What "home screen" means and why you'd want apps there
Your home screen is the first page you see when you unlock your phone or tablet — the one with the big grid of app icons. When you add an app to your home screen, you're creating a shortcut so you can open it with one tap instead of hunting through your apps folder. Most phones come with some apps already on the home screen (like Phone, Messages, Camera), but you can add, remove, or rearrange any app you've downloaded.
The home screen is different from your app library or app drawer, which is where every app you own lives. Think of the home screen as your personal dashboard — you decide what goes there based on what you use most often.
Key Takeaways
- On iPhone, long-press an app in the App Library, tap "Add to Home Screen," and choose where it goes.
- On Android, long-press an app in your app drawer or home screen, then tap "Add to Home Screen" or drag it to an empty spot.
- You can create multiple home screen pages by dragging an app past the edge of the current page.
- Removing an app from your home screen does not delete the app itself — it stays in your app library or app drawer.
- Some apps let you add widgets (mini versions that show live information) instead of just an icon.
Adding apps on iPhone
On iPhone, open the App Library by swiping to the rightmost home screen page, or swipe left from your home screen. The App Library shows all your apps organized by category. Find the app you want to add, then long-press it (press and hold for about a second until a menu appears).
Tap "Add to Home Screen" from the menu. A preview will show you where the app icon will land — usually on your current home screen. You can drag it to a different spot before you tap "Add," or just tap "Add" to place it where it suggests. The app now appears on your home screen, and you still have the original in your App Library.
Adding apps on Android
On Android, the process depends on which launcher (the software that manages your home screen) you're using. Most Android phones come with Google Launcher or a manufacturer's version like Samsung One UI. Open your app drawer — usually a grid icon at the bottom of your home screen — and find the app you want.
Long-press the app icon until a menu appears. You should see an option that says "Add to Home Screen" or "Add to Home." Tap it, and the app icon will appear on your home screen. On some Android phones, you can also drag an app directly from the app drawer to your home screen without using the menu.
Creating new home screen pages
Both iPhone and Android let you have multiple home screen pages. If your current page is full, you can create a new one by dragging an app to the right edge of the screen and holding it there for a moment — a new blank page will appear, and the app will land on it.
You can swipe left and right between pages once you've created them. Most people organize their pages by how often they use the apps — frequently used apps on page one, less common ones on page two, and so on. There's no limit to how many pages you can create, though more than five or six becomes hard to navigate.
Rearranging and removing apps from your home screen
To move an app to a different spot on the same page, long-press it until it enters edit mode (on iPhone, you'll see a menu; on Android, the app will start to float). Then drag it to the new location and release. On both phones, you can drag an app between pages by holding it and moving it to the edge of the screen.
To remove an app from your home screen without deleting it, long-press the app and look for "Remove from Home Screen" (iPhone) or "Remove" (Android). The app stays in your App Library or app drawer — you're only removing the shortcut from your home screen. If you want to delete the app entirely from your phone, that's a separate action (usually "Delete App" or "Uninstall"), and you should only do that if you're sure you don't need it.
Adding widgets instead of app icons
Some apps offer widgets — small boxes that show live information without opening the full app. A weather widget might show today's temperature and forecast. A calendar widget might show your next three events. A news widget might display headlines.
To add a widget on iPhone, long-press an empty area of your home screen until the plus icon appears in the top left corner, then tap it. Scroll through the list of apps that offer widgets, tap the one you want, choose the widget size, and tap "Add Widget." On Android, long-press an empty area of your home screen, tap "Widgets," find the app, and drag the widget to your home screen. Widgets take up more space than a single icon but give you information at a glance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does removing an app from my home screen delete it from my phone?
No. Removing an app from your home screen only hides the shortcut. The app stays in your App Library (iPhone) or app drawer (Android). To actually delete the app, you need to uninstall it, which is a separate step. Most people remove apps from the home screen just to declutter.
Can I add the same app to multiple home screen pages?
Yes. You can add as many shortcuts to the same app as you want across different pages. This is useful if you use an app frequently and want it visible on multiple pages so you don't have to swipe to find it.
What if I don't see "Add to Home Screen" when I long-press an app?
On Android, make sure you're long-pressing in the app drawer, not on an app that's already on your home screen. On iPhone, try swiping to the App Library first, then long-pressing there. If the option still doesn't appear, the app may not support home screen shortcuts (rare, but it happens with some system apps).
Can I organize my home screen into folders?
Yes, on both iPhone and Android. Drag one app icon onto another app icon, and they'll combine into a folder. You can rename the folder and add more apps to it. This is a good way to group similar apps (like all your social media apps in one folder) and save home screen space.