Usage of Home Screens and App Library
With the release of iOS 14, a new feature was added that seemingly has everybody wondering how to use it and what it can and can't do. That feature is the App Library.
Before we talk about the App Library in iOS 14, let's talk about the Home Screens first since the App Library is somewhat of an addition to this concept. I won't go to deep into the Home Screen and its own set of features in this User Tip however.
Home Screen, what is it? What does it do?
Since the inception of the first iPhone in 2007, the Home Screens have been the place where you find your apps and can arrange them as you deem necessary. Unlike other operating systems, there was no App listing anywhere else on the device where you could see all your apps and run them. Only the Home Screen holds Apps, and only there could you see and launch them. You could create new Home Screens, place certain Apps in them as you saw fit and have a very personal organization and layout.
App Library
With iOS 14 a new section to the Home Screens was added and labeled as the App Library. The App Library is a dynamically generated listing of all Apps you have installed on your device. They are placed in groups based on the category they best fit in, as identified by their developer, and then ordered alphabetically within each group. Each Category is dynamically generated if there are Apps that fit into it. If there are no apps installed on the iPhone for a certain category then you will not see that particular category.
Categories
On My iPhone I see 14 categories:
- Suggestions
- Recently Added
- Social
- Utilities
- Creativity
- Productivity & Finance
- Games
- Entertainment
- Shopping & Food
- Information & Reading
- Travel
- Health & Fitness
- Other
- Education.
There may be more I don't see because I don't have apps that fit in those categories.
There is no way to control or order these categories. It's entirely dynamic, and will change based on the Apps you have installed.
As an example, I had the Education Category with the iTunes U app as the only app in it. I deleted the App, and the category disappeared instantly once the app was gone.
Search
The App Library Also features a search option to find a specific App at the top of the screen. This search will automatically list all the apps it finds based on the search terms.
Remove Apps from Home Screen
With the App Library also came a new feature: the option to remove Apps from the Home Screen but not actually uninstall them from the iPhone. You can tap and hold on an app until you get the context menu, and then tap on the "Remove App" option which appears in red. You will then get several more options. Delete App, Remove from Home Screen, and cancel.
Delete App automatically completely deletes the App from the iPhone. If the Delete App option is not available, check that Deleting Apps has not been restricted in Settings->Screen Time->Content & Privacy Restrictions->iTunes & App Store Purchases->Deleting Apps by making sure it is set to Allow.
Remove App from Home Screen does exactly what it says, and hides the App from the Home Screen, to only be visible in the App Library. Do note, it will still appear in searches and Siri suggestions however.
Cancel, dismisses the dialog box.
When an App has been removed from the Home Screen, it will not appear on any Home Screen and can only be found by searching for it or looking for it in the App Library. If you wish to return the app to a Home Screen, simply drag the app from the App Library to the left edge of the screen and it will drop on the last Home Screen. From there you can drag it to any other Home Screen you want, or again remove it from the Home Screen.
Set where apps are downloaded to
App Library also lets you send downloaded apps directly to the App Library when being downloaded from the App Store instead of being placed on an available space on a Home Screen. Go to Settings->Home Screen to make the change.
Notes:
- Removing an App from a Home Screen does not delete it from the iPhone.
- Dragging an app back from the App Library onto a Home Screen, does not remove it from the App Library.
- The App Library does not use extra storage. It does not have a copy of the Apps, it is just a listing of all installed Apps in a different way.
- There is no way to manage or organize the App Library. Its dynamically generated by the system, and cannot be altered in any way.
- There is no requirement to access App Library. It is out of the way on the far right screen and requires a conscious effort to swipe there to even see it.
Hidden Apps
With iOS 18, you can now hide Apps in a Hidden App group that is Face ID or Touch ID protected. To do this, you can press and hold on an App, and then from the menu select "Require Face ID / Touch ID" and the on Hide & Require Face ID. This will remove the App from the Home Screen and place it in that locked group. To access the App you will need to got to the app Library, tap on the "Hidden" group, and provide your fingerprints print or face to unlock it and access the App.
Do note, the Hidden group will remain there at the bottom of the App Library whether it has any apps in it or not.
To return a hidden App to the Home Screen, you can tap and hold on it in the Hidden group and then tap on the "Add to Home Screen" option in the menu that appears.
Useful Links: