You Really Only Need One Home Screen
When I got my new iPhone last year, I was looking forward to starting over with a fresh, clean home screen, but I had loads of apps that I didn’t want to leave, let alone sort. But then I discovered in iOS 14 a feature that allows you to edit your home screen while hiding as much clutter as you need to.
It’s almost too easy. You single out one of your home screens for a few apps that you really want to see when you pick up your phone. Then you delete other screens.
All apps are still there, so you really haven’t lost anything. They are just out of sight and out of sight. Android users have certainly been able to do this since time immemorial, but at least Apple has finally allowed its users that luxury.
Here’s how to get rid of iPhone home screen clutter:
- Make sure your iPhone is running the latest version of iOS 14 .
- Press and hold any application icon and select “change home screen”.
- Move all your favorite apps to one home screen page.
- Tap the dots at the bottom of the screen and you will see all your home screens. Each has a check mark at the bottom; uncheck everything except the favorites page.
You can still access these already disappeared apps in other ways. Swipe up (or double-tap the Home button on your old phone) to switch between recent apps. Or swipe down on the home screen to access the search bar and enter the first few letters of the app you want. And if you swipe all the way to the right, you’ll see a screen that suggests apps you might want to use, grouped by category, including Recently Added.
I dedicate my only home screen to apps that I really want my phone to remind me of , or that I need to be as easy as possible. These include my camera, texting apps, and several health and habit-related apps. If I want to browse old photos or check my work email, I need to spend an extra two seconds to find the appropriate app. As a result, my home screen represents what I want to use my phone for, rather than a jumble of all the apps that have appeared there. And I like it better.