Everything indicates that the app drawer on Samsung Galaxy devices will make the switch to vertical scrolling. This is something that fans of the brand have been asking for for a long time, and it could be a reality soon.
The app drawer is that “hub” where all your apps are available. Currently, the vast majority of Android brands use an app drawer with vertical scrolling. However, for one reason or another, Samsung has gone against the grain by using horizontal scrolling. Maybe they do it as one of the ways to differentiate themselves from other Android phones.
A vertical app drawer will be available natively in One UI
For a while, it was possible to set up a vertical app drawer in One UI using Good Lock. This official Samsung app offers several additional customization possibilities in the form of “modules” that you can install. The module that allowed using a vertical app drawer was “Home Up,” but it suddenly lost the option. This happened without any explanation, which left many Galaxy device users unhappy.
Now, a reply from an official “in charge” of Good Lock revealed the reason for the option’s removal. Apparently, it happened because the vertical app drawer will be integrated into the OS in a future update. More specifically, a member of the Good Lock support team said: “Please note that the Home Up vertical list function is currently being prepared for support in the next OS version.”
It may arrive with the One UI 6.1.1 update in July
It’s noteworthy that, previously, another member of the Good Lock support team said something similar. In that case, the reply was even more specific since the One UI 6.1.1 update was explicitly mentioned. This means that the option may be available sooner than expected. If everything goes well, you won’t have to wait for the One UI 7 update based on Android 15 to get it.
That said, perhaps the ideal would have been to keep the option available in the “Home Up” module in the meantime. After all, the One UI 6.1.1 update could arrive with the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 in July. This means that users will have to wait at least three months to get the vertical app drawer.