Hidden apps on Android: how to find every app on your phone

Your app drawer shows the apps you can open. It does not show everything installed. Android keeps most of its own parts out of the drawer, launchers let people hide icons, and newer versions add private spaces that stay locked away. This guide shows where each kind of hidden app lives and how to bring it into view.

Why does Android hide some apps?

Most of the "hidden" apps on a phone are pieces of the system. The status bar, the keyboard, the dialer's call screen, the print service and dozens of background helpers are all packaged as apps. They have no icon because there is nothing for you to open. Showing them in the drawer would bury the apps you use.

Phone makers and carriers add more of these helpers. A Samsung phone carries packages for Knox, Galaxy Store updates and Samsung account sign-in. A carrier phone adds setup and diagnostic tools. None of them needs an icon to do its job.

So a hidden app is usually not a secret app. It is a part you were never meant to tap.

How do I show system apps in Settings?

Settings is the one place that lists every installed app, icon or not. The list starts out filtered, so you need to turn on the full view. Menu names change a little between versions, so look for the nearest match.

Pixel and Motorola

1. Open Settings > Apps.
2. Tap See all apps.
3. Tap the three-dot menu in the top corner and choose Show system.

Samsung Galaxy

1. Open Settings > Apps.
2. Tap the sort-and-filter icon next to "Your apps".
3. Turn on Show system apps, then tap OK.

Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO

1. Open Settings > Apps > Manage apps.
2. Tap the three-dot menu and choose Show all apps.

OnePlus and OPPO

1. Open Settings > Apps > App management.
2. Tap the three-dot menu and choose Show system.

The list grows from a few dozen entries to a few hundred. That is normal. A new Pixel lists well over a hundred packages, and a Samsung phone with carrier software can pass three hundred.

What does the full list tell me?

Each entry shows a name, an icon and the storage it uses. Tap an entry to open its App info page. That page tells you more than the name does:

• Whether you can uninstall it. If you see Uninstall, the app is removable. If you see Disable, it is a system app that can be turned off. If both are greyed out, the system needs it.
• Its permissions, which show what it can reach: location, camera, contacts and so on.
• Its notifications, battery use and mobile data use.
• The version, near the bottom of the page.

Some entries show only a technical name, such as com.samsung.android.app.spage. That is the package name, the unique ID every Android app has. Our guide to Android package names explains how to read one, and the package lookup tells you what a given name is and whether you can turn it off.

Where else can apps be hidden?

Settings shows every app installed for your user. A few features keep apps out of the drawer on purpose:

• Launcher hiding. Samsung's One UI has "Hide apps on Home and Apps screens" in the home screen settings. Other launchers have similar options. The app still runs and still appears in Settings.
• Private space. On Android 15 and later, private space is a separate, locked area for sensitive apps. Its apps do not show in the main list, in notifications or in Settings while it is locked. You unlock it from the bottom of the app drawer.
• Samsung Secure Folder. Apps inside it run in a separate encrypted area and appear only inside Secure Folder.
• Xiaomi and OnePlus hidden apps. Both skins can hide apps behind a code or gesture in the drawer.
• Work profile. If your phone is managed by an employer or school, work apps sit in a separate tab with a briefcase badge.

If you share a phone, also check Settings > System > Multiple users (the wording varies). Apps installed only for another user do not appear in your list.

How do I spot an app that is hiding on purpose?

A preinstalled system app is rarely the problem. The worry is an app someone else installed to watch you, or a fake app dressed up with a system-sounding name. These checks catch most of them:

1. Look for apps that are not system apps but have no icon, or have a vague name such as "System Service", "Sync" or "Device Health". A genuine system app usually shows Disable rather than Uninstall.
2. Find the list of device admin apps. On a Pixel it is under Settings > Security & privacy > More security & privacy; on Samsung, under Settings > Security and privacy > Other security settings. Searching Settings for "device admin" works on any phone. Anything there that you do not recognize deserves a look.
3. Check which apps have Accessibility access, Notification access and Usage access. Spyware relies on these to read the screen and your messages.
4. Check Install unknown apps under Special app access. A browser or file manager with that switch on can install apps from outside the Play Store.
5. Run a scan in the Play Store: tap your profile picture, then Play Protect, then Scan.

If you use a computer, ADB can list every third-party app and the store it came from. Apps installed from outside a store show no installer.

adb shell pm list packages -3 -i

See how to set up ADB if you have not used it before.

What should I do if I find something I don't recognize?

Look up the name before you act. Many alarming-sounding names are routine parts of the phone, and some routine-looking names belong to carrier or vendor tools you can safely turn off. Our pages give each package a verdict: Keep, Safe to disable, Advanced or Do not remove.

If the app is one you or your phone maker did not install and it holds powerful permissions, revoke those permissions first, then uninstall it from App info. If uninstalling is blocked, remove it from Device admin apps and try again.

One caution if you think someone is monitoring you: removing a monitoring app can alert the person who installed it. If your safety is at risk, make a plan with someone you trust before you remove anything, and consider using a different device for sensitive conversations.