🔥 Hidden Apps Need a Fix! Let's Make Nothing OS Smarter 🔧

DJ

Hey Nothing Team & Community! 👋

I’ve found a small but important issue in the Hidden Apps feature on Nothing OS — and I think many of you will relate!

👉 Problem 1: When we hide essential apps like MicroG or icon packs, they stop working in the background. But in older versions, they used to work just fine even when hidden!

👉 Problem 2: Hidden apps always ask for a PIN, even if we’re just hiding them to keep the app drawer clean — not for privacy. That extra step slows everything down. 😮‍💨

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💡 My Suggestions:

1. Let hidden apps still work normally — background services, shortcuts, everything!

2. Add an option to skip PIN for hidden apps — give us the choice!

This isn’t about reducing privacy — just making the experience smoother and smarter. A small tweak, but it could make a big difference! 🙌

Let’s vote it up, fam! 🔼

#NothingOS #FeatureRequest #HiddenAppsFix #NothingCommunity

Nicouschulas

Just give us both, one swipe for hide apps and another for private space or an option to chose. Better the first…

Btw you can set it that you only need to unlock it once after a restart. Maybe this helps a bit

pixcel25

I think you missed the point of private space.

DJ

Hey everyone 👋

So I ran into a problem on Nothing OS that honestly feels like a step backward — and I think many of you might’ve noticed this too:

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🧱 The Problem(s):

1. Hidden apps (like MicroG or icon packs) stop working in the background.

They used to work just fine while hidden — now they don’t run at all.

2. You’re forced to enter a PIN every time you open a hidden app.

Even if you just wanted to hide it to clean up your app drawer. 😩

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🔧 Here’s what we need:

✅ Let hidden apps function normally. Background services, foreground activity, everything.

✅ Add a toggle: “Require PIN for hidden apps – On/Off.”

This way, people hiding apps for privacy still get PIN protection.

But others who just want a cleaner drawer can open them freely.

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🙌 Why it matters:

📲 Power users rely on tools like MicroG

🎨 Icon packs stop working when hidden

🔓 Not everyone wants to enter a PIN constantly

💡 And older Nothing versions did this better!

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📢 Let’s make some noise and bring back the smart behavior!

If you agree — Upvote, Comment & Share 💬

#NothingOS #HiddenApps #FeatureRequest #MakeNothingSmarter

CMF1_hacker

hmmmm … why would a hidden app continue working? it is, by definition, not supposed to be seen, i.e. it’s hidden.

:confused:

DJ

CMF1_hacker Not only we hide the app for privacy something we hide the apps for keeping app drawer clean.

CMF1_hacker

DJ here is the official Android doc

https://source.android.com/docs/security/features/private-space

please note the first sentence:

Private Space enables users to create a secure, isolated environment on their device to keep sensitive apps away from prying eyes. Apps in the private space show up in a separate container in the launcher, and are hidden from the recents view, notifications, settings, and from other apps when the private space is locked.

The sandboxed space is a separate Android profile When the end user adds or installs an app inside private space, the app is installed in this new Android profile. The system treats this as a fresh app install, and no app data is copied over to the private space. When the space is locked, the private profile user is stopped, and when the space is unlocked, the user is started.

Apps in the private space are installed as separate copies of the apps in the main space. User content (user-generated or downloaded) and user accounts are separated between the private space and the main space. You can use the system Sharesheet and the Photo Picker to give apps access to content across spaces only when the private space is unlocked.

Is your private space unlocked?

DJ

CMF1_hacker

Look the is greyed😉

sean (1)

How do we down vote this?

The point of Private Space is to isolate apps securely (with a PIN) to enhance users’ privacy and security.

The reason services supplied by the siloed apps stop working is because they are isolated from the rest of the phone, which is to prevent data sharing. Very important for those of us who wish to maintain our privacy.

Private Space is a huge selling point, for me at least.

Why do you need to ‘hide’ away apps? Is what you’re asking for the option to remove apps from the App Drawer?

Amoled Display

why do you want to hide it when you want to use it all the time?

pixpocker

I agree it would be nice to have both options. The old approach was perfect for uncluttering the app drawer (to hide icons of apps you never need to launch, but that still need to run in the background). I understand that some people actually prefer the new private space, so there should be an option to choose between the two.