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Each of us has information on our phones that we want to keep private. There are some apps we want to bury deep down, but you can always add some kind of biometric authentication to make sure no one else unlocks your device.
This can include social media apps that you don't want to check every few minutes or banking apps that hold important information.
When it comes to putting specific apps behind a passcode, OxygenOS had one of the greatest implementations of any Android skin. Regrettably, the way you access and use the secret space on your OnePlus phone has completely changed as a result of the way OxygenOS 12 handles privacy features.
This post will explain how to conceal apps on OxygenOS 12 and subsequently access them if necessary.
How Did Your Hidden Apps Fare?
In earlier versions of OxygenOS, hiding apps and opening them with a right swipe in the app drawer were both possible. This revealed a secret area that may be secured with a passcode or pin.
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This made it nearly effortless to open your hidden apps because they were conveniently located only a swipe away. For better or worse (mainly for the worse), OxygenOS 12 no longer uses the hidden space to the left of your app drawer and instead uses a whole new system launcher.
You shouldn't be concerned if you recently updated your OnePlus phone and can't find your hidden apps where they usually are. Neither the feature nor any of your apps have been deleted. Simply put, there has been a significant change in how you access them.
How to Access Apps While Hiding Them in OxygenOS 12
In addition to the plethora of new features in OxygenOS 12, OnePlus has adopted a more streamlined approach to privacy, grouping the majority of the key privacy-focused features like hidden applications, Private Safe, and App Locker under a single menu.
You must first set a privacy passcode in order to use the hidden apps space in OxygenOS 12.
Select Hide apps from the Privacy Protection section of Settings > Privacy.
You will be asked to input an access code here every time you want to access your hidden apps, as well as a six-digit pin for accessing the privacy features. The access code can have up to 16 digits and must begin and end with a #.
You can choose which apps you want to conceal after setting up your privacy and access codes.
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Any apps you've hidden won't appear in your app drawer or even in search results anymore.
You must use the Phone app to enter the access code in order to regain access to your hidden apps. When you do this, a folder containing all of your stored apps will appear.
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This initially appears to be a more secure method of safeguarding your sensitive data. However, the increased friction that OnePlus introduced in the ColorOS-inspired upgrade hasn't been well received by the majority of customers. To make matters worse, you won't be able to use any third-party dialer programmes to access the hidden space, therefore you may need to find alternative methods of hiding Android apps.
In OxygenOS 12, the hidden apps also act a little differently. As soon as you leave the app or move to another one, they will disappear and leave no trace in the recent app switcher. Under the privacy choices, there is an additional choice to turn off notifications for your hidden apps.
Strengthen Your Privacy
You can use the excellent privacy features provided by a number of Android manufacturers to keep your private information private. Android has been constantly increasing the emphasis it places on privacy, so when OEMs like OnePlus implement these features on their devices, you should try to maximise them.
