If you need to find hidden data and apps on Android phone, there are various options which you can explore. At times, your Android device may get so crammed with data and apps that tracing each one of them becomes a daunting task. With the three methods detailed in the following sections, you will be able to find hidden data and apps on Android phone with ease. These methods are using a file manager, using either a Windows or Mac computer. Before we delve into the procedure, you might want to check out How To Recover Deleted or lost Messages, photos, videos and files On Android Phones. Incase that is not what you are looking for, then read on for finding hidden files on smartphone.
We have outlined below some of the ways to show or display, view and have access to hidden apps on your android phone. The same can be used to view hidden files on your android phone. You took a photo and you cant find it in the gallery, read on to find out where it is hidden. The same applies to other files such as videos, music and documents. We have discussed below the possible solutions to finding lost files on android.
Using a File Manager
Go to the play store and search for a file manager app. After finding the one you desire, install it to your device. When done, open the file to start exploring the files in your phone. Your device will ask you to grant some privileges to the app specifically allowing it to access files on your device.
In this state, you will only have access to the files that are already visible to you. To access the hidden files, go the settings of the file explorer app and click on Show Hidden Files and Folders option. You can thus find the files and apps that were previously hidden. Most files that are hidden are stored in folders whose name starts with a full stop (.) For example, if you want to hide a folder named cartoons, simple type it as .cartoons and it’ll be hidden. The Android operating system all uses the same method to hide files and folders.
Using a Windows PC
Your should have a laptop or desktop or Windows tablet with a USB cable for this method to work. After firing up your Windows PC, connect it to the device through the USB cable. Make sure that, on the options that appear in recognition to the USB cable, you have selected the Media device (MTP) option. Launch the My Computer folder on your computer where you will see the name of your device there. Open it then find the search bar on the top right corner. If you need to find a jpg file, type in *jpg and click the enter button. All files that have the jpg extension will be revealed whether hidden or not. You can do the same for png, doc and many other file types.
Using Mac
To find hidden data and apps on Android phone using a Mac computer, you will need to have a USB cable and the Android File Transfer app on your Mac. Given that the Mac and Android devices were not built to directly exchange files, this is your way of getting around that inhibition. After downloading the Androidfiletransfer.dmg file, click on it and you will see the green Android robot with a USB end in one hand. Move it to the Applications folder and the file will be installed. When you connect the two via a USB cable, you will be able to browse the files and folders on your Android device to locate any files whether hidden or not.
