There are two Android apps that can provide you an effective app drawer that you’d love to use. So let’s have a look on how you can replace your current app drawer with these new variants. Quick News: There were rumors that Android N might not have an App Drawer. But, the recent surprise release of Android N’s developer preview has it. Thanks to Google. Although that might change during its actual launch at Google I/O in May. Even if they think of doing so then user’s choice should be their first preference. A toggle to turn it on and off is what I think would be justifying.
1. Quick Drawer
Most launchers now provide alphabetical vertical app drawer. They allow you to search alphabetically. But now, you can enhance your app drawer with three different layouts. Quick Drawer is the Android app that will display your app in three different layouts – Last used apps, Frequently used apps and Alphabetical list. It won’t actually replace with your current app drawer. That you’ll have to do manually. You just have to replace the app drawer icon on the home screen with Quick Drawer’s icon. Most Android launchers nowadays allow users to move the app drawer icon. And, even remove it. If you’re using Nova Launcher then you can do that easily. Here’s how the most used apps (left image) and alphabetical list (right image) looks in the app. In the most used apps list, the most used app has bigger icons and the size of the icons decreases according to the usage. The alphabetical list is the same as in other app drawers. The last used app activity seemed to be crashing on my phone. So, that might be an issue. Taking a look at the settings, you don’t get much customization. You just get to choose the number of last used apps (which doesn’t work) and quick option to turn animation on and off. Though it’s a beautiful app drawer to use. Do you like Android Marshmallow’s App Drawer? Here’s how you can get it on any Android phone without any root.
2. App Swap
App Swap is an app drawer that you can access from whichever screen you are on your phone with just a swipe. This app drawer has some great features that I’d like to point out.
Different Ways to Access the App Drawer
There are three different ways through which you can access this app drawer. The first is using the Edge Launch. Edge launch lets you open the app drawer by swiping at the edge of your screen. The trigger area will only be visible when you swipe. And the best thing is that you can access this app drawer no matter what screen you are on. It’s just an overlay activity. The second way is from the Notification Panel and third way is from the home button.
Tags
You can add apps to specific categories by tagging them. In the sidebar menu tap on Tag apps and your category name. Then select the apps you’d like to add in this tag. The tag will be added to the Tag list. This way you can easily categorize apps.
Quick Swipes
Another cool feature is Quick Swipes. You can quickly access your favorite apps by swiping to left or right when app drawer is open. You’ll find the option for Quick Swipes in the settings. You can add up to 8 apps as shown in the above screenshot. Swiping in the particular location of the app placement will open that particular app. Here, I’ve placed Flipkart at the bottom. So, swiping from the bottom of the screen will open the app. Same for the right side. Do you Multitask on your Android Smartphone? If yes, then this app can let you quickly switch between 2-3 open apps and help you in multitasking.
Other Settings
Other settings include transparency of the app drawer. Notification badges on the icons. Pull down to search apps (same like in Nova launcher). Add a custom Icon Pack. Change the size of icons. And much more. Overall, it’s completely customizable. And best of all, it’s FREE.
Will you Replace?
I’ll definitely use App Swap for few days and see if it can help me complete tasks faster. But, what about you? Which app will you choose? Let us know in the comments. ALSO SEE: Quickly Launch Most Used Apps from Android Lock Screen and Notification Drawer
