Our smartphones have become core products in our lives, and many of us have grown reliant on them in our personal and professional lives. Our phones let us communicate, browse the web, play games, track our health, and much more.
The number of apps we need to manage per day is constantly growing. Some people spend most of their time playing games, while others prioritize their health and fitness apps. Some people even have a work phone and a regular phone to help manage all the different app icons in their app library.
Based on your preferences, your methods of organization are going to differ. Here are some ways to organize and customize the apps on your Apple iPhone’s home screen.
How Do I Move and Organize Apps?
Apps will find a spot on your display automatically by default, but chances are you will want to move things around to declutter, especially if you frequently go to the app store to add new apps. Moving apps and creating different organizational folders is very simple on your iPhone.
To move an app, all you need to do is hold your finger down on the application in question. Once the application thumbnails begin to jiggle, you have control of the app and can choose to move it wherever you want.
If you move the app to a place where other apps already exist, they will automatically shuffle out of the way and reorganize accordingly. If you fill up your first page or just want increased organizational power, you can move your finger to the right edge of the screen, and a second display page will be created where you can put more apps.
Your app organization is entirely up to you: some prefer alphabetical order, while others prefer to organize by function (podcast apps in one folder, social media apps in another). You’ll find no objective answer if you ask, “How can I organize my apps?”
Instead, the way iPhone users edit home screen layouts (or Samsung Android users do, for that matter) is highly individualized. Your home screen pages and folders should be effective for you, but that can look different depending on who you are.
1. Create Folders
iPhone folders are great for putting similarly purposed apps in one place. Putting all of your food delivery apps or your games next to each other can take up a lot of space, so it can be helpful to create folders where you can centralize them.
Your phone will have some folders set up when you turn it on at factory settings. Applications and utilities already have folders upon launch.
To create a folder, follow these steps:
- Hold your finger on your open display until the apps begin to jiggle.
- Find two apps you want to be in a folder together and click and drag one onto the other.
- Once you create the folder, you can press and drag other apps into the folder as well.
- Press and hold the folder, then tap Rename to enter a custom name for the folder.
You can create multiple pages of apps within each folder, and the folders typically hold up to nine apps per page.
Doing the opposite is also just as easy. All you have to do is open the folder, hold down the app you want to move, and drag it out of the folder onto the home screen. Folders are an essential part of iPhone organization, so it is good to practice creating and utilizing them.
2. Try Widgets
Widgets are a relatively new addition to Apple’s mobile display, starting with iOS 14 (though included in iOS 15 and iOS 16). Widgets are icons that give you information from your different applications.
For example, your weather widget can give you consistent information about current weather conditions, and you can have a calendar widget to keep you informed about your daily tasks.
To add a widget to your home screen, do the following:
- Touch and hold your display until the apps jiggle.
- Tap the plus button in the upper-left corner.
- Select a widget, choose a widget size, and select “Add Widget.”
- Press Done.
You can also create widgets to put on your lock screen so that they are the primary thing you see before you unlock your phone. Widgets have expanded the number of ways people can organize their iPhones, so it is good to utilize them.
Widgets also run similarly on iPads. Additionally, Apple Watch users can use similar widgets that they’d find on their iPhone screen right on their wrist. Aside from getting notifications, lock screen shortcuts, and an additional device compatible with Siri, the ability to use widgets with an Apple Watch is a significant draw for the accessory.
3. Keep Health Apps Immediately Visible
Many people make liberal use of fitness and health apps on their phones. Whether you monitor your health or track your workout goals, it is good to access your wellness apps easily.
Try putting a calendar widget and a health widget on your lock screen so you can keep up to date on your daily health goals, like water intake, nutrition tracking, and fitness. Your Apple Health App and other health-tracking apps can go in a designated folder on your main display.
4. Group Your Games
A gamer may spend most of their time inside applications for long periods instead of browsing between different ones. As a result, there is little of a need for various widgets.
Instead, you can create a gaming folder and a gaming news widget for your home screen. This way, all of your games can be left in one place, and you can still have plenty of room for your essential communications apps like your messenger and calling app.
5. Organize Your Workflow
When it comes to organizing a work phone, efficiency is critical. It can be a good idea to keep different apps in different folders, such as a mail folder, file folder, and audio folder, depending on your work.
Keeping a vague calendar on your lockscreen widget is a good idea as long as you maintain work confidentiality. It is also worth minimizing clutter from other apps by moving them to another page where they cannot act as distractions.
Conclusion
The Apple iPhone is a very versatile tool, and as a result, you can organize it in many different ways. Whether you are looking to prioritize work, play, or health, there are tools to help you manage the phone to fit your intended experience.
Organization is easier than ever with folder creation and widget options. All you need to do is settle on a layout you are interested in and drag and drop until you have achieved it.
Another factor that may determine how you organize your phone is which iPhone and OS you actually have. Navi is a great tool for exploring different phones and phone plans out there. Navi uses industry insight to help you figure out which phones best fit the moment you are in.
They analyze your personal preferences and help you find the phone for you. Use Navi today to help you decide which iPhone will be your next mobile device.
Sources:
Organize your apps in folders on iPhone | Apple Support
