Last month, a rumor circulated that Google may remove a defining feature from Android in the next iteration. Android N, expected to be announced at the company’s I/O conference in May, could be the first version of the operating system not to feature the app drawer.
The news, which was bolstered by a Google Maps tweet that featured an apparent version of Android sans app drawer, is a blow to anyone who considers themselves an Android power user, or even those with an affinity for the OS. The removal of the app drawer would mean a move closer to iOS and further from customization. To say it would be a disaster would be hyperbolic, but there is little doubt it would alienate an important sector of the Android user base, and would be viewed by many as a departure from individuality, a core tenet of the OS.
Google later described the homescreen seen in the tweet above as an inaccurate software mockup that in no way represents the future of the platform. By that point, though, Android diehards were already aflutter. Android without an app drawer may seem unthinkable, but the idea has gained momentum in recent years. Smaller smartphone makers, like Huawei and its Emotion UI (which I do not care for), removed the element and larger manufacturers are now joining the fray. Amid the myriad talking points about its fascinating new flagship, one that was relegated to an insignificant comment was the lack of an app drawer on the new LG G5. Even Samsung, with its “Labs” option, lets users turn off the drawer on the forthcoming Galaxy S7.
Why would Android ever get rid of the app drawer? The primary argument is for simplicity. Removing the app drawer removes any confusion about where apps are, and how to delete them from the device. On iOS, it’s simple: remove an app from the homescreen and it’s gone from the phone. On Android, there’s an extra layer of complexity, albeit a thin one. Removing an app doesn’t always uninstall, in many cases it merely relegates the app to the drawer.
Manufacturers are concerned about this wrinkle and the headaches it could cause users. To most people, that argument is more a case of companies creating a problem where there isn’t one, but it is not completely without merit. Whereas navigating Android is simple and intuitive to a longtime user, for an iOS devotee it’s akin to the Wild West. Scrapping the app drawer would remove a major barrier of entry, presumably allowing Android smartphone producers to lure iPhone users away from Apple’s ecosystem. Whether it would actually work is anyone’s guess, but it would make the choice more compelling for many.
In a lot of ways, however, the simplicity argument is hollow. Moving all apps to the home screens would actually make the process of finding the exact app you want at any given moment more complicated. Instead of opening the app drawer (which you can do from any page) and scrolling to find the app in question, a process that takes a handful of seconds at its slowest, you’d have to scroll through page after page. Certainly, you could still arrange the apps in a personalized way, and have a number of folders to help manage the bulk, but that solution is inelegant. Some may view Android’s app drawer as the equivalent of a child sweeping all his toys under the bed when asked to clean his room, but it has always felt like the better option when compared to iOS’ endless stream of pages and folders.
In fact, Google already devised a fantastic solution to the problem. On the current version of the Google Now Launcher, when you long press an icon, two options appear. One to remove, and one to uninstall. Sure, some users may at first be confused about the difference between the two, but hopefully in 2016 even the most technically challenged would understand that, if two options are presented, there is a difference. The effect is even maximized by the fact that, when you drag the icon to “Remove,” it turns grey and, when you drag it to “Uninstall,” it turns red. A clear indication that one is more permanent than the other.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Your comment and facebook share will be appreciated