Hide or Block Apps

Hello again,
I was wondering If it is possible to hide Apps or lock them on Android 14 (Pixel 7 Pro).
Reason is I am running a Alarmsystem for my home that I can control per App.
And recently I am starting to think:
What Happens if I loose my Phone?
Looks like I can hide Apps on my wifes Xiaomi Redmi 11 Pro…
As far as I got atm on my Pixel was Microsoft Launcher :joy::crazy_face: nah…thanks

If you lose your phone, relying on some “app hiding” feature of your launcher is a bad idea. Rather think about setting it up in a way so that someone cannot even get into it.

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Your only real defense is your device encryption in case of theft. Do check that whole phone encryption is enabled and a longer PIN (or better yet if you could tolerate, a password) to unlock the phone.

Beyond that, I dont think there are meaningful protection.

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Thats why I ask here. Most simple thing would be to log out.
Problem is no notification in this case :crazy_face:
Probably should contact them aswell
As for now Phone is unlocked with biometrics.

Can you elaborate further, if the phone is already stolen, the only way to logout of your services if the remote server has the ability to close sessions within the phone.


I think thieves would risk a lot by not shutting down your phone because the thief should safely assume you have tracking apps like Find My Phone. Once your phone is shutdown. The encryption key is cleared from RAM and the only way to retrieve it is with the correct PIN/Password that the thief does not have.

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Hey,

Phone is still in possesion.
For now its “Just” a threat model. What
happens if? (the phone is lost/stolen)
And for now I dont have an answer.
In this app its possible to unlock the door etc.

I will call the provider today and ask how they intend to defend against that.

Maby it is as simple as logging out of the App (and the installing mech is wrong about not getting any notifications while logged out)

Your questions are giving me the impression that your device does not have a pin/password/biometrics and is not encrypted. Can you confirm whether this is the case or not?

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To answer the question. There are many app lock apps available on Play Store, but none of the maintained apps are open source. This seems to be the best solution to your problem, at least, before you can go to the find my device website to wipe your phone remotely.


Seeing this question makes me think about a scenario where I drink my coffee and use my phone at some café, then my phone got stolen by a thief (the screen is currently unlocked). This is a huge security issue, so my next phone should:

  1. Have native app lock feature.
  2. Support custom ROM that has this feature.

This is the best solution in this thread, to be honest. If your phone supports Android Work Profiles you can just install Island, put your sensitive apps in there, and configure a separate password for your work profile to lock those apps when not in use.

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I used to use Island, but never tried to set a password for the profile. But if I unlocked the profile and currently using an app inside the profile, then if my phone got stolen at that exact moment, I am doom, right?

I unlock the phone via biometrics / pin.
But I havent set up find my device. Will do aswell👍🏾
Edit Never mind. Dont have to set it up. Google did that

It seems the app lock feature that’s free of ads is residing in the antivirus software these days :joy:

ESET, Bitdefender, Avira.

I am not sure whether installing any of them would worth the app lock feature, though.

Yes that is true. The main advantage is that it’s an actual security feature and not a trivially bypassable hack like a custom launcher or app locking app.

1 Like

Thanks for the Tips so far. I will check out Island and reoprt back.
Problem with Eset (and Bitdefender). They are simple to uninstal. Lock gone.
I’m using Sophos Intercept X (just for scanning Apps I Download)

I don’t need to be logged in the app.
If there is a burglary they will call me.
:crazy_face::crazy_face::crazy_face::crazy_face:
All other (configured) notifications will be sent via email or SMS.
What I will not get is push notifications.
Well guess I should have called them first.
:joy::grin:
Thanks for the feedbacks though :+1:t5: