Unlike Android, Apple offers limited flexibility to manage the apps on iPhone. By default, iPhone will open with the home screen and you have to keep all the apps on the home screen. Though this prevents customization, it makes super easy to focus on the task instead of decorations. However, it is also essential to group the apps and access it quickly for daily use. In this article, let us explore all the available possibilities to manage apps in iPhone.
How to Manage Apps in iPhone?
Apple introduced lot of customizations like changing app’s color and size in iOS 18. So, make sure to update your iPhone to the latest iOS version to get all exciting features.
1. Finding Apps from App Store
Many people confuse iOS App Store with the Mac App Store. These two are completely different stores – you can’t install apps from Mac store on iPhone. However, you can install iPhone and iPad apps on Mac with M series chips. Follow the below instructions in order to install apps on your iPhone:
- Tap on the App Store app that comes default with your iPhone.
- The store will look different depending upon the iOS version you use. However, the installation process remains same on all versions and models.
- The bottom portion of the App Store has quick navigation to go to particular sections. Tap on the search icon, type the name of the app to find the app you want to install on the iPhone.
You can also find the top free and paid apps to easily install any popular app on your iPhone.
2. Installing Apps from App Store
The app page will show you all relevant details like age, popularity, developer, ratings and description. You can find three types of apps in App Store.
- Free apps – this will show a simple GET button. However, many subscription based apps like Microsoft Word also will show a get button. When you install and use, you may need to upgrade to get all the features.
- In-App Purchases – you will find a small message next to the get button if the app offers purchases after installing. There will be also detailed pricing available under “Information > In-App Purchases” section on the app’s page.
- Premium apps – you will see the price of the app instead of get button. The price will use the currency as per your Apple account’s country.
Tap on the GET button or the price button to start installing the app. Depending upon your settings and permissions, you may need to provide the Apple account’s password to install apps on your iPhone. For parental control, you can disable app installation and deletion from Screen Time settings.
3. Pausing the Download
Once you start installing the app, iPhone will automatically show the progress of installation on the home screen. You can also view the progress within App Store. Simply tap on the progress button in the App Store or the app icon on the home screen. This will show the pause button and stop the download. You can resume the download or delete the app any time.
On iOS 13 onwards, you can long press on the installing app to see a dropdown with options to pause or cancel the download.
4. Deleting Apps in iPhone
If you have an iPhone with home button, press and long hold the app on your home screen. Now, you will see all the apps will start jiggling on the home screen. Tap on the the small X icon at the top left of the app and confirm the prompt to delete the app.
If you have the latest iPhone models without home button, long tap on the app, select “Remove App” option and then confirm by tapping “Delete App”. Alternatively, you can also long press on any empty area to make the apps jiggling. Now, tap on the minus icon on the app and then confirm with “Delete App”.
Note: Instead of deleting an app, you can select “Remove from Home Screen” option to move that app to App Library. This is a last home scree on the right end where you can find all installed apps on your iPhone including hidden and locked apps.
5. Moving Single Apps
Long press an app, when the apps started jiggling you can hold and move it to another position.
- You can move and hold the app to right edge to create a new home screen and keep the app on it.
- It is possible to create unlimited home screens on iPhone.
- Drag an app on another one to create a folder. iPhone will automatically assign a name to the folder and you can change that name as per your need.
6. Moving Multiple Apps at Once
When you have lots of app, you may need to rearrange them on different home screens or folders. In such a case, moving one-by-one will be a hassle. iPhone has a small trick to move multiple apps at once.
- Press and hold an app till that time it starts jiggling.
- Move that app little by holding it continuously.
- Now, use other finger to tap on the apps you want to move together with the selected app.
- Move all the selected apps to new screen or drop them inside an existing folder.
7. Arranging Apps in Dock
The bottom portion of the iPhone is fixed as a dock and hold maximum of four apps. Similar to other apps, you can move the apps on the dock to home screen and keep another app there. Since, the dock is shown on all the home screens, keeping the frequently used apps will help you to quickly access them without moving across screens and searching.
It is also possible to move a folder that contains multiple apps to a dock position.
8. Viewing App Updates and Find Deleted Apps
Apple updates the iOS operating system frequently. This demand app developers to release updates to make the apps work on the latest iOS.
- Go to App Store and tap on your Apple account profile picture shows on the top right.
- Scroll down on the next screen to view all the available updates for your apps.
- Tap on “Purchase History” option (above the updates) to view previously purchased apps using your Apple account.
- If you want to install one of the previously deleted apps, go to “Apps” section and tap on the cloud icon. It is also easy to find all deleted apps under “Not on this iPhone” tab. Note that you don’t need to enter your Apple account password for reinstalling the app.
9. Automatic Downloads
When you have multiple devices, automatic downloads can help you to sync the apps across all your devices. You can go to “Settings > Apps > App Stores” page to manage automatic downloads of apps and app updates.
Remember, some of the parents use auto updates as a control feature to monitor the apps installed by their children on other phone using children account. However, it can also be annoying to automatically install all the apps on multiple devices when you maintain personal and work phones separately.
Additional Features
The latest iOS version and iPhone models have lot of features to manage the apps:
- When you download an app from App Store, it will show the time remaining for completing the download.
- You can adjust the size of apps and widgets on the home screens.
- It is possible to hide or lock an app with Face ID. All hidden apps can be seen in “App Library >Hidden” folder.
- You can change the app icon colors to light, dark or use custom color.
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