The Home screen is the center of the iPhone and iPad universe. Called "springboard" internally, it's where you store, find, and launch all your apps. While a grid of icons may seem old-fashioned, it's still one of the fastest ways to recognize and remember apps. For those who find search faster, Home screen integrates Spotlight. For those with 3D Touch, Home screen also offers an increasing range of shortcuts so you can see widgets or jump to actions more quickly than ever. There's also Today View, Notification Center, Control Center, and Siri just a swipe or shout away.
It's simple but there's a lot to it, so here's everything you need to know!
How to navigate the Home screen on iPhone and iPad
The Home screen on iPhone and iPad isn't meant to be a destination — a place to store widgets or spend time. It's meant to be a portal to all your apps, built-in and downloaded from the App Store. Whether you get to those apps by browsing your Home screen pages, by searching with Spotlight, by jumping straight to actions with 3D Touch, or by calling up Siri, Home screen is where it all begins.
- Understanding the Home screen layout
- How to get to the Home screen
- How to switch Home screens
- How to launch apps from the Home screen
- How to see widgets and quick actions with 3D Touch on the Home screen
- How to launch apps with Spotlight search
- How to quickly switch to open apps from Home screen
- How to quickly access the Today View widgets from Home screen
- How to quickly access Notification Center from the Home screen
- How to quickly access Control Center from the Home screen
- How to quickly access Siri from the Home screen
- How to quickly access 'Continuity' apps from the Home screen
iPad also has some unique navigation options all its own:
- Multitasking compatibility
- How to use gesture navigation
- How to use picture-in-picture multitasking
- How to use slide-over multitasking
- How to use split screen multitasking
- How to use Safari split screen multitasking
How to customize the Home screen on iPhone and iPad
Even though you don't spend a lot of time on the Home screen for iPhone and iPad, that doesn't mean you shouldn't take some time to make it your own, including switching up the wallpaper. You can also organize it up to make your apps easier to find, either by moving them around or by creating and putting them into folders.
- How to change the wallpaper on your Home screen
- How to move apps on your Home screen
- How to move apps between Home screens
- How to move apps onto a new Home screen
- How to delete apps from your Home screen
- How to create a folder for apps on your Home screen
- How to add apps to folders on your Home screen
- How to remove apps from a folder on your Home screen
- How to delete a folder from your Home screen
- How to restore your Home screen to the default layout
Any Home screen questions?
If you have any trouble using your Home screen, or you need more help, drop your questions in the comments below!
