LG's Home 4.0 Launcher brings the app drawer back to the G5

LG made a bold decision to omit the app drawer from its stock launcher on the LG G5, much to the disappointment of the Android community. LG later showed off a different version that had an optional app drawer that could be manually enabled, and now that version, called Home 4.0, is available for download.

Available from LG’s SmartWorld app repository, just simply search for “Home 4.0” or click here, the new launcher will give a new option called Home 4.0, which looks very familiar to those who have seen the stock launcher on previous LG devices. In this new older version of the LG launcher, there’s the previously omitted app drawer and also the Holo-style widget tabs, showing it certainly doesn’t follow LG’s new UX design.

It seems strange why LG chose to require the download of a completely separate launcher to re-enable a feature that most people rely heavily upon, and with it hidden in LG’s SmartWorld, probably something many people won’t find. LG claim that the decision was taken as many users simply place all their icons on their home screen and don’t even use the app drawer, similar to iOS, and that it would make the new LG UX more intuitive.

There are always of course third-party launchers such as Nova launcher that provide a dedicated app drawer, as well as a ton more functionality that may be a preferred option for most LG G5 users.