Mobile Minimalism: Streamlining My Smartphone Layout
How I organize my mobile apps for optimized functionality
I figured this is something that readers may be interested in. Would love any and all feedback in comments, or by email!1
The device I use is a first generation OnePlus Nord (it’s a mid-range phone, bought it 3 years ago for $450). I keep my frequently used applications sorted into personalized folders. I ensure a clutter-free interface by either uninstalling or disabling all other applications, unless they are necessary for a specific function. I've set my phone's default screen appearance to Dark Mode.
Image of my home page and folders
Home page
Folder - “Study & Entertainment”
Chrome icon or arrow icon in bottom right of icon means that it’s not actually an app, it’s a shortcut to a URL.
Folder - “Platforms”
Extracting list of My Mobile apps Android
I couldn’t find an app to export a list the apps I have on my phone. It would have required scripting. As a hack, I did the following:
Took a scrolling screenshot of the list of apps in my Google Files app
Opened in Google Lens, select all text, and copy-pasted into ChatGPT4
Asked ChatGPT4 to extract app names
List of my mobile apps, by customized folder
I’ve added notes in parentheses.
Home Page Tray
Chrome
Maps (Google Maps)
Moovit (similar to Google Maps)
Widgets
YouTube Music (I set this as a widget, to be able to play and pause from my phone home screen)
Calendar (I set this as a widget, to be able to have quick access to viewing upcoming events and daily tasks, and to be able to quickly add new ones)
WhatsApp (I set this as a widget, to be able to view all unread messages at a glance)
Folders, with apps inside
Communication
Gmail (separate shortcuts to personal and work)
Skype (for work)
Slack (for work)
Transcriber (transcribes Whatsapp voice notes, for long voice notes; or if I can’t listen, such as in meetings)
Messages (Google SMS app)
Phone (Google phone app)
Study & Entertainment
Kindle
Bing (for Bing Chat)
Wikipedia (great app)
Firefox (for Reading mode)
WSJ (Wall Street Journal)
YouTube
Netflix
Transportation
Bus Nearby (similar to Google Maps)
Gett (similar to Uber)
GoTo (CAR2GO) (car share)
Bird (scooter share)
Lime (“”)
Dott (“”)
Yango Wind (“”)
Productivity
Wolt (yes, this is under Productivity)
Mi Home (smart lightbulb controller)
LastPass (passwords)
Authenticator (Google Authenticator)
Find My Device (Google's "Find My Device")
Shortcut Maker (makes shortcuts to URLs, for when Google Chrome native shortcut maker doesn’t work properly, for a variety of technical reasons)
Clock
Ampere (testing charging speed)
Google Play services (app manager)
Files by Google (Google file manager)
Drive (Google Drive)
Financial
Chase
בנק הפועלים (Bank Hapoalim)
PayBox (similar to Venmo)
Bit (“”)
מאוחדת (Meuhedet health insurance HMO)
Google Wallet
Images
Camera (default camera app)
Photos (Google Photos)
Lens (Google Lens, for OCR)
Photos (default photos app, for editing)
**Not in custom folder, needed for functionality
Sheets (Google Sheets)
Docs (Google Docs)
Gboard (Google’s keyboard app)
Meet (Google Meet)
Bloatware
Native apps, came with the phone, can’t delete. Disabled:
Calculator
OnePlus Account
Digital Wellbeing
Google TV
Wireless Earphones
Games
Google Play Services for AR
System Messages (default SMS app)
Clock (default clock app)
ezrabrand@gmail.com. I’d like to thank my brother for the idea for this blogpost.