The app drawer has been synonymous with Android since its inception, but it could be going away very soon. LG already has removed it by default on the G5, and Google is rumored to be removing it from Android N. Now Samsung appears to be jumping on the bandwagon as well.
A new Samsung Labs area in the settings of the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge gives you the power to remove the app drawer completely. After making the selection, you’ll notice the app drawer icon is gone from the bottom right, and the look and feel will be very similar to iOS on the iPhone. All your app icons will reside on the home screens, but you can still move them around to wherever you wish or add them to folders.
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Android without an app drawer isn’t totally new, but it is to most of us here in the U.S. Chinese manufacturers like Huawei and Xiaomi ditched the app drawer long ago. The reasoning was that the app drawer could confuse consumers, which is an admission that Apple got it right when it designed its own iOS. However hardcore Android fans love the app drawer because it means less clutter on the home screen.
While Samsung is giving you the choice of whether you want the app drawer or not, it’ll at least be there by default. LG went in a completely opposite direction with the G5 in removing the app drawer by default. However, users can still get it back by going into the home screen settings and changing it from Home to EasyHome.
It remains to be seen if Samsung and/or LG will remove the app drawer completely or if it will remain an option. The same goes for Google. The rumor is the app drawer will be removed from Android N, but it’s unclear if Google will give users an option. If removed completely, the next question we have to ask is if users can still install a third-party launcher? And we might not know the answer to that until Google I/O.
