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Organise app menu into categories?

taboo_

Newbie
Apr 11, 2010
14
2
Is there any way out there to organise your apps menu other than by alphabetical order?

When you have a heaps of different apps and are always trying new ones like me it's not always easy to find that one that has a name that relates nothing to its function.

Ideally I'd like some way of making categories in my app menu and and grouping all my utility icons, all my game icons etc.

Any ideas? ^_^
 
Don't think so, not in standard Android. The all apps draw that slides up simply shows all your apps, in alphabetical order.

You can make folders on your homescreen, and name them "games", "entertainment", etc, and drag shortcuts into them, BUT the icons in these folders are sorted in the order that they were dragged in and there's no way to sort them alphabetically or anything. It's better than nothing but it's not 100%.

You'd think something as simple as sorting icons might come higher on Google's list of things to look at than, say, animated wallpapers!
 
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Nothing I know of affects the App Tray except maybe the different 'launcher' apps.

However, I just use the Apps Organizer from the market and put the 'All Labels' widget or shortcut link on my desktop. The programmer just added the widget feature to the 1.5 version which to me seems a bit faster than using the shortcut to 'All Labels'.
 
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Is there any way out there to organise your apps menu other than by alphabetical order?

When you have a heaps of different apps and are always trying new ones like me it's not always easy to find that one that has a name that relates nothing to its function.

Ideally I'd like some way of making categories in my app menu and and grouping all my utility icons, all my game icons etc.

Any ideas? ^_^

Sorry, but there is no way to do it.
 
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Cheers guy.

Thanks for the replies even if I don't like hearing the answer.

I'm checking out Apps Organiser atm so thanks DaWeev. Just seems a little silly to me at the VERY LEAST I can't sort them by different criteria. If I could have my newest apps at the top at least I could find them easy but oh well.
 
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Cheers guy.

Thanks for the replies even if I don't like hearing the answer.

I'm checking out Apps Organiser atm so thanks DaWeev. Just seems a little silly to me at the VERY LEAST I can't sort them by different criteria. If I could have my newest apps at the top at least I could find them easy but oh well.

I had the same thoughts coming from WinMo with unlimited possibilities of changing the Start menu.

Now that iPhone got folders in its app screen maybe Android will get that too some day?
 
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I do that with Apps Organizer too, but that is not the same as organizing the app drawer.

I almost never use the apps drawer. Is there a reason why it is so necessary when there are so many other options? WM6 has a listing of apps but most people place shortcuts to the start menu. Similar with WebOS. One of the things I hate about using the apps drawer is it lists everything including Icon packs, themes and programs that I need but don't use very often. I would much rather use program shortcuts listed on my home screens or placed in folders on my home screen. It's a "cleaner" approach. Side note: Why did it take Apple so long to add folders to the iPhone when this feature has been around many other operating systems for so long? Next they are going to add multitasking, video recording, and SD card storage ;-)
 
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I almost never use the apps drawer. Is there a reason why it is so necessary when there are so many other options? WM6 has a listing of apps but most people place shortcuts to the start menu. Similar with WebOS. One of the things I hate about using the apps drawer is it lists everything including Icon packs, themes and programs that I need but don't use very often. I would much rather use program shortcuts listed on my home screens or placed in folders on my home screen. It's a "cleaner" approach. Side note: Why did it take Apple so long to add folders to the iPhone when this feature has been around many other operating systems for so long? Next they are going to add multitasking, video recording, and SD card storage ;-)

Multitasking as well as the folders is coming in the 4.0 software soon.

I never use the drawer, too many apps to go through to find the only one I am searching for.
 
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Cheers guy.

Thanks for the replies even if I don't like hearing the answer.

I'm checking out Apps Organiser atm so thanks DaWeev. Just seems a little silly to me at the VERY LEAST I can't sort them by different criteria. If I could have my newest apps at the top at least I could find them easy but oh well.


As lekky advised, you can 'Star' app in different folders (labels) that will appear when you hit the 'Star'. Also, you can create as many 'Labels' (folders) as you need and apps can be 'tagged' to appear in multiple folders (lables). I have for example the 'AppBrain Market Sync' app tagged to be in the Android, Apps, File Managers, Google Apps, and Tools labels (folders). I also created a label (folder) for 'Sprint Apps' since I have their special apps on my Hero.

Anyway, have fun with it, and when I get the 2.1 upgrade, I'll purchase the developers other app to support this great little jem even if I don't use the paid one that much.
 
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Something I just discovered yesterday...

In the App Drawer you can go to Menu > List

This then puts the apps in a list giving you a scroll bar on the right. You can grab the scroll bar and slide to a letter A, B, C like in the HTC People app.

Now I don't know whether this also works in Android 1.5, can somebody check it?

I believe this is only true on the HTC Sense UI because it does work on my Hero, but not in the Android emulator.
 
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The latest version of GDE has the ability to do what you want. It has an advanced folder system, where you can drag your folders into the menu. And you can set either/both the soft/hard menu buttons to open to the folder screen of the menu, instead of the main app drawer. These functions have been there in older versions, but now you can sort icons in the folders, even folders on your homescreen.
 
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I think what he really wants is an easy way to find his new downloads more than a way to sort the drawer.

The easiest way I've found to do this is to go to the downloads section of the app market (assuming you bought the app from here), it lists the most recent apps at the top. Note also that app updates are considered new apps for this purpose.

Another option is to go to the notifications pulldown to launch the app. This option only works once.

The only problem with both of these methods is that they do not give you an option to create a shortcut on a home screen.
 
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I've used Panda Home. It has a function to exclude apps. Even fonts show up in my menu. I hate it. But now I'm using open home. Great interface app, but does not has the function to exclude it. I still want to exclude things. .:O

If you are really ambitious, you could try SweeterHome. It will pretty much do what ever you can create. It is quite the Techies home replacement.
 
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