Is there any way to turn off the iMessage app drawer in iOS 12? In iOS 11, you could simply remove all the apps from the drawer and it would disappear. So far in iOS 12, the Photos and App Store apps can’t be removed so the drawer stays put.
You want to press on the smaller gray "Apps" icon that is higher up and to the left of the message text field -- tapping it toggles the visibility of the apps drawer.
You want to press on the smaller gray "Apps" icon that is to the left of the message text field -- tapping it toggles the visibility of the apps drawer.