Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone owners often face the challenge of restricting access to certain software, whether it’s a banking app, personal photos, or just games that shouldn’t be noticed by outsiders. The standard MIUI or HyperOS interface provides powerful tools for this, but they’re not always obvious at first glance. Hiding an icon is just the first step towards true digital hygiene and the security of your data.
Many users mistakenly believe that data protection requires sophisticated third-party software. In fact, modern Xiaomi shells have built-in protection mechanisms that are more stable and do not consume battery. In this article, we will discuss all the available methods, from standard features to advanced settings that will help you make invisible any applications on your device.
Use of the built-in application “Hide of applications”
The most reliable and secure method is to use the system feature that Xiaomi developers have implemented in the shell of MIUI. This tool not only hides the icon from the desktop, but also requires authorization to access content. To activate this feature, you need to open the standard Security app, which is preinstalled on each smartphone of the brand.
Inside the Security menu, you scroll down to Hide Apps, and you'll be asked to create a password other than the unlock password, or use biometrics, and it's important to remember that once you activate the mode, the icons of the selected programs will disappear from the desktop and from the menu of all applications, becoming available only through a special gesture.
- 🔒 Open the Security app and find the Hiding section.
- 🔑 Create a unique password or use a fingerprint to log in.
- 📱 Choose from the list the programs that you want to make invisible.
- 🖐️ Use a gesture to access: swipe your finger up on the desktop and hold it.
Once you have set up the hidden applications, you will have to put two fingers on the screen and spread them out (or swipe them up, depending on the version of MIUI), and you will open the hidden space where your protected programs will be, and this is the only built-in way to completely remove the application icon from the general menu without using third-party launchers.
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If you have forgotten the password from hidden applications, you can only restore access through the Mi Account account associated with the device, so do not forget the login details.
Configure the second space for data separation
The Second Space feature is one of the most powerful features of the Xiaomi ecosystem, which creates an actual replica of the operating system inside your phone, and you get two completely independent desktops, one with a password or a fingerprint hidden, which is the perfect solution if you don't just hide the icon, but completely isolate the data.
Switching between spaces is instantaneous through a notification curtain or a special widget on the desktop. In the Second Space, you can install your own versions of apps, use a different Google account, and even another one. SIM-Card (if the phone supports Dual) SIM). For an outsider who took your phone, the existence of a second space would be completely invisible without knowing the unlock code.
⚠️ Note: When you delete the second space, all data, photos and applications installed inside it will be permanently deleted.
To activate, go to Settings → Second Space and click “Enable.” The system will suggest configuring the switching method: it can be a separate fingerprint (for example, you enter hidden mode with your pinky) or a password. The uniqueness of the method is that the applications in the second space occupy space in memory separately, and their work does not affect the main profile.
☑️ Configuring the Second Space
Restriction of access through the function "Application Protection"
If your goal is not so much to hide the presence of an app as to prevent unauthorized access to it, App Lock is perfect. It doesn't remove the icon from the screen, but every time you run it, you need to enter a password, pin code, or fingerprint, and that creates an additional security barrier for the curious.
You can set up protection through the Security app or in the general system settings under Applications, select a list of programs that need protection and set a common password. MIUI also allows you to hide the content of notifications from secure applications on a locked screen, which increases privacy.
This method is particularly effective for instant messengers and social networks, and even if someone unlocks your phone, they won’t be able to open a Telegram or gallery without additional confirmation, but it’s worth considering that the icon itself remains visible, so the method does not hide the fact that the application is used, but only blocks the login.
- 🛡️ A password request appears every time you run a selected application.
- 🔔 Ability to hide the text of notifications on the locked screen.
- ⚙️ Flexible customization: you can only protect specific chats or albums.
- 👆 Support for biometric unlocking for quick access.
An important aspect is setting the lock time: you can choose to ask for a password immediately after the screen is turned off or after 1, 5, 10 or 30 minutes of downtime, which allows you to balance between usability and security level.
Use of third-party launchers for camouflage
The standard MIUI launcher has limitations that can be circumvented by installing a third-party shell, and launchers like Nova Launcher, Microsoft Launcher, or Smart Launcher allow apps to be hidden from the menu, making them available only through search or special folders, which gives you more flexibility in visual design and visibility management.
Once you install a third-party launcher, you'll need to give it the necessary permissions in the system settings. The launcher's settings menu usually has a "Hidden Apps" or "App Drawer" section. Here you can choose programs that should not be displayed in the general list. However, it's worth noting that some Xiaomi system features may not work properly with third-party shells.
| Launcher | Difficulty setting up | Hiding from the menu | Resource consumption |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nova Launcher | Medium | Yes (Prime version) | Low. |
| Microsoft Launcher | Low. | Yes (free) | Average. |
| Smart Launcher 6 | Tall. | Yes. | Low. |
| Apex Launcher | Medium | Yes. | Low. |
With third-party launchers, you often lose the ability to use some MIUI gestures, such as swipes to open applications or one-handed control.In addition, Xiaomi’s power saving system can aggressively “kill” third-party launcher processes, so it needs to be added to the startup and remove background restrictions.
Why can’t the launcher work consistently?
Creating fake folders and renaming
A psychological defense that is often underestimated is creating folders that are deceptive, so you can put a hidden or password-protected application in a folder called Calculator, System Processes, or Weather, and it looks like a set of utilities that are not of interest to the outsider.
Some calculator apps in the Play Market have a secret function: if you type in a pin and hit the equal sign, they open a hidden gallery or file store, and when you combine it with the icon hiding feature, you get a double layer of protection. Nobody looks at the calculator.
You can also use shortcut renaming. While standard MIUI tools can be difficult to rename an app without third-party utilities, creating a shortcut through widgets or special programs allows you to give the app any name, such as renaming Instagram as Google Services or File Manager.
⚠️ Warning: Don’t hide important system applications or services that are necessary for the phone to run. Hiding or stopping them can cause the operating system to malfunction or lose communication.
The good thing about this method is that it doesn't require complex security settings, but it relies on "security through stealth." If the person who picked up the phone doesn't know what to look for and how it's disguised, they're unlikely to open the Calculator for personal photos.
Frequent questions and technical nuances
Users often face questions about performance and security during the setup process, and it is important to understand that hiding applications is software-based cloaking, not file system-level encryption (unless Second Space is used), so if the phone falls into the hands of a professional hacker with physical memory access, the data can be recovered.
But for household situations where children, friends or colleagues can take a phone, the methods described are quite sufficient: the combination of Second Space and password protection gives a level of security comparable to banking, and do not forget to regularly update the MIUI system, since updates often contain security patches.
If you decide to remove a hidden application, first remove it from the hide mode. Deleting a program that is in hidden mode can sometimes lead to errors in the registry or leaving junk files. It is better to make the application visible first, and then delete in a standard way.
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The combination of methods (Hidden + Password + Second Space) provides maximum protection, but requires remembering several actions to access.