Samsung screen reader users may have noticed that the TalkBack experience on One UI 7 and 8 can be frustrating when navigating recent apps. On the Recent Apps screen, the screen reader does not scroll automatically while swiping through the list. Instead, manual scrolling is required by swiping with two fingers. Fortunately, this behavior can be changed using a Good Lock module called Home Up.
This quick tutorial covers how to install and use Home Up to change the style of the Recent Apps screen and make it much easier to navigate.
Table of Contents
What is Home Up?
Home Up is a Good Lock module that allows customization of the One UI home screen, including the Recent Apps screen, also known as the task changer. With Home Up, different Recent Apps layouts can be selected, such as Grid, Vertical List, and Slim List, along with additional settings.
How to Install Home Up
To get started, the Good Lock app must be installed from the
Galaxy Store
or the
Play Store.
After installing Good Lock, follow these steps to install the Home Up module.
- Open the Good Lock app.
- Locate the Plugins tab near the bottom of the screen and select it if it is not already active.
- Find the Home Up module and double tap it.
- Select Install to download and install the module.
How to Customize the Recent Apps Screen
Follow these steps to change the layout of the Recent Apps screen.
- Open the Home Up module from the Good Lock app. It is located in the “You” tab.
- Turn on the module by activating the switch at the top of the screen.
- Enable Task Changer by toggling the switch next to its name. Alternatively, open Task Changer and enable it from its dedicated screen.
- Under the Layout section, select one of the available layout styles.
The default layout is Tilt Stack. Other available options include Grid, Vertical List, and Slim List. Selecting any layout other than the default re-enables automatic scrolling on the Recent Apps screen.
Grid displays recent apps in a grid layout, showing multiple apps at once. Vertical List displays recent apps in a vertically scrolling list. Slim List is similar to the Vertical List but shows only the app icon and name, allowing more apps to appear on the screen at once.
After selecting a layout, additional settings can be adjusted, such as background blur and app label visibility.
Navigating the Recent Apps Screen
Once the layout has been changed, navigating the Recent Apps screen becomes much easier. Swiping through recent apps with one finger scrolls the screen automatically. Double tapping an app opens it, and the Close action can be used to close it.
Conclusion
Customizing the Recent Apps screen with Home Up is an effective way to improve the TalkBack experience on Samsung devices. Whether a grid, vertical list, or slim list layout is preferred, Home Up provides flexible options that make recent apps easier to navigate.
Note on Availability
Although Samsung has extended the availability of Good Lock to more regions, it is still not available in all countries. There are unofficial ways to install and use Good Lock in unsupported regions; however, those methods are not covered in this article.
Audio Tutorial
If you’d like to listen to the audio tutorial on YouTube, visit this link: Listen to the tutorial.
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