Android also needs a keyboard which steps away from the traditional Windows and Linux keyboards, with special buttons for common Android features
like apps drawer, multi-tasking, etc..
Some manufacturers set the launchers on their phones to offer a more simplistic look that places all app icons on the home screen and doesn't offer things
like the app drawer, widgets, and the like — these come off more like the iPhone home screen.
The first major improvement, for those of us Android users who
like an app drawer, is the option to enable an app drawer on the device.
Of course, staple Android features
like an app drawer and lock screen notifications are missing, but the overall experience still feels much better than what is seen with some other devices BLU's portfolio.
The only differences are very slight - things
like the app drawer having different - coloured scrollbar down the right edge, and the clock / weather widget being Lenovo's own design.
Like the app drawer, you can now easily scroll through the list of widgets by grabbing the scroll bar on the right side of the screen.
Along with that, OxygenOS on the OnePlus 5 includes scrolling screenshots, a new Pixel -
like app drawer, new screen - off gestures, customizable notification vibrations, gaming do not disturb mode, and «Secure Box» which mimics Samsung's «Secure Folder.»
Sure, not the end of the world, but
I like me some app drawer.
It now has a Pixel Launcher -
like app drawer, which you swipe up from the bottom which, combined with the widely - loved «swipe - down - for - notifications» gesture, brings it as close to perfect as I would want.
If you don't mind sacrificing aspects
like the app drawer or familiar settings, then you are likely to view this as a nice interface, one which packs in more features than you need and above all else, offers software value for money.
Not exact matches
However,
like LG, Huawei decided to ditch the
app drawer, so you may want to download Google's Now launcher or a similar alternative.
Huawei,
like a lot of Chinese phone makers, uses its own Android skin — EMUI 4.1 in this case — which doesn't include a catch - all
app drawer.
If you've tried EMUI in previous years and didn't
like it, give the M5 Pro another chance: the UI is good these days, and you have the option of using Huawei's traditional, iOS style
apps - menu - free look or one with the
app drawer reinstated.
The most glaring change is that Lenovo has done away with the
app drawer, with all programs instead appearing on your various home screens, much
like Huawei's Emotion UI.
It looks overly cartoonish, and simplifies things by nixing the
app drawer in favor of an iOS -
like home screen populated with every installed
app.
Android 5.0.2 with the Galaxy S6 version of TouchWiz (this is 5.0.2, but it includes features
like multi user support and alphabetical sorting in the
app drawer) no doubt helped the tablet perform well, and we can only imagine how good the experience will be on the retail units.
Meanwhile, most of the native Marshmallow features
like Google Now on Tap, Doze, an all - new
app permissions manager, a redesigned
app drawer and customizable lock screen shortcuts are all expected to land on the device thanks to the new software.
The user interface is new, while still evoking some BlackBerry 6 elements
like the
drawer of
app icons collected into groups with a status bar on top.
This might be Android 5.0.2, but Samsung has fixed things
like the missing A-Z sorting in the
app drawer and included Multi User support, which isn't there on the company's smartphones but is very important on a tablet.
It is not clear what OnePlus means by the Hidden Space in the
app drawer, but it notes that the update also brings support for editing dynamic icons
like the weather, clock and calendar.
Instead, the tablet runs Huawei's iPhone -
like Emotion UI layer that alters
app icons, removes the
app drawer and splashes all
apps across the home screen, and makes changes to the notification shade and settings menu.
The big addition here is an
app drawer that looks a lot
like what you'd expect from a standard Android device, but with bigger icons.
Lenovo's skin takes away the
app drawer, puts all your
apps in endless home screens, and offers up brightly colored
app icons, much
like iOS 8 does.
Two years later there really hasn't been a killer
app to show the use case for the platform and
like many out there I had put my Move into a
drawer and hadn't thought about it for quite sometime.
Users will now be able to choose between vertical and horizontal scrolling in the
app drawer, which will be great for people that
like to customize their Android device to how they
like it (such as users that install custom Android launchers).
The Android experience on the E4 Plus is incredibly close to stock, including features
like your Google Feed cards on your left-most home screen, swiping up to access your
app drawer, and even the Pixel animation when pressing the home button.
We also
like the Favorites section of the
App drawer where you can drag the
apps they use most.
You can also open it by tapping the shopping bag -
like icon at the top - right corner of the
app drawer.
You can double - tap on a specific notification to open the
app (you'll have to unlock your device first), or swipe them away from the lock screen just
like you would in the old pull - down
drawer.
Your
app drawer on Android can look
like a bit of a design style melting pot, and with Android Oreo's Adaptive Icons, Google wants to fix it — again.
The default arrangement for the Galaxy S5
app drawer is alphabetical, but you can set it to group
apps however you
like.
And rounding out the «by popular demand» enhancements, in addition to having the colors of items
like your folders and All
Apps drawer match your wallpaper, you can now adjust the transparency of these items via Action Launcher's Quicktheme settings.
Android purists may not
like the lack of
app drawer, either, but the notification shade is close to standard Android, and the settings menu is laid out as you'd expect, too.
Everything looks silky smooth, even little stuff
like swiping down to open the notification tray or swiping up to see the
app drawer.
Just
like on an iPhone, all your
apps will be displayed on the homescreen, so your
app drawer will be removed.
It lacks Android features,
like app shortcuts, and has an
app drawer that not everyone will fall in love with.
The X4 doesn't come with the entire suite of Google applications that usually bulk up the
app drawer, nor does it include all the extra stuff that Motorola bundles with its phones,
like Moto Voice, Moto Access, the attentive display, or the one - button navigation abilities baked into the front fingerprint sensor.
You can swipe up from the bottom of the home screen to open the
app drawer, which is now slightly opaque, so you don't feel
like you're leaving the home screen.
Android fans in the West seem to enjoy their
app drawers, seeing how the
likes of LG and Huawei were criticized for having exorcised the
drawers in their Android overlays.
On the surface, it looks very much
like the Google Pixel's software, as the
app drawer pulls up from the bottom of the screen.
Called «Quick Start», it allows you to quickly change some Nova features
like the Dark theme,
app drawer style and dock style.
The settings
app does also have the slide - out
drawer,
like AOSP Nougat has.
You can reorganize the
app drawer by long pressing icons, just
like a phone, and even dive deep into several layers of settings to customize everything.
Just
like on the phone, the Pixel Launcher on the Pixel C offers the swipe - up style
app drawer and the weather / date widget in the top corner.
Gionee S6 runs Android 5.1 Lollipop with Amigo3.1 UI on top which mimics a control center
like Apple's iPhone and skips
app drawer altogether.
Just
like the Pixel 2's quick settings panel and Pixel Launcher
app drawer, the semi-transparent light / dark quick settings panel allows users to continue seeing what's behind the panel without pulling it back up.
Basically, instead of just switching the shade and menus back to gray, the system UI now takes advantage from the newly introduced (API 27) WallpaperColors API, and grabs color from your phone's wallpaper, switching many aspects of the SystemUI
like the quick settings panel, the mini QS / notification shade, the volume sliders, the power menu and even the Pixel Launcher (both
app drawer and folder / shortcut background) to a darker hue if the wallpaper is dark / black, and keeping it brighter if the wallpaper is light.
It has all the main functionality displayed in these giant tile icons, but just reverts back to a regular
app drawer -
like set up once you click the massive «Other» button.
Here's how: The act of uninstalling
apps differs slightly from device - to - device, but it usually goes
like this: press and hold on an
app on your home screen or in the
app drawer, and start dragging it upward.
You'll be able to try out different features,
like the launcher, notification
drawer, lock screen, settings page, and a few buggy FireFox OS
apps as well — all without rooting your device or flashing a ROM.