Can using app drawer be made more pleasent? (Hiding apps)

Vincent96

Why can't apps be hidden from the app drawer? I know someone will suggest using a third-party launcher, but everyone who has used one knows they work poorly, and it feels like a nuclear option considering this is a very basic feature. I have many apps on my phone, and some don't need to be there in the launcher.

These are the icons in question on my phone:

GrapheneOS Files: Never used at all.
GrapheneOS Camera: Never used at all.
Keyboard: Unnecessary; icon is never used.
Google Play Store: Only installed for compatibility reasons; icon is never used.
Settings: Only accessed through the quick panel; icon is never used.
Barcode Scanner: Only accessed through the quick panel; icon is never used.
Coffee App: Only accessed through the quick panel; icon is never used.
VPN App: Only accessed through the quick panel; icon is never used.
GrapheneOS PDF Viewer: Only used as a default app; icon is never used.
Collabora Office: Only used as a default app; icon is never used.
DAVx5: Only runs in the background; icon is never used.
Breezy Weather: Only used as a widget; icon is never used.
Catima: Only used through the Device Controls menu; icon is never used.
Snapseed: Images are only shared with it via the share sheet; icon is never used.
ImagePipe: Images are only shared with it via the share sheet; icon is never used.

As someone with dyslexia, having these 15 unused app icons cluttering my screen makes it difficult to find the apps I actually need. This amounts to four rows worth of apps sprinkled throughout the list between the apps I actually want. I previously used iodéOS, which isn’t as secure as GrapheneOS, but it allows app hiding. I think GrapheneOS should consider adding this feature.

You may ask how one would open an app that is not in the launcher. It's done by opening Settings and choosing Apps, then finding the app there.

How many unused icons are on your launcher?

Thank you.

userofgos

Vincent96 There is an open issue for this on github: https://github.com/GrapheneOS/os-issue-tracker/issues/5689

Note: The GrapheneOS dev team has requested that those who want said feature refrain from adding comments like "I want this too" and instead express their desire for said feature with emoji's. This will prevents a flood of notifications that take away from development time and clutter the github issue with redundant comments.

W1zardK1ng

Vincent96 probably this is not gonna implemented soon as the team is having higher priorities and there the continuous attack against the project due to which their precious time is getting wasted trying to defend it.
Hope to see the feature soon though.

de0u

Vincent96 How many unused icons are on your launcher?

Personally, I have no unused icons on my home screen, which is largely blank. On most days I don't open my app drawer at all. Perhaps it might be possible to use the home screen(s) for the frequently-used apps.

Vincent96 I previously used iodéOS, which isn’t as secure as GrapheneOS, but it allows app hiding. I think GrapheneOS should consider adding this feature.

There are a bunch of launcher issues in the issue tracker. It seems possible that if somebody were to successfully submit pull requests for a few of the highest-severity issues then such a somebody might be able to slip in a personal project such as icon hiding.

That said, it is possible that the project might switch to a different launcher in the next few years.

DeletedUser553

Vincent96

17 Unused icons. This is one of the biggest reasons why I don't use the default launcher. Some things just don't need immediate icons at all and are bound to only take up space.

For now I am using Stario launcher as a workaround. I am unsure if I am going to stick with it but for now it does the job. Simple, Clean and pretty effective.

Murcielago

I know someone will suggest using a third-party launcher, but everyone who has used one knows they work poorly,

Let me be the one to make that suggestion. I know your primary idea is that this feature is implemented in standard launcher, but as already mentioned in this discussion, that is not the main focus of the project and thus may take a long time. Therefore:

I can highly recommend μLauncher: among many other features (it's highly configurable especially when you like gestures), μLauncher offers the ability to hide and rename apps, pin them as favorites and also hide private space apps when private space is locked.

I've been using it for months and it runs like a charm. It's available on Acccrescent , Github, F-Droid and Play Store.

Vincent96

Murcielago I gave it a try, but it has the same issues as all other third-party launchers I've tested. The only launcher that works smoothly, responsively, and integrates well with the OS is the default one.

xxx

Vincent96 How many unused icons are on your launcher?

Put the icons you use on the homescreen and never use the launcher. Not exactly what you asked for but it works (for me).

W1zardK1ng

xxx Nice idea, never thought about this. With this way can make it like an iphone setup.

Vincent96

xxx This doesn't solve the problem unfortunately.

ralm

Vincent96 I know someone will suggest using a third-party launcher, but everyone who has used one knows they work poorly...

The third-party launcher I use works well, is pretty enough, and can do what you are asking for. That I know.

Vincent96

ralm Which one are you using?

Murcielago

Vincent96

That's unfortunate to hear—it's running smoothly for me. Would you mind elaborating on the specific issues you're experiencing?

MEGAbyter

Vincent96 Sorry man, but you must be trying some crappy, bottom of the barrel launchers. All of the popular ones are just as smooth and responsive as the stock launcher. If you are seeing something that makes you think otherwise it's likely in your head.

ralm

Vincent96 Lawnchair, been using it for years except for a period when development stalled. Since Android 16 I started using nightly builds without problems.

xxx

Vincent96 I used Nova in the past. It was very god. Don't know about the current state.

MEGAbyter

I don't know what 3rd party launchers you've been using but I've been using Smart Launcher for a decade now and it is nothing short of amazing. It has a smart app drawer which automatically organizes your apps for you by category. Aside from that it has an absolute ton of features, among which is the ability to hide whatever icons you want. I don't know who put it into your head that 3rd party launchers work poorly, but the good ones are way better than the stock option for this, or really any phone.

Vincent96

MEGAbyter "I don't know who put it into your head that 3rd party launchers work poorly"

The experience of testing them for the last week and comparing them to the stock launcher.

Vincent96

MEGAbyter No, it's not in my head.

Open recent apps and hit the power button. Now compare the result of unlocking with the stock launcher. There are many issues like these.