The One UI 7 beta fixes one of my biggest annoyances with Samsung phones

Sometimes, it feels like we’re living in the future. We have self-driving cars, humanoid robots, and tiny computers on our wrists. Now, you can add the vertical app drawers on Samsung phones to that list.

Samsung recently launched the beta version of One UI 7 To the Galaxy S24 lineup. This update — something that wasn’t mentioned in any press release or leak leading up to the beta release — includes a massive change to how the app drawer works.

Over the past few years, almost every… Smart robotregardless of the manufacturer, has an app drawer with a very strict design: swipe up from your home screen to see a vertical scrolling list of your apps. There is nothing special about it. Swipe up to view your apps, then hold swipe up to scroll through them. It’s fast, simple and logical.

However, Samsung has consistently ignored this unwritten rule of App Drawer design. For years, she’s taken the opposite approach on her phones. You can still swipe up to open the app drawer, but you can then swipe horizontally to move between app pages. Is this a deal breaker? No, is complaining ridiculous? maybe. But it’s also a bad interface that feels different just for the sake of it.

With the One UI 7 beta, this issue disappears.

After downloading One UI 7 to your Galaxy S24, swiping up from your home screen now reveals — you guessed it — a vertical app drawer. You can swipe up to view your apps and hold down to scroll through them.

As someone who frequently switches back and forth between multiple Android phones, most of which use a vertical app drawer, it’s always difficult to go back to a Samsung phone and readjust to the horizontal layout. I’ll also be the first to admit that I have a pretty weird job, and that most people don’t use phones like I do.

However, I still think this is a positive step overall. Not just for nerds like me who interact with over a dozen different Android phones in any given year, but for everyone. You can use the vertical app drawer if you are using an Android phone from Google, OnePlus, Motorola, or even an iPhone. If you switch to a Samsung phone, this will change to a horizontal app drawer. Although it’s not the end of the world, it is annoying. It’s unnecessary friction, and thanks to the One UI 7 beta, it’s now gone.

As far as vertical app drawers go, that’s a good thing. You can swipe on the bar on the right to jump to apps that start with a specific letter, while the search bar at the bottom lets you search for apps and files or perform a Google search. And if you prefer a horizontal app drawer (I have several questions for you), simply open the app drawer, tap the three dots in the bottom right corner, and then tap typeand click Custom order To return to the horizontal layout.

There’s a lot to explore with One UI 7, including new Galaxy AI features, a redesigned lock screen, updated app icons, and more. It is now available for Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24 Plusand Galaxy S24 Ultra They can be found in the Samsung Members app. This version is still beta and may not be quite suitable for everyday use, but for the vertical app drawer alone, it might be worth it.