Modern Android launchers, including the Pixel Launcher and Samsung’s One UI, feature an intelligent “App Suggestions” row located at the top of the app drawer. This dynamically changing list predicts which applications you are most likely to open next based on your usage habits, time of day, and location. While this machine learning feature is designed to accelerate navigation, it can make your app drawer feel cluttered and unpredictable, as the icons are constantly shifting.
This guide explains how to completely disable the App Suggestions feature on your Android smartphone, restoring a static, alphabetically ordered, and predictable app drawer.
Disable App Suggestions on Google Pixel (Stock Android)
If you are using a Google Pixel or a device running a near-stock Android launcher, the setting is located within the Home Settings menu.
- Navigate to your Android device’s Home Screen.
- Press and hold (long-press) on any empty space on the wallpaper.
- A pop-up menu will appear. Select Home settings.
- Tap on Suggestions (on some versions, this may be labelled App suggestions or located under a general Drawer heading).
- Locate the toggle switch for Suggestions in all apps list.
- Turn the switch to the Off position.
- (Optional) If you also wish to remove suggested apps from the bottom row of your main home screen, toggle off Suggestions on Home screen in the same menu.
Once disabled, open your app drawer by swiping up from the bottom of the screen. The top row of dynamically shifting icons will be gone, leaving only the standard, alphabetically sorted list of your installed applications.
Disable App Suggestions on Samsung Galaxy Devices
Samsung’s One UI interface handles app drawer suggestions slightly differently. They appear both when you open the app drawer and when you use the Finder search function.
- Swipe up from the home screen to open the App Drawer.
- Tap the three-dot menu icon located in the top-right corner of the screen, next to the search bar.
- Select Settings from the drop-down menu.
- Scroll through the Home Screen settings until you find Show suggested apps.
- Toggle the switch to the Off position.
By turning off this setting, you eliminate the predictive element from your Samsung app drawer, ensuring that your application layout remains entirely under your manual control.