Changing apps on your Apple Home Screen involves rearranging, moving, organizing, or removing them to personalize your device's layout. This process is intuitive, allowing you to create a Home Screen that best suits your workflow and preferences.
Getting Started: Entering Jiggle Mode
To begin modifying your Home Screen, you need to activate "Jiggle Mode." This is the essential first step for almost any app or widget rearrangement.
- Touch and hold any app or widget on your Home Screen.
- From the options that appear, tap "Edit Home Screen."
- All the apps and widgets on your screen will begin to jiggle, indicating that you can now move them.
Once in Jiggle Mode, you can perform various actions to change your Home Screen's organization.
Rearranging and Moving Apps
Rearranging apps is a straightforward drag-and-drop process.
- Move an app on the same page: While in Jiggle Mode, tap and hold an app, then drag it to your desired new position on the current page. Other apps will automatically shift to make space.
- Move an app to a different page:
- Tap and hold the app you want to move.
- Drag the app or widget to the right or left edge of the screen.
- You might need to wait a second for the new page to appear. Continue dragging the app to the desired page. The dots above the Dock indicate how many Home Screen pages you have and which one you're currently viewing.
Organizing Apps with Folders
Folders are an excellent way to group similar apps, reduce clutter, and make your Home Screen more manageable.
- While in Jiggle Mode, drag one app on top of another app. A folder will automatically be created containing both apps.
- To add more apps to the folder, simply drag them onto the folder icon.
- To rename the folder, tap on its name field when the folder is open, delete the old name, and type in a new one.
- To remove an app from a folder, open the folder, then drag the app out of the folder back onto the Home Screen.
Creating New Home Screen Pages
If you run out of space on your existing pages, or simply want to dedicate a page to specific apps or widgets, you can easily create new ones.
- When in Jiggle Mode, drag an app to the far right edge of your last existing Home Screen page. A new, empty page will automatically appear for you to drop the app onto.
- You can also create a new page by dragging an app to the right edge and holding it there until a new blank page slides into view, then release the app.
Managing Home Screen Pages
You can hide entire Home Screen pages, which moves all apps on that page to the App Library without deleting them. This is useful for decluttering or temporarily hiding less-used app collections.
- While in Jiggle Mode, tap the row of dots above the Dock. This opens the Home Screen Pages editor.
- Uncheck the circle below any page you wish to hide.
- Tap Done in the top right corner.
- To unhide a page, repeat the steps and check the circle next to the desired page.
Removing and Deleting Apps
There are two main ways to remove apps from your Home Screen:
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Remove from Home Screen | This option takes the app icon off your Home Screen, but the app itself remains installed on your device and can be found in the App Library. This is ideal for decluttering without uninstalling. Steps: 1. In Jiggle Mode, tap the minus (-) icon on the app you want to remove. 2. Select "Remove from Home Screen." |
| Delete App | This completely uninstalls the app and all its data from your device. Steps: 1. In Jiggle Mode, tap the minus (-) icon on the app you want to delete. 2. Select "Delete App," then confirm your choice. Once deleted, you'll need to re-download the app from the App Store if you wish to use it again. |
| Widgets | Widgets can also be removed by tapping the minus (-) icon while in Jiggle Mode, then selecting "Remove Widget." Widgets cannot be moved to the App Library; they are either on the Home Screen or not present. To add them back, you would use the Widget Gallery (accessed by tapping the "+" icon in the top left corner of the Home Screen in Jiggle Mode). |
After making all your desired changes, press the Home button (for iPhones with a Home button) or swipe up from the bottom of the screen (for iPhones without a Home button) to exit Jiggle Mode and save your Home Screen layout.
