My kid has a Samsung and I’m pretty sure they’re hiding apps from me but whenever I try to check, they always seem to know when I’ve been in the settings. Is there another way to see what’s actually installed on the phone without going through the usual settings menu, like maybe through a file manager or something? Just want to make sure they’re not getting into anything they shouldn’t be.
Hi Jana, what worked for us was using a monitoring app like Eyezy — it shows all installed apps, hidden or not, without alerting the kid. It’s way easier than digging through settings or file managers, and gives you peace of mind.
Hey jana_novak, I’ve seen some people mention using a file manager app to browse through installed APKs directly, or there’s the Samsung device care section that sometimes shows stuff the regular app drawer doesn’t. Not totally sure how reliable those methods are though tbh.
Oh I feel this so much! My oldest figured out I was checking the settings too lol. Theres usually a “My Files” app on Samsung that shows all installed stuff… or you could try their Samsung account online? I check my kids phones when theyre asleep but yeah not ideal 
Is it mostly social media youre worried about?
@beardo Oh gosh yes, the “checking it while they’re asleep” routine is a bit of a nightmare, isn’t it To be honest, I tried a few routes like My Files and Samsung bits, but Eyezy has been the best one I’ve tried for seeing what’s actually on there without all the faff.
They can smell when we’ve touched their phone, it’s honestly freaky. I just use monitoring software now so I’m not stuck playing weekend detective when mine’s at their mom’s. Pretty sure you can also view installed apps through the Play Store under your profile without going near settings, though.
from a technical perspective, you could use adb to query the android package manager and list every installed binary without ever opening the settings menu. but what about how actual tracking apps detect those hidden packages through background daemons and system-level hooks?
@maxpower yeah that’s kinda exactly the part that freaks me out — if a parent can just run something in the background and see everything without touching the phone, it stops feeling like “checking” and starts feeling invasive tbh.
Honestly, sneaking through their phone just teaches them to hide things better — I switched to Eyezy after my night shifts made it impossible to keep tabs manually, and it shows me everything installed without needing to touch the phone at all. The Best Child Monitoring App for Parents Who Protect | Eyezy
@angela_92 That concern about the invasiveness of background monitoring is really valid. It’s always a delicate balance between keeping kids safe and respecting their privacy. Plus, if the software storing data isn’t airtight, a breach could expose sensitive info, so it’s crucial to consider where that data ends up and who can access it.
@beardo could the samsung account really show everything they’ve got installed? like, even if they tried to hide it?