How to Customize Your iPhone Share Sheet & Favorite Apps (iOS16)

The iOS share sheet pops up anytime you tap the Share icon on your iPhone. It automatically updates based on your actions using machine learning. However, you can also customize what you see when you tap the Share button on your iPhone. Let's learn how.

Related: Shortcuts App Intro: Selecting, Editing & Creating Basic Shortcuts on an iPhone

Jump To:

• How Do You Add Apps to the Share Menu?
• How to Edit Favorites on Your iPhone
• How to Remove Apps from the Share Sheet
• How to Customize the Share Sheet Actions List

How Do You Add Apps to the Share Menu?

When we share a photo from the Photos app, for example, the share sheet will pop up. The apps listed are based on your use patterns or your chosen favorites. However, it is possible to manually select which apps you will see and the order you see them. To learn more about customization options on an iPhone, sign up for our free Tip of the Day newsletter.

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To share a photo from the Photos app to an app that isn’t listed, do the following:

1. Tap the Share icon.
   
   
2. Swipe over the app icons to the left.
   
   
3. Tap the More icon. 
   
   
4. Select the app of your choice. Depending on the app, you may need to add contacts or other choices before you send, post, or publish.
   
   

Depending on the machine learning algorithm, the app may appear in the list right away, or it may take several shares for it to register as a favorite. You can also manually set it as your favorite. 

How to Edit Favorites on Your iPhone

To edit the favorites in your share sheet, you need to enter the sharing settings. To do this, simply find a photo from the Photos app and follow these steps:

1. Tap the Share icon.
   
   
2. Swipe over the app icons to the left.
   
   
3. Tap the More icon. 
   
   
4. Tap the Edit icon in the top right corner.
   
   
5. Select the apps you wish to add to your favorites by tapping on the green plus icon.
   
   
6. These apps can then be reordered. Simply drag the app by three horizontal lines on the right.
   
   
7. To remove an app from your favorites list, simply tap the red minus icon and confirm to remove it. This will put it back on the list of suggested apps.
   
   
8. Tap Done to save your changes.
   
   

How to Remove Apps from the Share Sheet

Although the machine learning algorithm is generally great at suggesting apps, you may find the need to remove an app from the share sheet. To enter the share settings, you can find a photo from the Photos app and follow these steps:

1. Tap the Share icon.
   
   
2. Swipe over the app icons to the left.
   
   
3. Tap the More icon. 
   
   
4. Tap the Edit icon in the top right corner.
   
   
5. Toggle the app to stop it from appearing in your share sheet. An app must be removed from the favorites before it can be toggled off.
   
   
6. Tap Done to save your changes.
   
   

Some apps such as Mail and Books cannot be stopped from appearing on the shared sheet. They may appear automatically or be hidden automatically based on your use. Additionally, AirDrop cannot be removed from favorites or toggled off.

How to Customize the Share Sheet Actions List

When the share sheet pops up, below the row of apps, there is a list of actions. These are also automatically generated based on your phone use. These can be reordered or marked as favorites, and new actions can be added via the Shortcuts app.

One handy new feature in iOS 16 is the Quick Note, which can be added to the share sheet. Here's how to add the Add to New Quick Note action to the list, though if you're not using iOS 16 yet, the same process can be used to add many other actions as well.

1. Begin by finding a photo in the Photos app to share and tap the Share icon.
   
   
2. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and tap Edit Actions.
   
   
3. Add Actions to your Favorites by tapping the green plus icon. You can remove them by tapping the red minus icon.
   
   
4. You can reorder the Actions in your Favorites by dragging the action by the three horizontal lines as needed.
   
   
5. Tap Done to save your changes.
   
   

Depending on what you want to share, different actions can apply. You can also create your own actions using the Shortcuts app.

Customizing your iOS share sheet can make sharing a breeze. It only takes a few steps to set up your favorite apps and sort the action list based on your personal needs. A personalized share menu can help you save time in the long run.