An interesting thing about most third-party UIs made by the Chinese smartphone makers is that they lack an app drawer. This has changed over time but a few years back, most of them did not have an app drawer as the companies behind these launchers wanted to replicate the iOS experience and if you know anything about that, then you know it lacks an app drawer.
One of the UIs that has never had an app drawer is Xiaomi’s MIUI. This has been the company’s standard UI on all its phones and it is safe to say its fans have been used to it without the app drawer. For other Android users, getting used to the UI without an app drawer is not an easy task. Not everyone is willing to install a third-party launcher, some people prefer having that option inbuilt on their smartphones and these are the people Xiaomi is targeting with an update that is coming to MIUI.
The alpha build of MIUI launcher version 4.10.6.1025-06141703 is out and brings with it an app drawer. This is not a major update in any way but is an important one for most Android users. It just makes navigation easier and is something people are used to.
The app drawer has been spotted and the screenshots of the same have been obtained by XDA Developers.
From the screenshots above, the app drawer can be accessed by tapping the middle button as is with other UIs. There is not swipe up gesture option and I hope the company finds a way to incorporate this. Google is implementing gesture navigation on Android and it will be strange if Xiaomi does not have that option for its app drawer. This version of MIUI is the first release so nothing is final and we may just see these changes when the final one is released to the public.
Poco Launcher has an App Drawer
What is even strange with MIUI and Xiaomi is that its other launcher made for the Pocophone F1, Poco Launcher, has an app drawer. This launcher is based on MIUI and I don’t get why it has an app drawer and the original version does not. You can also download Poco Launcher from the Play Store so it is available for everyone and not just Xiaomi smartphone owners.
The MIUI version with the app drawer is available but is buggy and you need to be aware of this before downloading. If this is not a big deal for you, you can go ahead and download it here.
Also Read: Xiaomi’s Global MIUI Beta Program Is Ending On July 1st
