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Why no app drawer?

BigInDallas

BigInDallas

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 13, 2014
218
111
Connecticut
I was wondering why Apple hasn't implemented an app drawer. I recently came back to the iPhone 6+ and am loving it. I was using a LG G3. Nice phone but not as smooth as my 6+

One thing that is great with android is the app drawer. Allows easy access to apps and you can keep the ones you use frequently on the home page. Has Apple ever said why no drawer?
 
Well you can stick them in folders

BigInDallas said:
I was wondering why Apple hasn't implemented an app drawer. I recently came back to the iPhone 6+ and am loving it. I was using a LG G3. Nice phone but not as smooth as my 6+

One thing that is great with android is the app drawer. Allows easy access to apps and you can keep the ones you use frequently on the home page. Has Apple ever said why no drawer?
Click to expand...

Just put all your most used in a folder on the front screen.
 
BigInDallas said:
I was wondering why Apple hasn't implemented an app drawer. I recently came back to the iPhone 6+ and am loving it. I was using a LG G3. Nice phone but not as smooth as my 6+

One thing that is great with android is the app drawer. Allows easy access to apps and you can keep the ones you use frequently on the home page. Has Apple ever said why no drawer?
Click to expand...

Google takes a far more "Desktop-y" approach to their mobile devices. They expect your home screens to be your desktop where you have shortcuts to your most used applications and for widgets to take the position normally used by open applications.

That's fine and all but it's not the approach Apple has taken to this point.

Is it better or worse? Who knows? Only you do, really.

You can KIND of replicate this functionality on iOS by going to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Home Screen Layout. That will put all your apps back in alphabetical order. But it destroys your folders and moves everything off the screen it's on. But if that's all you want... I usually just use spotlight to launch any app I want.
 
Thanks for the answers.

I'm fine with Apples way, was just wondering. The app draw is cool but by no means a deal breaker:) I always used one home screen on android, so app drawer was helpful to hide apps not used or infrequently used
 
I have all mine on the home screen

BigInDallas said:
Thanks for the answers.

I'm fine with Apples way, was just wondering. The app draw is cool but by no means a deal breaker:) I always used one home screen on android, so app drawer was helpful to hide apps not used or infrequently used
Click to expand...

I have all my apps in folders on my home screen. Granted I don't use that many apps but it works well for me.
 
I tend to find the layouts I have on iOS and Android tend to end up working in a pretty much identical manner.

Some OEM skins do App drawer far better than google, allowing for re-organising and folder support, whilst on stock android you are stuck with alphabetical ordering and no folders - in that scenario many of the apps I would rather hide or stick in a folder bug the heck out of me and take up what I feel is needless space & contribute to extra pages in my app drawer.
 
I am glad the app drawer is a thing, I hate having a cluttered up homescreen.
 
I wish the app drawer on android had folders. I know you can do folders with Nova launcher, but I think it should be a stock option. Apple seems to be of the train of thought that it's desktop is its app drawer.
 
It's also worth noting that most of the Chinese devices / Android Roms - all seemingly opted for Apple's way of doing things - with no app drawer - despite running Android underneath. There are millions of those sold (as many devices as sold in the west), so it's impossible to say that one way of doing it - is flat out better than the other.

It's just a manufacturer preference.
 
spinedoc77 said:
I wish the app drawer on android had folders. I know you can do folders with Nova launcher, but I think it should be a stock option. Apple seems to be of the train of thought that it's desktop is its app drawer.
Click to expand...

When I see how many people use the OSX dektop, this doesn't surprise me one bit.
 
spinedoc77 said:
I wish the app drawer on android had folders. I know you can do folders with Nova launcher, but I think it should be a stock option. Apple seems to be of the train of thought that it's desktop is its app drawer.
Click to expand...

I am able to create folders in the app drawer on my Note 4. I just did that but now I don't know how to delete a folder. :confused:

Just figured out how. Menu, edit, tap folder and then hit delete.
 

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MRU said:
Its definitely something Google should add though, like I say it's annoying to see a lot of stock apps in your drawer that you can't hide in a folder. :)
Click to expand...

True. There are times when I am looking for an app and have to scroll through the drawer a few times because I missed the app.
 
JackieInCo said:
It's part of TouchWiz from what I found out. All Galaxy Notes can do this. You hit the menu button while in the app drawer and then select create folder.
Click to expand...

MRU said:
All Touchwiz devices can do this.. and for a long long time now ;)

Just stock android does not support folders.
Click to expand...

Oh cool, thanks. I never saw it because I use Nova and for some reason I don't have that option in my app drawer menu.
 
MRU said:
Its definitely something Google should add though, like I say it's annoying to see a lot of stock apps in your drawer that you can't hide in a folder. :)
Click to expand...

JackieInCo said:
True. There are times when I am looking for an app and have to scroll through the drawer a few times because I missed the app.
Click to expand...

That is actually one of the better things visually that apple has with no app drawer. It looks better throwing the unused stock apps in a folder versus having them throwing up on your app drawer (stock only) :)
 
You can always set up the first couple of pages the same as your abdroid phone (without any widgets of course) and then leave the rest of your apps on the pages that follow, so it's sorta like an app drawer, just at the end of your home screens.
 
Xiaomi's MIUI, Meizu's Flyme, and Huawei's Emotion UI all don't use an app drawer.

Actually I prefer an app drawer as I hate a cluttered homescreen which is something I dislike from iOS. But I started using the LAZY SWIPE app along with my many gesture shortcuts from Nova Prime and All In One Gestures. Lazy Swipe has pretty much eliminated my need for digging into the app drawer. My hidden icons with a hideous icon are now "favorites." For instance, I had to hide Pocket since it was in between PvZ1 and PvZ2. The former is listed as Plants vs Zombies. Pocket had to be a bottom left corner shortcut for me. Now I don't even need to go beyond my single homescreen page as all those hidden apps in my drawer are now favs. Lazy Swipe also helps with reaching to the top of the notification shade with the toggles which should help people with large phablets.

Too bad is it a bit laggy on my M7 but quite smooth on my Mi 3.
 
BigInDallas said:
Thanks for the answers.

I'm fine with Apples way, was just wondering. The app draw is cool but by no means a deal breaker:) I always used one home screen on android, so app drawer was helpful to hide apps not used or infrequently used
Click to expand...

What I do is have the absolutely most used apps on the front/in the dock, and the rest in two folders (one for Apple apps and one for third party) all on just one home screen.
 
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