I've been replacing my home screen apps with these tools; it's changed how I use my phone
Android Police 2026-07-02 11:00:10
Context: The author, Tom Bedford, a technology journalist based in London, UK, has been customizing his Android phone's home screen by replacing apps with tools, specifically home screen shortcuts. This allows him to access web pages, Google Drive documents, and other files more efficiently. By doing so, he has simplified his phone usage and reduced clutter on his home screen.
Key Facts
- Tom Bedford has been using home screen shortcuts on his Android phone to access web pages, such as news sites, and Google Drive documents, which has changed how he uses his phone for work and pleasure.
- To create a home screen shortcut for a web page, users can press the three-vertical-dot hamburger menu in the upper-right corner of Chrome, select "Add to home screen," and choose a name for the icon.
- Tom uses home screen shortcuts to access web pages, including news sites, movie listings, and tools like NYT Games and Outlook, which he finds load quicker and are more streamlined than their app counterparts.
- Google Drive users can create home screen shortcuts for individual files or documents by opening the Drive app, finding the document, pressing the three-dot hamburger menu, and selecting "Add to home screen."
- When creating a home screen shortcut for a web page, Chrome may not always pull the correct icon, and users cannot change the icon, which may be a limitation for those who use icon styles to customize their home screen.