You've probably accidentally stumbled on the App Library while swiping on your Home screen, but did you know you can use your App Library to organize your phone? In this guide, we'll go over tips and tricks for using the App Library.
Jump To:
- Skip Scrolling with Search Options
- Clean Up Your Home Screen
- Add an App to Your Home Screen
- Keep Your Library Free of Clutter
- Keep Your Apps Out of Sight but Still in Mind
Related: How to Find Hidden or Missing Apps on Your iPhone
1. Skip Scrolling with Search Options
I’ve gotten so lost while scrolling through my Home screen pages that I completely forgot what I was looking for. Not only does the App Library give you big ways to clean up your Home screen (more on that later), but it also gives you three easy ways to search for any downloaded app. Just swipe to your last Home screen page, then swipe left once more to access the App Library. Once you’re there, you can either search by the groupings your phone put together (I personally love the Suggestions based on my usage patterns), type in the app name in the search bar, or scroll alphabetically. You can find any app in an instant!
2. Clean Up Your Home Screen
We all know the frustration of our less frequently used apps taking up space and cluttering our Home screen. One of the benefits of the App Library is you can now download apps straight to the library, skipping your Home screen altogether. All you have to do is go to Settings, tap Home Screen, then under Newly Downloaded Apps, select App Library Only. You’ll still find all your apps in the App Library, while keeping only the ones you really want at your fingertips on your Home screen. For more on how to keep your Home screen easy to navigate, check out our Tip of the Day newsletter.
3. Add an App to Your Home Screen
Of course, even if you want 90 percent of your apps to stay off your Home screen, there’s still the 10 percent you want right there when you unlock your phone. Fortunately, it’s quick and easy to add any app icon to your Home screen. Just find the icon in your App Library (either in groupings or through the search function), then drag the icon to the left to bring it to your Home screen. You can remove any app from the Home screen by pressing and holding the icon until a menu appears, then tapping Remove App and selecting Move to App Library.
4. Keep Your Library Free of Clutter
Just as important as knowing how to add apps to your App Library is knowing how to delete an app that you no longer wish to use from your App Library. To delete an app from one of the App Library’s groupings, just press and hold the icon of the app you want to delete. A menu will appear, and you can tap Delete App to remove it. You’ll be asked to confirm, just like when you delete an app from your Home screen. This works in both the App Library’s Grouping and the alphabetical listing.
5. Keep Your Apps Out of Sight but Still in Mind
Even if you don’t want your app on your Home screen, you might still want to receive notifications. Badge notifications are those little red numbers that appear by an app icon that represent unread notifications. You can enable them in your App Library by going to Settings, tapping Home Screen, and then under Notification Badges, toggling on Show in App Library. You’ll know it’s toggled on if the slider is to the right and the bar is green. If the bar is gray and the slider to the left, it means you’ve turned it off. Stay on top of which apps want your attention!
