How to I create an empty container on my home screen into which I can move app shortcuts

[JustRay]

Samsung phone running Android 11.

I want to create a "container" object of some sort on the home screen of an Android phone.
Then I want to give the "container" a name. IE: Games
Then, when I am ready, I want to drag and drop app shortcuts into this newly created container.
So that later, I can tap on the container to see the app shortcuts and then tap on the app I want to run.

Additionally, if I empty this container of its contents, I want the empty container to remain on the home screen until I remove it.

What I'm trying to describe is the same functionality that exists on a Windows machine.
IE:
You can create an empty "folder" (Container) anywhere you want.
Then, you can name it anything you want.
You can copy anything you want into it.
And if you delete the contents of the folder, it remains until you delete the folder (container) itself.

I'm trying to make things a bit easier for my wife who is struggling with all of the app shortcuts on her phone.
She understands how to move an app shortcut to an empty space on her home screen.

So, I hope to learn how to do the above, on her phone.
Enabling her to move various app shorts into containers which I would create and name for her beforehand.

All she really wants to do is USE the phone and its apps. She really has no desire to learn how the phone works. (That's my job apparently.)

I watched a video that showed an older version of Android that did EXACTLY what I am trying to do now. (Create and name an empty container which could be populated with app shortcuts later on.)
But version 11 does not allow me that freedom.

Is there a way to do this natively that I'm missing ?
Or is there an app from the app store that might do the trick ?

Thanks for taking the time to read this post. (I know it's kind of "windy".)

 

[smvim]

If you press and hold (don't tap) in icon and just drag-and-drop it on top of another icon, that should create a 'combined' icon, a consolidation of both app icons into one icon. Tap on it to tap on either one to open them like you normally do. You can add more icons to that combined icon, freeing up space on the screen if you already have a lot of other app icons. If you need to remove one of those icons from the grouping, just long press on it and then drag-and-drop it into the contextual Trash icon that pops up in the upper menubar. Tap once on that combined icon to open it, and tap on the name if you want to rename it to something more descriptive.

 

[B. Diddy]

I searched for a way to do this natively, and I don't think it's possible to create a truly empty folder. There might be a 3rd party launcher that can do this -- I need to look a little more.

For now, though, one workaround would be to create 2 simple text files using an app like Total Commander, and name them something like "DON'T DELETE ME 1" and "DON'T DELETE ME 2" (steps here: https://imgur.com/gallery/2yeHa2e). Then use Total Commander to create shortcuts for those files, and then group those files together in a new folder (there has to be more than one shortcut in a folder to maintain the folder). I realize this is clunky, but as long as those shortcuts aren't deleted, it should work.

 

[JustRay]

Thanks smvim.
Your described procedure works perfectly.
But, it's a bit convoluted for the 4 people who have asked me to help them organize their home screens.
These people are, at best, "drive-by" users of their phones.
(My Mother, both my in-laws and my wife.)
They all DO know how to drag and drop, but they would get the vapors (and it would probably set them back a year or so) if they moved the last app shortcut out of the created app folder and then the folder itself disappeared.

Thanks again for your time and interest in helping me with my issue.

 

[JustRay]

Thanks B. Diddy
I have also been looking for an app that might be able to create an empty app folder into which one could drag and drop app shortcuts.
So far, it's "No dice Chicago".
But, I will continue to look.

Again, my goal is to ....
Take a phone and create an empty folder on the home screen and give it a name. IE: News apps.
Then upon returning the phone to the user, suggest they begin moving their various news app shortcuts into this folder.
Once that works, I anticipate they will then ask me to create additional folders for other categories of app shortcuts. IE: Games, Shopping, etc.

Older versions of Android worked exactly as I have described my desire.Cuz I have found lots of Internet articles and some videos related to this.
But people much smarter than I, have decided the current way is better.

Thanks for your time with this. It is greatly appreciated.

 

[smvim]

...
But, it's a bit convoluted for the 4 people who have asked me to help them organize their home screens.
These people are, at best, "drive-by" users of their phones.
(My Mother, both my in-laws and my wife.)
...

If your other family members are so hesitant about issues using their phones, they might find it worth the time and effort to educate themselves a bit so they're more comfortable doing basic tasks like manipulating icons and such.
A lot of library districts, community colleges, local community centers, etc. offer adult education classes and seminars for things like smartphone fundamentals. Sometimes its easier to pick up on otherwise daunting tasks in a smaller, less structured setting. A lot of these types of instructional gatherings are much more one-to-one matters. When they get more familiar with their phones, they won't find them to be so intimidating to customize and optimize to suit their own particular needs.