I want to make my own shortcut to an app.
I need to control the existence of that shortcut to that app.

Normally, I have the app disabled on my phone.
Which means the normal app shortcut disappears from the homescreen.
Which means that app shortcut does not come back when I enable it.
And which means that disabled app shortcut is not in the app drawer.

Once in a while (usually in a month or two or three), I need the app.
So I search for the app in my app manager (it's not in the app drawer).
And then I open the app in the Android settings & I re-enable it.

Now the re-enabled app is still not in the homescreen.
But the re-enabled app is now in the app drawer.
From which I can pull it out and put it back on the homescreen.

But what would be nicer is having a placeholder on the homescreen.
A placeholder that doesn't go away when the app is disabled.
That placeholder always be there in the right folder on the homescreen.

Then, when needed, I could press the placeholder shortcut.
It would immediately go to the settings to re-enable the app.
And then it would run the app.

That might be two different placeholder shortcuts come to think of it.
How would I accomplish that?
--
best regards,

Neil

On Sun, 2 Jul 2023 07:32:26 -0400, Neil wrote:
> I want to make my own shortcut to an app.
> I need to control the existence of that shortcut to that app.
>
> Normally, I have the app disabled on my phone.
> Which means the normal app shortcut disappears from the homescreen.
> Which means that app shortcut does not come back when I enable it.
> And which means that disabled app shortcut is not in the app drawer.
>
> Once in a while (usually in a month or two or three), I need the app.
> So I search for the app in my app manager (it's not in the app drawer).
> And then I open the app in the Android settings & I re-enable it.
>
> Now the re-enabled app is still not in the homescreen.
> But the re-enabled app is now in the app drawer.
> From which I can pull it out and put it back on the homescreen.
>
> But what would be nicer is having a placeholder on the homescreen.
> A placeholder that doesn't go away when the app is disabled.
> That placeholder always be there in the right folder on the homescreen.
>
> Then, when needed, I could press the placeholder shortcut.
> It would immediately go to the settings to re-enable the app.
> And then it would run the app.
>
> That might be two different placeholder shortcuts come to think of it.
> How would I accomplish that?

I have an idea of how to do it that I can test out for you if you like.

Please suggest an app that every phone has (so that the effort is worth it
to more people than just for you). Probably a default app would be best.

I'll see if I can disable that default Android app (to make it disappear)
and then I'll see if I can bring it back as quickly as possible with a
custom shortcut that doesn't disappear when the app is disabled & stopped.