Ryan Haines / Android Authority
So, I wanted to kick things off by acknowledging the obvious: Yes, third-party launchers can resolve many issues with Samsung’s approach to home screens and app launchers in One UI 6.1. But why should I have to rely on them to access the most basic feature of all?
Why do I need to install a third-party app and potentially face minor glitches or a subpar experience in my app switcher just to obtain a feature that should have been included by default? Why must I turn to third-party software to rectify Samsung’s decision to eliminate a feature that has been part of Android since Marshmallow? Why, among all the customization features offered in One UI, is there no option to enable vertical scrolling for the app lists instead of the inefficient horizontal, page-by-page scrolling?
Vertical or horizontal app drawer?
56 votes
Horizontal scrolling just works for me. 14%
Vertical, of course. Are you insane? 59%
It doesn’t really matter. 23%
I don’t really use an app drawer. 4%
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
Why has Samsung neglected to include the vertical app drawer, a feature that has been a standard part of stock Android since the days of Marshmallow in 2015? If something is so integral to the Android experience, it should be present, even if only as an optional feature, in any Android skin. This isn’t iOS, where users have to scroll through numerous app screens; even iOS has implemented a more efficient app list than the horizontal drawer!
Furthermore, why did Samsung introduce the vertical app drawer as an option in the Home Up Good Lock module only to treat it as an afterthought and fail to update it for One UI versions 6.0 and 6.1? The absence of the vertical app list in the Home Up implementation for the latest Galaxy S24 series and other Galaxy phones running One UI 6.0 and above underscores the lack of importance Samsung places on this feature.
And why must we wait until One UI 6.1.1 in the summer, as hinted by a Samsung Community moderator, to regain access to this overlooked feature?
While I understand that this may seem like a minor issue in the grand scheme of things, if Samsung can incorporate all the Galaxy AI advancements, why can’t it introduce a simple toggle for a vertical app drawer in One UI? Shouldn’t this basic feature be a core option in One UI 7.0 (if not the default setting) rather than being relegated to an obscure module known only to enthusiasts?
If gesture navigation can be included in One UI as a setting, then the vertical app list should also be prioritized. People have adapted to scrolling vertically through TikTok; surely they can adapt to a vertical app list as well. While a vertical app list may not be as flashy as other features like photo editing, the frequency of app usage versus other features makes it a more essential addition in my opinion.
As I navigate through my apps on my Galaxy S24 Ultra, I find myself silently cursing because Samsung has introduced friction to a previously seamless interaction and deemed it acceptable for the millions of users who rely on their phones daily.
It’s 2024, Samsung. People have mastered vertical scrolling on platforms like TikTok and Instagram; they can certainly handle scrolling vertically through their app lists.