Launcher OS™: Make a large folder for your daily apps

03Build the folder with two apps before adding the rest

I start with two apps that clearly belong together. Calendar and notes make sense for my family plans; an audiobook app and an e-books app might make a better pair for someone who reads on the bus. Avoid starting with a crowded page, where it is harder to tell whether an icon will join a folder or land beside it.

1. Find the first app icon on the Launcher OS™ home screen.
2. Touch and hold it until it lifts.
3. Drag it directly over the second app icon, then release when the folder area appears.
4. Tap the new folder to open it.

If dragging opens the app instead, hold the icon a little longer before moving your finger. If the two icons simply swap places, try again from a less crowded spot and pause over the second icon before releasing. I check the contents as soon as the folder opens, rather than dragging in several more apps and discovering that one landed on the page.

04Make the folder large, then check what stays visible

The large-folder option is the reason to use this arrangement rather than squeeze every daily app into a standard folder. With the new folder on the home screen, I would look for a folder menu before I add more icons. A long press is the most direct place to check; use the label you see on your phone rather than assuming every launcher lays out its controls identically.

1. Close the folder so its icon is visible on the home screen.
2. Touch and hold the folder icon.
3. If a folder menu opens, tap Large folder.
4. Tap outside the folder and check which app icons are visible on its larger tile.

A large folder is only helpful if the apps I need most are easy to spot. I put calendar and messages ahead of occasional tasks, then leave enough space around the folder to avoid accidental taps. If you do not see Large folder in the folder menu, keep the standard folder for now; it still groups the apps without forcing a change to the rest of your layout.

05Name it for the moment you reach for it

I find task names faster than broad categories. “School run” tells me where to tap when pickup plans change; “Read and listen” makes sense if I keep e-books and audiobooks together. A folder called “Utilities” could contain almost anything. If the folder opens with a name field, tap that field, type a short name and confirm using the keyboard’s Done control.

Add apps one at a time by touching and holding each home-screen icon, dragging it onto the folder, and checking that it appears inside. I would keep a streaming subscription app out of my morning-plans folder even if I use it every day. The aim is not to gather popular apps in one place. It is to make the right app obvious at the moment I need it.

If an app lands in the wrong folder, open that folder, touch and hold the icon, and drag it back to an open space on the home screen. Then move it to the intended folder. Taking that extra moment is easier than living with a folder whose name promises one thing and whose contents deliver another.

06Keep lock-screen permissions separate from folder setup

Launcher OS™ also offers lock-screen features, which can bring up permission requests while you explore. I would handle those separately from this home-screen job. Camera access relates to opening the camera from its lock screen; notification access relates to showing notifications there. Neither is a step in grouping calendar, messages and notes into a folder.

For this job, I would first finish the folder and see whether it makes the next routine tap easier. If a permission screen appears while I am only arranging icons, I can back out and return to the home screen. Later, I can consider a lock-screen feature on its own terms, with a clear idea of what I want it to show.

Finally, I press Home and look at the page as I would when my hands are full. Can I spot the folder name? Are the essential apps visible without opening it? If the large tile crowds out a more urgent shortcut, I move the folder to another page or return to a smaller folder. The useful layout is the one I can read quickly, not the fullest one.