Samsung Galaxy S22, S21, Note 20, other devices missing app icons from home screen & app drawer after recent update

When it comes to the smartphone industry, Samsung is one of the few smartphone manufacturers that offers a clean UI and years of Android updates.

That said, Samsung Galaxy S22, S21, S20, Note 20, and other device owners seem to be facing an issue where the app icons are missing from the home screen and app drawer (1,2,3).

It looks like the problems surfaced after a recent update. Many say that the missing apps still show up as installed and can be launched from their Play Store page or using voice assistants like Bixby and Google Assistant.

Users have already tried restarting their phone and switching to another launcher but nothing seems to work.

Here are some reports from Samsung Galaxy device owners complaining about the missing app icons from home screen and app drawer.

This morning after the update most of my apps/icons are missing from home screen. After 2 hours with Verizon they sent me to Samsung. Samsung insisted I try the same things Verizon told me to. To no avail, so now I have to take time away from my day and drive to a samsung repair office to see if they can fix the issue. To add insult to injury they say your phone is out of warranty so you’ll have to pay. Samsung you created this issue it’s only right you fix it.
(Source)

Some of my apps suddenly went missing from my home screen and app drawer. Its still on my phone and can be opened from the app manager. I checked and none of the apps are hidden. I have no idea what happened. I tried restarting my phone several times and looking through the settings for a solution. If I go to the play store and search the apps, they are showing installed properly.
(Source)

While Samsung is yet to officially comment on the matter, we came across some workarounds that might help bring back the missing app icons on Galaxy devices.

Some say setting One UI Home as the default launcher resolved the issue for them and brought back all the icons.

It seems the problem may be related to another launcher I use. When switching to the One Home UI, all apps do show up in the app drawer and are available on the home screens. When switching back to the other launcher, apps are missing again. I’ll follow up with the developers of the launcher.
(Source)

In case you happen to back up your home screen layout with your Samsung account, try restoring it.

We hope Samsung releases another update that fixes the problem at the earliest since it is inconveniencing many. If and when they do, we will be updating this space to reflect the same so stay tuned.

Note: We have more such stories in our dedicated Samsung Section so be sure to follow them as well.

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