Why Hiding Apps on Your Phone Screen is a Smart Move

In our digital-driven world, smartphones store vast amounts of personal and sensitive data. From banking credentials to private conversations, your device likely holds information you’d prefer to keep private. One easy way to boost your device’s security is by hiding apps from your home screen.

Does this sound excessive? Actually, this simple step offers multiple cybersecurity and physical security benefits.

Cybersecurity Benefits of Hiding Apps

Hiding apps can greatly enhance your online privacy. For apps containing sensitive data—like banking, health, or private messaging apps—keeping them out of view can help protect this information from prying eyes. This is especially useful if you occasionally hand your phone to others but don’t want them to access personal content.

Hiding apps also comes in handy when using your phone in public. When you’re on a bus or in a crowded area, the last thing you need is a stranger glancing over and spotting your financial or medical app icons.

By concealing these apps, you add an extra layer of security, making it harder for anyone to access them without permission. This added protection can be crucial if your phone is lost or stolen. While you work on remotely wiping the device, hidden apps make it more challenging for thieves to find banking or email accounts.

Physical Security Benefits of Hidden Apps

Do you share your phone with family members or friends? Hiding apps can prevent them from accidentally accessing sensitive information. Even if you trust your mom not to snoop through your financials, hiding apps like photo galleries or dating profiles can help avoid awkward situations and preserve your privacy.

For parents, hiding apps is a smart way to manage what children can access. By keeping certain apps out of sight, you ensure that kids won’t stumble upon inappropriate content or make unauthorized purchases.

How to Hide Apps

On iPhone:

  • Locking an App: Long-press the app icon, select “Require Face ID” (or Touch ID/Passcode), and authenticate.
  • Hiding an App: Long-press the app icon, choose “Hide and Require Face ID” (or Touch ID/Passcode), and authenticate. The app will move to a Hidden folder in the App Library.

On Android:

  • Using Built-in Features: Open your home screen settings, find the “Hide apps” option, select the apps to conceal, and confirm.
  • Third-Party Launchers: Some launchers, like Nova Launcher, let you hide apps directly within the home screen settings.

Remember to review the apps you’ve hidden now and then to confirm they’re still necessary to keep concealed. This habit can help you keep your phone secure, organized, and free up some storage space.

Conclusion

In addition to hiding apps, safeguard your device by using a strong, hard-to-guess passcode and multi-factor authentication options like Face ID or fingerprint recognition.

Regularly update your phone’s operating system and apps to benefit from security patches that protect against new threats.

By following these steps, you’ll improve the security of your personal information and gain peace of mind. Whether your goal is to protect sensitive data or simply tidy up your phone screen, hiding apps is an effective and practical solution!

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