Hiding an app removes it from the App Drawer and from search. It does not uninstall it or stop it working — it stops Toolrack from showing it to anyone looking over your shoulder.
Hiding an app
Two ways, whichever is closer to hand:
- From the drawer — long-press an app and use Hide app. The same menu unhides it.
- From settings — Settings › Hidden apps lists every installed app with a checkbox.
Getting them back
Hidden apps are reached with a two-finger drag on the open App Drawer. Put two fingers anywhere on the drawer and pull down; the hidden panel slides into view.
It is deliberately not a scroll-to-the-bottom gesture or an edge swipe. A second finger is already unmistakably different from ordinary one-finger scrolling, so the gesture cannot be performed by accident and works anywhere on the drawer rather than in one specific spot.
The gesture only works while the drawer is fully open — never directly from Home.
The lock
Settings › Hidden apps › Verification controls what the reveal asks for.
| Level | What you need |
|---|---|
| No verification | Nothing — the panel just opens |
| Device PIN, pattern, or password | Your device lock. This is the default. |
| Biometric | Fingerprint or face, falling back to your device credential |
Hidden apps are hidden for a reason, so out of the box the reveal asks for your device lock rather than opening freely. On a device with no screen lock set, the prompt reports that there is nothing to check against — drop the level to No verification if that is what you want.
:::info The panel can move before it unlocks Sliding the panel into view and unlocking its contents are two separate things. The panel follows your fingers immediately, so the gesture feels responsive, but it shows “Authenticate to view hidden apps” rather than your apps until the check actually passes. Nothing about which apps you have hidden is visible before then. :::
Closing the panel re-locks it. There is no window during which it stays unlocked.
If nothing is hidden
The reveal gesture does nothing until you have hidden at least one app. There is no empty panel to find and no hint that the gesture exists — which is the point.