A small touch of customization can radically change the way desktops are organized on Android: that’s exactly what the “Add applications” to the newly created folders. Android doesn’t come standard, it comes with some manufacturer layers. Besides launcher style apps, Nova Launcher is the best example of this.
Android customization is of a very high standard, but it is not consistent across all devices: Depending on the brand, these will be your customization options.. And there is a specific option that is extremely useful for organizing folders: being able to choose from a list which applications are included inside. It is one of those settings that make the difference between layers, especially for those of us who constantly change phones.
Folders organized in one second
I confess that I am as obsessive as my partner Iván, I also have all my Android phones with their desktops organized the same way for years. It is a task which takes me a lot of time every time I start a new phone. And since I do several revisions per month, customizing the desktop probably takes me over an hour every time I start a new revision.
I usually have a hard time dragging each app one by one from the drawer to the desktop. Just one, I can’t stand having to scroll through desktops to find my apps (it’s my least favorite thing about iOS). I grab each app that’s essential to me, move it to a folder, the file rebels by deciding to move from one box to anotherI play cat and mouse with it until I finally reach my goal: two main folders, one for games and another for apps. If I analyze, I create a third folder with the reference apps.
Dragging app after app around the desktop is a nuisance that Google has yet to find a solution for.
Filling a folder with ten or more apps can take forever, especially when the folder starts moving just before the app is released.
When the mobile phone I’m analyzing comes with this setting as standard, it solves more work for me than it seems. Simply create a folder by dragging one application onto another, click on the “+” and choose from the pop-up list all the ones I need. Easy, fast and very complete, one of those settings for which it is worth choosing a specific brand among all Android manufacturers.
Nova Launcher always to the rescue
That the mobile phone in question has a layer that does not allow adding applications to a folder at once? No problem, that’s what Nova Launcher is for, an application that makes customization on Android a real monument.
To use the feature, and as long as Nova Launcher is installed and selected as the system’s default interface, you need to perform the following steps:
- Create a folder by joining two applications, one on top of the other.
- Open the newly created folder and click on the three lower menu dots.
- Choose “Add apps“.
- Mark the apps that are essential to you and Nova Launcher will add them to the folder.
Cover image | Ivan Linares
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