Ahh, I wasn't sure how deep the app drawer went into the OS and if it was something a 3rd party developer could make. I know Nova launcher lets you heavily customize it, but doesn't actually create the app drawer itself.
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Death of the App Drawer
- Thread starter JaySoul
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Ahh, I wasn't sure how deep the app drawer went into the OS and if it was something a 3rd party developer could make. I know Nova launcher lets you heavily customize it, but doesn't actually create the app drawer itself.
Xiaomi's MIUI and many other Chinese OEM custom skins have done this for over half a decade now. I figured Google and the other OEMs would follow suit.
It doesn't bother me because Android users have custom launchers. If we didn't have the app drawer, then it would personally bother me because I'm picky in not only what to see on the homescreen but also like to hide apps in the drawer. My homescreen is only ONE page of apps. Nova have this options on the top left tab - all apps and my apps. I hate the clutter like I see on iOS and this includes folders.
It doesn't bother me because Android users have custom launchers. If we didn't have the app drawer, then it would personally bother me because I'm picky in not only what to see on the homescreen but also like to hide apps in the drawer. My homescreen is only ONE page of apps. Nova have this options on the top left tab - all apps and my apps. I hate the clutter like I see on iOS and this includes folders.
Choice, choice, choice. I'm for choice and eliminating the App drawer would be an anti-choice move.
There is nothing preventing users from having every app appear on their homescreens if that's their wish. They can even set it to auto-populate with every install. So ditching the App drawer isn't giving users anything new. Indeed, it's quite the opposite, taking away the choice to not have some, all, little used etc. apps on homescreens.
Honestly, this is just another example where I smdh wondering if developers actually use the products the design.
...adding, the only undisputed winners of this move would be bloatware makers, who'll be guaranteed their apps will be on display. Hope you anti-choicers enjoy looking at that...
There is nothing preventing users from having every app appear on their homescreens if that's their wish. They can even set it to auto-populate with every install. So ditching the App drawer isn't giving users anything new. Indeed, it's quite the opposite, taking away the choice to not have some, all, little used etc. apps on homescreens.
Honestly, this is just another example where I smdh wondering if developers actually use the products the design.
...adding, the only undisputed winners of this move would be bloatware makers, who'll be guaranteed their apps will be on display. Hope you anti-choicers enjoy looking at that...
I wound up using the App Drawer more than I used the home screen on my N6P. Not sure how I feel about this because iOS doesn't bother me in the slightest.
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I think the choice is still available if a free launcher can add the App Drawer.
Yep that's my case exactly. I don't my home screen for any apps, they all reside in the app drawer neatly organized into tabs and folders. My homescreens are used for widgets which display live information such as email, text, calendar, google voice, baby monitor, oneNote, Google now, etc. If the app drawer goes away and 3rd party launchers cannot replicate it then I would seriously have to think about not using Android as it's main advantage would be gone for me.
See that is the beauty of Android. there is enough apps being developed that i'm sure there will be replacements for the app drawer if people want it. I bought Nova prime as well and it gets updated regularly so no worries there.
I bet that they'll put all the apps paginated to the right of all your home screens. So you'll still have home screens gathered to the left, and then as you swipe and get to the last page of your home screen, you enter the pages of all your apps.
And Google search bar will be quick enough at finding your apps should you not want to scroll through many pages.
Then all Google or a developer will need to do is provide a home screen icon that is a quick shortcut jump to whatever home screen page you pick. In settings you pick the page where your apps start, and boom, it's like an app drawer icon. You just plop that icon down anywhere you want on your home screen.
That's my guess.
And Google search bar will be quick enough at finding your apps should you not want to scroll through many pages.
Then all Google or a developer will need to do is provide a home screen icon that is a quick shortcut jump to whatever home screen page you pick. In settings you pick the page where your apps start, and boom, it's like an app drawer icon. You just plop that icon down anywhere you want on your home screen.
That's my guess.
I'm irritated by it, even though it can be fixed with a launcher. Google has pushed so hard for the "Be Different, Not the Same" attitude, but if Android removes the app drawer, it will be going against that. If I didn't want an app drawer I'd use iOS or an iOS-like launcher on Android.
I use search feature on my iOS an Mac a lot. All my frequently used apps are on page 2 (iOS) and doc (os x). Other than that, I find it faster to search apps using pull down spotlight (iOS) and cmd + space (OS X).
I like the app drawer. The ability to avoid homescreen clutter is one of the main reasons I switched to Android. But I can appreciate that app icons in more than one place may be confusing for some, so perhaps it would be a good thing to have it disabled by default.
As long as it stays as an option I can switch on, or stays available via 3rd party launchers, I don't really mind.
As long as it stays as an option I can switch on, or stays available via 3rd party launchers, I don't really mind.
Doc, every launcher has to create everything (except generic wallpapers and widgets) that is seen on its screens. Including an app drawer if it wants to display one.
So not to worry; as long as there's a demand, there will be launchers made with a drawer as an option.
(Years ago I wrote a simple launcher for my kid. It had no app or widget drawer as a standalone view. Instead, whenever we wanted to add an app or shortcut icon or a widget to a launcher page, my code would present a scrolling list of those type of objects to choose from.)
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Sad, they don't market what I believe to be their greatest advantage...Widgets. That home screen looks like something Rain Man would use. It seems that in everyone's quest to simplify things, they end up vastly complicating them more.
