
Absolutely. It’s built directly into your phone’s system settings, not a third-party app. Your data stays stored locally on your phone.

Q6: Will it work on all Android phones?
Most modern phones (Android 10 and above) from brands like OPPO, Realme, Vivo, OnePlus, and Samsung support this. For others, you can use Secure Folder or App Lock as an alternative.

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🧩 Wrapping Up

So far, we’ve walked through every step of hiding your private apps safely inside the dialer.
Let’s recap what you’ve learned:

1. Open Settings → Privacy → Hide Apps.
2. Set up a Privacy Password.
3. Choose the apps you want to hide.
4. Create a secret Dialer Access Code (like #2222#).
5. Use that code in the dialer to open hidden apps anytime.
6. Unhide apps whenever you need them again.

It’s a clean, built-in method that keeps your private life private — without installing shady third-party apps. Whether it’s your WhatsApp, YouTube, or banking app, everything stays hidden yet accessible when you want it.

So, the next time someone borrows your phone, you can relax knowing your sensitive apps are invisible — protected by a simple code that only you know.

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Disclaimer:
This article explains system-level privacy features available on Android phones from certain manufacturers (like OPPO, Realme, Vivo, etc.). Settings and availability may vary by device model and Android version. Always back up important data before changing privacy configurations.

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#AndroidTips #HideApps #PrivacyTricks #SmartphoneSecurity #DialerCode #AndroidSettings

Sneha Rao

Sneha is a hardware reviewer and technology journalist. She has reviewed laptops and desktops for over 6 years, focusing on performance, design, and user experience. Previously working with a consumer tech magazine, she now brings her expertise to in-depth product reviews and comparisons.

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