iPhone vs Android: Which Is Better For You?
All I Want From Samsung's One UI 7.0 Is A Vertical App Drawer List
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
So yeah, I thought I'd start this article by addressing the obvious first: Yes, third-party launchers can fix many issues in Samsung's approach to home screens and app launchers in One UI 6.1, but why should I need them to get the most basic feature of all?
Why should I install a third-party app and risk small hiccups or a less-than-optimal experience in my app switcher only to get a feature that should've been available by default?
Why do I need third-party software to fix Samsung's obstinate removal of a feature that's been in Android since Marshmallow?
Why, of all the customization options available in One UI that let me tailor the design and experience to my liking in every minute detail, is there no option to make the app lists scroll vertically and continuously, instead of going inefficiently, page by page and horizontally?
Vertical or horizontal app drawer?1977 votes
Horizontal scrolling just works for me.
20%
Vertical, of course. Are you insane?
53%
It doesn't really matter.
20%
I don't really use an app drawer.
7%
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
Why is Samsung skipping the vertical app drawer, which has been a staple of stock Android since the good ol' Marshmallow days in 2015? If something is so intrinsically part of the Android experience, it should be available — even if only as an option — in any Android skin. This is not iOS, where I have to spend days scrolling through dozens of app screens, and heck, even iOS implemented a smarter app list than the horizontal drawer!
And why did Samsung think it was enough to add the vertical app drawer as an option in the Home Up Good Lock module? … Only for it to treat it like the absolute afterthought it was and forget to update it when One UI graduated to version 6.0 and then 6.1. Leaving the vertical app list out of the Home Up implementation for the latest Galaxy S24 series and any other Galaxy phone that has received One UI 6.0 and above for the last months is a clear sign of how much this feature matters to Samsung. (Read: not at all.)
And why should we wait for One UI 6.1.1 in the summer, as a Samsung Community moderator implied (via @theonecid), to get this neglected feature back?
Look, I know I'm complaining about a minor feature in the grand scheme of things. But if Samsung can build all the Galaxy AI novelties in the world, why can it not bring this simple toggle to One UI? Is it because it's a less shiny feature?
A vertical app drawer should just be a core option in One UI 7.0 (if not the default setting), instead of being relegated to some obscure module only we geeks know about. It shouldn't be at the mercy of Good Lock's messy One UI compatibility track record, either. If gesture navigation can make it to One UI as a setting, so should the vertical app list.
People learned to scroll vertically through TikTok; I think they can figure out a vertical app list.
Sure, a vertical app list sounds less sexy than black-and-white photo colorization or generative image editing, but how many times do you scroll through your apps every day versus how many times do you use genAI to edit a photo? It's not even a competition between the two for me. And every time I try to open an app on my Galaxy S24 Ultra, I curse a little under my breath because Samsung has taken a frictionless interaction, added friction to it, and decided that was good enough for the millions of people who use its phones every day.
It's 2024, Samsung. People have learned to scroll vertically through TikTok and Instagram; I think they can learn to scroll vertically through their app lists, too.
CommentsFinally, The Play Store Can Download Two Apps At Once
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
When you get a new Android phone, one of the first things you'll do is install all your favorite apps. When you've done so in the past, you've needed to wait for the Google Play Store to download each app one at a time. This can be very frustrating, especially for those of us who download dozens of apps during this process.
Thankfully, it looks like Google made this process a tiny bit faster at some point recently. Today, it looks like the Play Store is capable of downloading two apps at once. It's a small change, I'll admit, but anything to cut down on the time it takes to set up a new phone is a win in my book.
We have this working on a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, but 9to5Google has it working on several Pixel devices, too, so it should be pretty widespread, assuming you have a recent version of Android and the latest version of the Play Store itself. Check out the screenshot below, which confirms two apps in the middle of downloading together:
Unfortunately, Google didn't go the extra mile and also allow for the downloading of multiple updates at once. The same Galaxy S23 Ultra that supports simultaneous downloads of new apps did not support simultaneous downloads of updates for existing apps. You can see how it's still only doing one app at a time in the screenshot below:
Obviously, getting multiple app updates at once would probably be a more important quality of life update for Android, considering not many people are installing multiple apps at once outside of setting up a brand new phone. Still, it's very possible Google is just taking things one step at a time and simultaneous upgrade downloads could be on the way soon.
Do you have the ability to download multiple apps at once on your Android phone? Let us know your make and model in the comments and whether or not you see this behavior.
Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at news@androidauthority.Com. You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice. CommentsThe Galaxy Ring Will Have To Be Near Perfect To Compete With Oura
The Oura Ring is currently in generation three and brings an impressive set of features for an ultra-thin wearable, but right on its heels is Samsung's own version – the Galaxy Ring. The Galaxy Ring is going to have to be almost perfect to be a viable replacement for the Oura Ring.
We've gone over all of our favorite features in our Oura Ring review. It currently holds the top spot as the best smart ring out there, but that's really only because the Oura Ring is the only adequate health-tracking ring around. That might not be the case for too long, however. Samsung has made it clear that it's working on the Galaxy Ring, and repeated leaks have offered up some important information. What we expect from the Galaxy Ring The Galaxy Ring is expected to come in three colors – black, silver, and gold. From what we've seen in teasers and in person, the finishes are all glossy, which will be hard to maintain long-term and keep away from heavy scratches. On the other hand, the Stealth finish Oura Ring I have has stood up to a beating without showcasing a single scratch. The Galaxy Ring is also supposedly going to have a battery life of around five to nine days, which beats out the Gen 3 rings from Oura on paper. When that information was uncovered, it was also noted that Samsung was "working on" getting the Galaxy Ring to play nicely with Android phones beyond its own Galaxy lineup. It could be a big bummer if other phones like the Pixel or OnePlus devices couldn't use the ring. Even if they could, it would also be rather upsetting to see limited features available because of the variations in Android. We know Samsung is expecting a high demand for the Galaxy Ring, as it'll be the first fitness tracker in the format from a widespread and well-known brand. As for the price, there's no word. It'd be hard to expect the ring to surpass the cost of the company's Galaxy Watches at around $300 or so, but other smart rings come in at that cost. Essentially, that means it could cost anything from $200 to $400. Oura's health suite will be hard to beat The Galaxy Ring has the backing of Samsung, obviously. And with that comes a decent health suite of features from the Galaxy Watch. Sasmung has even noted that the Galaxy Ring will come with certain features like a "Vitality score," which will likely be something of a readiness measure to give you a rough idea of where you are at for the day. That's all well and good, but the current closet of features that Oura offers in its admittedly pay-to-play app is rather impressive – like, really impressive. The Oura app is split into five different sections, each with a slew of data points and graphs that give you a targeted idea of your health metrics. The main home page shows you everything you need to see at a glance, from readiness to sleep and even your resilience score. Beyond that page, four more pages are available with much more in-depth information – Readiness, Sleep, Activity, and Resilience. Each is
The other big benefit that sits in Oura's court is the company's record with updates and feature rollouts. Since I've been using my model at the beginning of the year, Oura has released three or four new features, including cadmium system tracking. On top of that, the company has a new labs feature that lets users opt-in for in-progress releases. When Samsung releases new health features, it usually sits behind an update to its flagship devices. Those tend to happen every few months. A lot of this is echoed by Tom Hale, who had this response when I inquired about Oura's stance on competition from companies like Samsung: New players entering the space is validation for the category and drives us to aim higher to serve our members and community. Since our founding over a decade ago, we've invested relentlessly in service of creating the best smart ring that gives every body voice. Our members span from Gen Z to Boomers, from pro athletes to those seeking to improve their sleep and health, from women tracking their cycles to those who want to better manage their stress. We release new features regularly, and have the strongest IP portfolio—in both hardware and software—for the smart ring form factor, with hundreds of granted patents, pending patent applications, and registered trademarks. It would take a much longer article to get into all of Oura's features, and we've hit a lot of them in the full review. However, the important point is that Oura is packing a heavy feature set. From what I've experienced in the Galaxy Watch's Wearable app and with other huge OEMs' own fitness apps, I don't have a ton of hope that Samsung will provide nearly the same experience. It'll no doubt be good, but it may not be as in-depth. We've seen it time and time again: big OEMs just don't put as much work into their companion programs that pair with well-selling devices. That's why brands like Whoop have taken off; it isn't hindered by a massive company that can't dedicate a big enough team to the fitness side of things, which is my opinionated assumption on why we don't see as many features on some releases. That's not to say Samsung won't develop a good product. In fact, I think the Galaxy Ring will offer a pretty good experience in battery life and overall vital accuracy. In app features, I don't think it can take on Oura as things sit right now. 
That isn't going to stop the Galaxy Ring from selling well, though. I don't see the Galaxy Ring hiding its features behind a $6/month fee like Oura, and I don't see its users complaining about the features it does have. It will also have the advantage of utilizing the Galaxy Watch series to provide more comprehensive vitals, something I find a little cumbersome having started to wear the Oura Ring to avoid loading my wrist down with a bulky watch while sleeping. The Galaxy Ring is set to fully launch around July, which is just around the corner. Again, no pricing is known, but I would expect to see it sit somewhere between $200 and $400. If Samsung can provide a comprehensive app experience with frequent updates, it might be able to compete with the Oura Ring. In any case, I'm excited to see this fitness tracker space grow and get better. It's a form factor that deserves development. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More. 
Comments
Post a Comment