How to hide the icons of applications on Xiaomi Poco F3: from system to user

Xiaomi Poco F3 is one of the most popular smartphones among fans of productive devices at an affordable price. However, even on such a flagship, the MIUI shell can create chaos on the desktop due to the abundance of app icons, folders and widgets. If you are tired of visual noise or want to hide confidential programs from prying eyes, this article is for you.

We'll discuss 5 working ways to hide icons on Poco F3 without root rights, from standard MIUI features to workarounds for system applications. All methods have been tested on the latest firmware (MIUI 14/13) and do not require the installation of dubious launchers. Importantly, some methods may differ depending on the regional version of the software, we will warn you about this in advance.

Before you start, check the version of your shell in Settings → About Phone → MIUI. If you have global firmware (MIUI Global), some of the features may be limited – read about this in the section on alternative methods.

1. Standard Hiding of Icons through MIUI Settings

The easiest way is to use the built-in app hide feature, which works for custom programs (installed through the Play Market or APK), but does not affect system utilities like the Camera or Phone.

Instructions:

• 📱 Open Settings and go to the Applications → Application management.
• 🔍 In the upper right corner, click on three dots and select Hide Apps.
• ✅ Check the boxes of the programs that you want to remove from the desktop.
• 💾 Confirm the action with the button Ready.

⚠️ Attention: The apps that are hidden in this way won't disappear from the menu of all apps (swipe up from the desktop) they will just stop showing up on the home screen. To bring them back, repeat the steps and uncheck the boxes.

Make sure the application is not system-friendly | Backup important data | Check if there are widgets from this application on the screen | Remember the name of the hidden program

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This method is suitable for 90% of user applications, but has limitations:

2. Hiding system applications through the "Second Space"

If you need to hide system programs (like Gallery or Screen Records), the standard method won’t work, and the Second Space feature will help, which is essentially creating a second user profile with a separate desktop.

How to set up:

1. Go to Settings → Special Opportunities → Second Space.
2. Create a new space and set it up (you can choose a minimalist launcher).
3. In the main space, remove unnecessary icons – they will remain available in the second.
4. Switch between swipe spaces by the Home button (setting in the function parameters).

🔹 Pros: Works for all applications, including system ones, and disadvantages: you have to switch between spaces, and some notifications can be duplicated.

⚠️ Note: When using the second space, some banking applications (Sberbank, Tinkoff) may require re-authorization due to a change in the device ID.

3.Use of folders and gestures for disguise

If you don’t need to hide apps completely, but just make them less visible, use folders with transparent icons and gestures:

Method 1: Invisible folder

• 📁 Create a new folder on your desktop.
• 🖼️ Move all unnecessary icons there.
• 🎨 Set a transparent icon for the folder (use apps like Icon Changer from Play Market).
• 📛 Rename the folder to a space or invisible character (copy it from the Internet).

Method 2: Gesture to call hidden applications

In Poco F3, you can set up a double-touch gesture to quickly access hidden programs:

1. Open Settings → Additional → Gestures and movements.
2. Select Double Touch and assign the action Open the App Menu.
3. Now, double-tapping on the screen will show all programs, including those hidden in the standard way.

Standard Hiding via Settings |Second Space |Transparent Folders |Third-Party Launchers |Another option

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💡 Useful advice: Combine the methods to make the most of the cloaking, for example, hide the applications in the standard way, and then put them in the invisible folder in the second space, so that even with a random swipe upwards, the icons will not be visible.

4. Third-party launchers: Nova Launcher and others

If the built-in methods don't suit you, consider alternative launchers, which offer advanced icon hiding settings, including:

• 🔄 Hiding system applications (in Nova Launcher via Long Press) → Settings → Hide applications).
• 📂 Grouping into hidden folders with a password (App Drawer Groups function).
• 🎨 Complete customization of appearance (transparency, sizes, gestures).

📌 Recommended launchers for Poco F3:

⚠️ Note: When using third-party launchers, turn off optimization MIUI For them, otherwise you might have lags. → Annexes → Application management → Threefold → Special access → Optimizing the battery.

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5. Hiding icons without removal (for power users)

If you're ready to experiment, you can hide icons without completely removing apps using the Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a technique that works for system programs that can't be disabled by standard means.

🛠️ Step-by-step instruction:

1. Turn on Developer Mode (7 times click on the MIUI version in your phone settings).
2. Activate USB Debugging in Settings → Additional → For developers.
3. Connect Poco F3 to your PC and execute the command: adb shell pm hide com.android.package Replace com.android.package with the name of the application package (you can find it through the App Inspector from the Play Market).

⚠️ Attention: Misuse of the right ADB Don't hide critical services like com.android.systemui, which will cause a cyclical reboot.

🔹 How to Return a Hidden Application:

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.android.package

Then:

adb shell cmd package install-existing com.android.package

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Alternative methods: disabling notifications and widgets

Sometimes the problem isn't with the icons themselves, but with the accompanying visual noise -- notifications and widgets. Here's how to deal with it:

📵 Disabling notifications for hidden applications:

• 🔔 Go to Settings. → Notifications → Management of notifications.
• 🔕 Find the right app and turn off all switches.
• 📌 For complete concealment, set the notification category as "No sound and no icon".

🧩 Removal of widgets:

Widgets often take up space on the desktop even after the main icon is hidden.

1. Long press the widget.
2. Drag it up to the "Delete" (or "Remove from the screen") label.
3. Confirm the action.

💡 Advice MIUI 14: New firmware versions have a Smart Desktop feature that automatically sorts icons into categories. To turn it off and return the classic look, go to Launcher Settings. → Home screen → Smart Desktop and Deactivate the Option.

Frequent Questions (FAQ)