Samsung phones may finally get a long-awaited app drawer revamp

Samsung app drawer
(Image credit: Jay Bonggolto / Android Central)

What you need to know

  • There are indications that Samsung might introduce a vertical scroll option for the app drawer in the next version of One UI.
  • Good Lock's Home Up module used to allow customization of the app drawer layout, but Samsung removed this option in recent updates.
  • Samsung might be planning to integrate a "vertical list function" directly into the OS instead of relying on Good Lock.

Samsung's app drawer has always swiped sideways, unlike most Android phones that scroll up and down. But it looks like Samsung might be jumping on the vertical scroll bandwagon at last.

Apparently, the official word from Good Lock's development team is that the next version of One UI will include a vertical scrolling option for the app drawer, as per SamMobile.

This juicy detail came out when a Samsung representative was responding to a user's query about the possibility of bringing back that feature in Good Lock's Home Up module.

Right now, One UI's app drawer organizes apps into pages, so you have to swipe left or right to move around. However, Home Up used to be the go-to for customizing the One UI home screen, including switching the app drawer to a vertical scroll layout. But in recent updates, Samsung took that option out of the module.

In a comment on Samsung’s forums, a member of the Good Lock support team shed some light on why the feature got axed. Apparently, Samsung is cooking up a "vertical list function" to be supported in the next OS version instead of relying on Good Lock.

While Samsung might just bring back the vertical scroll option in Good Lock, it's more probable that the moderator is hinting at native support for vertical app drawers being added to the OS with the release of One UI 7 based on Android 15.

Samsung has been known for doing things its own way on Android. Take seamless updates, for instance—the company has been avoiding them for ages. But in March, the South Korean tech giant finally gave in and started rolling out the feature.

Now, it looks like another user-requested feature for Samsung phones might be on the horizon—a feature most other Android users already have.

We'll have to wait and see until Samsung's Android 15 update, One UI 7, hits the beta stage, which is still a few months down the road.

Jay Bonggolto
News Writer & Reviewer

Jay Bonggolto always keeps a nose for news. He has been writing about consumer tech and apps for as long as he can remember, and he has used a variety of Android phones since falling in love with Jelly Bean. Send him a direct message via Twitter or LinkedIn.