How to hide the WhatsApp icon
Do you want hide WhatsApp, so as to make the icon of the famous instant messaging app invisible? There are various tricks you can take to do this and, in the next few lines, we'll take a closer look at some of them.
Android
Su Android, you can remove the WhatsApp icon using a third-party launcher equipped with a function to hide the icons of the drawer, such as the very famous Nova Launcher Prime, which costs 4,50 euros. After purchasing this powerful launcher, you will need to go to Settings> Home page of Android and set it as the default of your device by placing the check mark next to its name.
Once this is done, go to the Android Home screen, access the Nova Launcher settings by pressing your finger on the screen for a few seconds and selecting the icon Settings which appears below. In the screen that opens, tap on the item App menu, Then Hide app and put the check mark next to the icon WhatsApp. Once this is done, go back to the home screen and open the drawer to make sure that the changes have actually been implemented.
If the idea of installing an alternative launcher does not excite you, know that you can hide the WhatsApp icon from your device using some ad hoc applications, such as AppHider, which however, as you can well imagine, only work on rooted devices. : if you want to know more, consult the guide in which I explain in more detail how to hide apps on Android
iPhone
If you have a iPhone, the easiest way to hide the WhatsApp icon is to activate the restrictions of iOS 12 (or later) and hide the category of app in which WhatsApp falls (in reality it is also the only "official" method to do so, since on iOS there are no alternative launchers or apps like AppHider). To proceed, go to Settings pressing the gray icon depicting the gears located on the Home screen, tap on the item Usage time I awarded her Utilizza codice "Tempo di utilizzo" to set the PIN you want to use to block access to WhatsApp.
At this point, go on App limitations, type in the PIN you set just now and tap on the item Aggiungi LIMITATION OF USE. At this point, put the check mark next to the item Social network, award-winning Add, set the social networking app usage timer a 0 pray and 1 min (the minimum possible) and press on the item Customize days to choose the days of the week on which to apply the block. Now, start WhatsApp, wait 1 minute and access to the application will be blocked with the PIN you set earlier.
If you want to keep the block active for WhatsApp but want to authorize the execution of other social networking apps, go to the menu Settings> Screen Time> Always Allowed and select, from the screen that opens, the apps you want to allow on your iPhone. If, on the other hand, you want to revoke the block for WhatsApp and all the other social apps, go to the menu Settings> Screen Time> App Restrictions> Social Networks e pulsing sul pulsating Eliminate limitation.
Does the idea of setting restrictions to hide the WhatsApp app icon on your iPhone not thrill you? If you have a jailbroken device, you can install tweak di Cydia (like Springtomize) which allow you to hide apps quite simply. If, on the other hand, you have an iPhone updated to iOS 9 (or an earlier version), you can try to create hidden folders using a bug (fixed on iOS 10 and later versions). For more information on both of these solutions, take a look at the guide in which I show in detail how to hide apps on iPhone.
How to hide WhatsApp activities on Android
You wish to know how to hide whatsapp on android, in the sense that you want to prevent other people from viewing the data regarding your last access, your conversations, read receipts and so on? Well, then follow the instructions contained in the next paragraphs and you will see that you will succeed without problems.
Last access
hide the last access to WhatsApp su Android, pigia sul pulsating (...) located at the top right and tap on the item Settings in the box that opens. Then go up Account> Privacy, presses on the voice Last access and put the check mark on the item Nobody if you want to make sure that no one is able to trace the last time you used WhatsApp or choose the option My contacts to allow only your contacts to trace this data. If, on the other hand, you want to hide the last access for one contact only, you simply have to block it.
In case of second thoughts, you can restore the display of the last access to WhatsApp by going to Settings> Account> Privacy and selecting the option All. For more information on how to hide the last access to WhatsApp on Android, consult the guide I just linked to you.
Chat
Do you want to hide the chat of WhatsApp? No problem - just use the function Archive made available by the famous messaging platform and that's it. To proceed, select the tab Chat of WhatsApp, locate the chat to archive, make a long tap on it and select the item Archive chat give the menu check if you press.
To retrieve an archived chat, go to the tab again Chat application, scroll the screen to the bottom, select the item Archived chats and, to bring the conversation back to the main WhatsApp screen, make a long tap on it and select the item Estrai chat dall'archivio give the menu check if you press.
If, on the other hand, you want to prevent someone from accessing your conversations by blocking WhatsApp with a password, you have to go to the menu Settings> Account> Privacy> Fingerprint Lock and activate the lever for the function Unlock with fingerprint, to enable chat blocking via fingerprint sensor or face unlock. More info here.
Contacts
WhatsApp does not offer the ability to hide contacts present on your phone, however you can manage to hide them simply by changing the information. To proceed, press the tab Chat and tap on contact photo that you want to hide.
Pigia, then, on (I) present in the box that opens, tap the button (...) che si trova in alto a destra e seleciona la voce View in the address book from the menu that appears. He then clicks on the icon of the pencil, delete the telephone number of the contact you are editing from the appropriate text field, enter it in the field Notes and, finally, presses the button Go back to save the changes made.
Now all you have to do is update your contacts (to do this, just select the tab Contacts, press the button (...) I will select the voice Update from the menu that opens) and, if everything went well, the edited contact should be removed from WhatsApp. For more information on how to hide contacts on WhatsApp, see the guide I just linked to you.
Notifications
Do you want to hide the notifications coming from WhatsApp, so as to avoid that someone can check the previews of new messages received from the lock-screen? To proceed, go to the app Settings (the icon depicting the gears located on the Home screen), tap on the item Notifications, presses on the voice Applications, select WhatsApp and move up ON the switch located in correspondence with the wording Block.
The procedure I have just indicated may vary slightly depending on the device you have, but the steps you will need to take should not be so different from the ones I have shown you. If you have any difficulties, however, do not hesitate to consult the guide in which I show how to disable WhatsApp notifications on Android.
Read confirmations
To hide the read confirmations of WhatsApp, ie the so-called "blue ticks" that allow contacts to know if a message has been read or not, do as follows: press the button (...) located at the top right, select the item Settings from the menu that opens, go to Account> Privacy, scroll to the bottom of the screen that opens and remove the check mark from the item Read confirmations.
From now on, your contacts will no longer be able to view read receipts (and neither can you, unless you reactivate the option you disabled earlier). As for the group chats, however, the read receipts will continue to be viewable.
In case of second thoughts, to restore the setting you changed earlier, you will have to go back to Settings> Account> Privacy I will select the voice Read confirmations. For more information on how to disable WhatsApp read receipts, consult the guide I just linked to.
State
You want to hide the content you post in the state of WhatsApp? Nothing could be simpler: press on the card State of WhatsApp, press the button (...) and tap on the item State privacy.
Then choose who to show your updates to by checking one of the proposed options: My contacts, to allow all your contacts to view the status; My contacts except ... to allow all your contacts to view the status, except for selected ones or Share with, to share the status only with some chosen contacts. If you want more information on how the WhatsApp status works, read the guide I published on my blog.
How to hide WhatsApp activities on iPhone
Also on iPhone it's possible hide WhatsApp activities: in the next lines, I will show you how to do it, so as to prevent other people from viewing the data regarding your last access, your conversations, read receipts and so on.
Last access
To hide theLast Access to WhatsApp on iPhone, tap on the item Settings located at the bottom right of the main screen of the app and select the items Account> Privacy> Last Accessed from the screen that opens.
At this point, select the option Nobody if you want to prevent everyone from viewing the date of your last access to WhatsApp, or press the option My contacts to allow your contacts to view the data in question. If, on the other hand, you want to hide the last access for a contact only, you will simply have to block it.
In case of second thoughts, you can restore the display of the last access to WhatsApp by going back to Settings> Account> Privacy > Last access and then selecting the option All. For more information on how to remove the last access on WhatsApp, read the article I linked to you.
Chat
If you are going to hide chats of WhatsApp on iPhone, you can take advantage of the storage function offered by the popular messaging app. To proceed, select the tab Chat located at the bottom left, swipe from right to left on the title of the conversation you want to archive and press the blue button Archive.
If you want to retrieve an archived chat, press the tab again Chat, drag the screen down and tap on the item Archived chats. Then swipe from right to left on the title of the chat you want to restore, press the blue button Extract And that's it. For more information on how to hide chats on WhatsApp, consult the tutorial dedicated to the topic.
To block access to WhatsApp with Face ID or Touch ID, instead, go to the tab Settings of the app, navigate to Account> Privacy> Screen lock e attiva la levetta relative alla funzione Request Face ID (o touch ID). More info here.
Contacts
As I have already explained to you in the chapter on Android, WhatsApp does not offer the possibility to hide the contacts on your phone, but you can still be able to hide them by changing their information. To proceed, press the tab Chat, do tap sul contact name that you want to hide, press once again on his name (above) and presses on the voice Modification located at the top right.
Then cut the cellphone number from the appropriate text field, paste it into the Notes e pulsing sul pulsating Done to complete the operation. If everything went well, the contact will be removed from the WhatsApp list. If you want to deepen the subject and get more information on how to hide contacts on WhatsApp, read the in-depth guide that I linked to you.
Notifications
Would you like to hide the notifications coming from WhatsApp and you don't know how to do it? Just go and disable them from the app settings. Then go to the card Settings located at the bottom right, select the item Notifications from the menu that opens and moves up OFF the notifications levers for messages and groups located next to the words Show notification And that's it.
If you change your mind, you will have to go back to Settings> Notifications I will post your ON the switches placed next to the words Show notification. For more information on how to disable WhatsApp notifications, take a look at the guide I just linked to you.
Read confirmations
Do you want to disable the read confirmations of WhatsApp on iPhone? To proceed, select the tab Settings located at the bottom right of the main WhatsApp screen, select the items Account> Privacy from the screen that opens and then move up OFF l'interruttore situato in corrispondenza della dicitura Read confirmations.
From now on, others will not know if and when you read their messages (as they will not see the blue ticks) and the same will be true for you. As for the group chats, however, the read receipts will continue to be viewable.
If you decide to restore the read receipts, you will need to go back to Settings> Account> Privacy I will post your ON the toggle next to the option Read confirmations. For more information on how to disable read receipts on WhatsApp, read the in-depth article I linked to you.
State
Are you going to hide the content you post in the state of WhatsApp? I guarantee you that doing it is not at all complicated: to proceed, press the tab Settings of WhatsApp (bottom right), click on the items Account> Privacy> Status and choose the privacy option you prefer: My contacts, to allow all your contacts to view your status updates; My contacts except ..., to allow all your contacts to view the status, except for some users chosen by you or Share only with ..., to share the status with only some contacts.
Have you seen that it is not at all difficult to hide WhatsApp status? If you want to have more information on how WhatsApp status works, take a look at the article I just linked to.
