One of the main issues with iOS (in comparison to Android) before iOS 14 was that every single app you’ve ever downloaded had to be present on your home screen. You could have folders and several home screens, but you couldn’t just hide an infrequently used program. All that changed in 2020 with the release of iOS 14. You may not only add widgets to your home screen but also remove programs without uninstalling them. There was also one other change App Library.
What is App Library?
A top-level screen called AppLibrary lists all the installed apps on your iPhone in order of category. You can delete apps from your home screens, but you can still use the App Library to access them. Finding apps that you may have forgotten you downloaded or that you can’t remember the names of (and consequently can’t search for them using Spotlight) can be done more easily thanks to App Library.
It resembles the app drawer on most Android phones in some ways, but it differs in appearance and functionality. Understanding the App Library is essential to maintaining a more orderly and structured iPhone and finding the desired app quickly. This is how the App Library functions. Additionally, iPad OS 15 introduced the App Library.
Where is my iPhone’s App Library?
The App Library is to the right of your most recent home screen on iPhones running iOS 14 or later. Keep swiping, and you’ll arrive there soon.
Using the App Library
You are not need to arrange this screen. In actuality, you cannot plan it. All of your apps will show up in tiny, four-square boxes that are categorized. Suggestions is always in the upper left box. This will display four apps that Siri predicts you will use depending on your location, time of day, and other factors. Your iPhone becomes smarter as you use it more, and all of the suggestions are determined on the device. Your location, usage patterns, or any other information are never sent anywhere. Recent Additions is located in the upper right and is self-explanatory. It displays the most recent installed or updated apps.
Your iPhone becomes smarter as you use it more, and all of the suggestions are determined on the device. Your location, usage patterns, or any other information are never sent anywhere. Recent Additions is located in the upper right and is self-explanatory. It displays the most recent installed or updated apps. The location of the category boxes itself varies. Depending on which apps you use the most frequently, they will reorganize themselves.
Opening a folder in the App Library
Three full-size app icons will be displayed in each of these boxes along with a small cluster of four icons in the lower right corner.
- The app will start when you tap a full-size app icon.
- You may view all the apps in that category by tapping the small four-icon grouping.
How to search the App Library
Search is the best option if you don’t want to keep opening and closing the app category boxes in search of the program you require. You can search for apps on your iPhone by name or by scrolling through an alphabetical list by tapping the search box at the top of the screen. You can search even if the App Library is not currently open. To access the Spotlight Search bar, simply swipe downward from the center of the phone.
Taking apps off the home screen
Having an App Library eliminates the need for 14 pages on your Home Screen, which is one of its advantages. Instead, you can uninstall apps from your iPhone without uninstalling them from your home screen.
It is simple to make an app exist in the App Library but not have an icon on your home screen.
- Tap and hold the application icon until a context menu appears.
- After selecting Remove App, a dialog with the choices Cancel, Remove from Home Screen, or Delete will appear.
- Delete will completely remove the app, whereas Remove from Home Screen will merely remove the icon. The app will still be present in the App Library, just as it always has.
How to delete apps from the home screen’s pages
You’ll be happy to know that you can also delete full pages of apps (and widgets) off the home screen if your home screen has 14 pages or more.
- To enter “jiggle mode,” tap and hold on an empty area on your home screen.
- Select the small page indication at the bottom of the screen by tapping it.
- This will open the Edit Pages screen, where you can pick or deselect all of the pages on your home screen. All of those apps will always be in your App Library even if you deselect one, which will prevent it from showing up on your home screen.
These layouts are saved on your iPhone so you may easily enable them again in the future.
How to make apps appear on the home screen
It is possible to restore apps that you have uninstalled from your home screen if you change your mind. It is simple to add an app from the App Library on your home screen if you would like it to be there.
- All you have to do is tap and hold an app icon until the context menu appears, then select “Add to Home Screen.”
- You won’t see that option if an app already appears on your home screen.
- You may now activate “jiggle mode” and move apps to your home screen by dragging them from the left side of the App Library.
The App Library will always contain all of the apps on your iPhone. Adding an app to your home screen does not remove it from the library.
How to stop installed apps from showing up on the home screen after downloading
It’s difficult to go back to a cluttered home screen after you become used to one with a minimal number of widgets and app icons. It still shows up on your home screen when you download a new app from the App Store, but you can adjust that behavior.
Follow these steps if you want newly downloaded apps to bypass the home screen and only show up in your App Library:
- Access settings.
- Click the Home Screen.
- Decide whether you want newly downloaded apps to show up only in the App Library or on the home screen.
- You can also decide whether to display notification badges on App Library icons, which are the red dots in the corners with numbers.
Keep in mind that your App Library contains all of your apps. There is no method to prevent an app from showing up in the App Library but on the home screen.
