Android To Say Goodbye To One Of Its Biggest Features

By: Saad Elkhadem

Android and iOS have over the years become the two dominate mobile operating systems in the smartphone space, accounting for over 97% of smartphone shipments in 2015 in the MEA region according to IDC.

At their start they proved to be quite different, however, as years and iterations passed, they both started to become increasingly similar, and if rumors are to be believed, the next iteration of Android, Android N will see the end of one of its most differentiating features, the app drawer, thus making Android and iOS operating systems even more alike.

For some time now some OEM’s including Xiaomi and Huawei have omitted the app drawer from their Android UI, but it wasn’t until the run up to MWC 2016 and the unveiling of devices from Samsung, LG, and HTC that saw the rumors gain credibility. LG’s G5 and HTC One X9 were unveiled without an app drawer, and inside the settings for Samsung’s Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge saw the option to either keep the app drawer or have all the apps displayed on the home screen similar to Apple’s iOS on their iPhone devices.

Some have voiced happiness over this while others don’t quite get why Google would get rid of one of their most significant features, however, given Android’s open source nature, OEMs will get to choose the layout of their choice, or simply leave it up to the consumers. Once we get closer to the unveiling of Android N will all the details come to light.