Once deemed the flagship killer brand, now transformed into a flagship itself, OnePlus has gained millions of loyal customers worldwide as well as made some cool products since it launched its first phone in April 2014, which ran on CyanogenMod.

With later versions, OnePlus shifted to OxygenOS, a proprietary skin that runs over stock Android, and provides an almost clutter-free experience. Alongwith changes in the design elements, OxygenOS also brings some added functionality to the Android experience.

Privacy is paramount, be it in real life or the digital ecosphere. Apps are the lifeline of smartphones as almost every major service and website have created an app that offers more convenience to users. However, if you keep lending your phone to friends or family, it makes sense to keep your personal stuff secured privately.

OnePlus offers users an option to hide apps via a built-in feature of the OxygenOS — no third-party app required. Here we’ve put together a simple guide to help you hide your apps on OnePlus phones. Note that the steps listed below are from a OnePlus phone running OxygenOS 9.0.9 (Android 9 Pie).

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How to hide apps in OnePlus phones (OxygenOS)?

To hide apps in OnePlus phone running OxygenOS, follow the steps below.

• Swipe up from the home screen to open the app menu of your phone.
• Then swipe from left to right until an ‘eye’ icon appears on the left of the display towards the centre and half of the apps are drawn out of the screen towards the right.
• On the next page, tap on the ‘plus (+)’ sign at the top-right of the display.
• Now choose the apps that you wish to hide in your OnePlus smartphone.
• Click on the ‘←’ button at the top-left of the display to save the changes.

The apps that you’ve selected will be hidden from the main app menu.

How to password-protect hidden apps?

You can also protect the apps you hide with a password, which can be a PIN as well as fingerprint or face unlock. To set a password for the hidden apps on a OnePlus smartphone, follow the steps mentioned below.

• On the hidden app screen, tap on the three-dot menu button on the top-right of the display.
• Then tap on Enable password.
• On the next screen, either set a PIN or enable the biometric lock.

Now you’ll need a password to access your hidden apps.

How to unhide apps on OnePlus smartphones?

Go to the hidden apps space and follow the steps below.

• Tap and hold the app that you wish to unhide.
• From the options, tap on Unhide.

Your app won’t be hidden anymore and can be accessed by anyone who uses the phone.

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