How to Use the iPhone App Library (iOS 14 and Up) GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO Mobile Phones > iPhone & iOS
How to Use the iPhone App Library
All about the new way to organize your apps
By Sam Costello Sam Costello Writer Ithaca College Sam Costello has been writing about tech since 2000. His writing has appeared in publications such as CNN.com, PC World, InfoWord, and many others. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on April 24, 2021 Reviewed by Michael Barton Heine Jr Reviewed by Michael Barton Heine Jr Michael Heine is a CompTIA-certified writer, editor, and Network Engineer with 25+ years' experience working in the television, defense, ISP, telecommunications, and education industries. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email iPhone & iOS Switching from Android What to Know
Access the iPhone App Library by swiping right to left from the home screen until you see it.Apps are organized into categories like games and productivity.Go to Settings > Home Screen > App Library Only to set new apps to only appear there and not on your home screen. This article explains all of the ways to use the iPhone App Library to organize apps and clean up your home screen on an iPhone or iPod touch running iOS 14 or higher. What Is the iPhone App Library in iOS 14
The iPhone App Library is a new way to organize apps, introduced in iOS 14. It displays the apps on your iPhone in groups that are based on each app's category in the App Store. All games are grouped together, all productivity apps together, etc. The App Library is designed to let you clean up your home screen, by putting only your key apps there and leaving the rest in the App Library. The App Library can be browsed or searched and you can delete apps from it. You can even choose to only download apps to it and hide them from your home screen. How to Find the iPhone App Library
The App Library is located after the last home screen on your iPhone. To find the iPhone App Library, all you have to do is swipe right to left until you see it. How to Use the iPhone App Library
Using the iPhone App Library is easy. Just tap an app to launch it. If there are a lot of apps in the folder, tap the grid of four apps at the bottom right of the folder to see all of the apps in it. Using the App Library List View
You don't have to just view the App Library as folders. You can also view all of the apps in it in an alphabetical list. To do that, tap the App Library search bar at the top of the screen. You can then browse your apps or jump using the letters on the right side. Searching the iPhone App Library
Search for apps by name in the App Library by tapping the search bar and then typing the name of the app you're looking for. Tap an app to launch it. Only Add New Apps to the App Library
Any new app you install is automatically added to your App Library. But you can also set your phone to only add new apps to the library and never add them to the home screen. This is a great way to keep your phone neat and organized. To change this setting, go to Settings > Home Screen > App Library Only. When the checkmark is next to that option, new apps will only be added to the library. Finding App Clips in the App Library
App Clips only appear in the App Library—they never show up on your home screen. App Clips are categorized into folders the same way other apps are. You'll know something is an App Clip because of the dotted outline around its icon. Controlling Notification Badges in the App Library
You can choose to have notification badges appear on app in the Library. To turn this setting on, go to Settings > Home Screen > move the Show in App Library slider to on/green. Delete Apps from the iPhone App Library
You can delete apps from the App Library in the same way that you would from the home screen. Tap and hold an app until the menu pops out of it. Then tap Delete App, followed by Delete in the pop-up window. Reorganizing Apps in the App Library
You may want to reorganize the apps in your App Library into folders that make sense for how you work. Unfortunately, that's not possible. The iPhone App Library folders are based on categories from the App Store, so they can't be changed by users. How to Disable the iPhone App Library
Hate the App Library and don't want to have it on your iPhone? You may be interested in disabling it. We have bad news for you: As of this writing, it's not possible to disable or hide the App Library. For now, at least, the App Library is on every iPhone. Luckily, if you don't like it, you can just ignore it and pretend that it's not there. It won't get in your way unless you go to it. If Apple makes it possible to disable or hide the App Library, we'll be sure to update this article with the instructions. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire Can You Delete the Apps That Come With the iPhone? How to Create Folders on an iPhone to Organize All Your Apps How to Unhide Apps on an iPhone How to Move Apps From the App Library to the Home Screen on Your iPhone How to Change the Color of Apps on iOS 14 How to Delete Apps From Your iPhone How to Delete a POF Account on iPhone How to Delete Apps on an Amazon Fire Tablet The iPhone Orange Dot: What It Is and How to Get Rid of It How to Set Up and Use Focus Mode on iPhone and Apple Watch How to Change the Instagram Icon in iOS and Android How to Lock Apps on Any iPhone The History of iOS, from Version 1.0 to 16.0 How to Use Apple App Clips (iOS 14) How to Show Battery Percentage on an iPhone XR How to Delete Apps on iPhone 13 Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies