The fastest way to change your home screen
On both iPhone and Android, you change your home screen by moving apps around, removing ones you don't use, and adding widgets or shortcuts. The exact steps depend on which phone you have, but both let you do this without downloading anything extra or restarting your phone.
On iPhone, press and hold any app until a menu appears, then tap "Edit Home Screen" or drag the app to move it. On Android, press and hold an app, then drag it to a new spot or remove it by dragging to "Remove" at the top of the screen. You can also add widgets — small tools that show weather, calendar events, or news without opening the full app.
Key Takeaways
- iPhone users press and hold an app, then choose "Edit Home Screen" to rearrange, delete, or add apps to their home screen.
- Android users press and hold an app and drag it to move it, or drag it to "Remove" to take it off the home screen.
- Both iPhone and Android let you add widgets — small boxes that display information like weather or calendar without opening the full app.
- Creating multiple home screen pages lets you organize apps by category, and you can swipe left or right to move between them.
- You can hide entire app pages on iPhone or use folders on both phones to keep your home screen less cluttered.
How to move and delete apps on iPhone
On iPhone, press and hold any app on your home screen until a menu pops up. You'll see options including "Edit Home Screen," "Remove App," and others. Tap "Edit Home Screen" to enter edit mode — the apps will start to jiggle and show a small minus sign in the corner of each one.
While in edit mode, drag any app to a new spot on the same page, or drag it to the edge of the screen to move it to the next page. To delete an app from your home screen (but keep it on your phone), tap the minus sign on the app's corner, then tap "Remove from Home Screen." To delete the app entirely from your phone, tap the minus sign and choose "Remove App," then confirm.
When you're done moving things around, press the back arrow or tap outside the apps to exit edit mode. Your changes save right away.
How to move and delete apps on Android
On Android, press and hold any app until it highlights and a menu appears. Drag the app to move it left, right, up, or down on your home screen. If you want to move it to a different page, drag it to the edge of the screen and hold it there — the screen will scroll to the next page, and you can drop it there.
To remove an app from your home screen, drag it upward to the "Remove" or "Uninstall" option that appears at the top. This removes it from your home screen but keeps the app on your phone. If you see "Uninstall" instead of "Remove," releasing the app there will delete it entirely — be careful not to do this by accident.
Different Android phones (Samsung, Google Pixel, OnePlus, and others) have slightly different home screen editors. Some let you long-press and tap a pencil icon to enter edit mode, while others let you drag apps directly. The basic idea is the same: press and hold, then drag to move.
Adding widgets to your home screen
Widgets are small boxes that show information without opening the full app. On iPhone, press and hold an empty spot on your home screen, then tap the plus sign in the bottom left. Search for the app you want a widget from, tap it, choose which widget size you want, and tap "Add Widget." The widget appears on your home screen right away.
On Android, press and hold an empty spot on your home screen, then tap "Widgets" (the exact wording varies by phone). Scroll through the list, press and hold the widget you want, and drag it onto your home screen. You can resize many widgets by pressing and holding them and dragging the corners.
Common widgets include weather (shows temperature and forecast), calendar (shows upcoming events), clock (shows the time and alarm status), and news (shows headlines). Some apps let you create custom widgets that show only the information you care about.
Organizing apps into folders and pages
If you have many apps, create folders to group them by type. On iPhone, drag one app onto another app in edit mode — they'll combine into a folder. Tap the folder to name it (like "Games" or "Productivity"), then drag more apps into it. On Android, the process is similar: drag one app onto another, and a folder appears. Tap it to rename it.
You can also create multiple home screen pages. On iPhone, in edit mode, look at the dots at the bottom of the screen — each dot is a page. Drag an app to the right edge to add it to a new page. On Android, swipe left to see if more pages exist, or drag an app to the far right to create a new page.
On iPhone, you can also hide entire pages. In edit mode, tap the dots at the bottom, then uncheck the pages you don't want to see. They're still there — you just won't see them when you swipe.
Changing your lock screen and wallpaper
Your lock screen (what you see before you unlock your phone) is separate from your home screen. On iPhone, go to Settings, tap "Lock Screen," then tap "Customize." You can change the wallpaper, add widgets to your lock screen, and adjust the time and date display. On Android, go to Settings, search for "Lock Screen," and choose your options — the exact path varies by phone maker.
To change your home screen wallpaper on iPhone, go to Settings, tap "Wallpaper," then "Add New Wallpaper." Choose from built-in images, your photo library, or collections like weather or emoji. On Android, press and hold an empty spot on your home screen, tap "Wallpapers," and pick a new one.
Resetting your home screen to default
If you've moved things around so much that you want to start over, you can reset your home screen. On iPhone, go to Settings, tap "General," then "Transfer or Reset," then "Reset," then "Reset Home Screen Layout." This puts all your apps back in their original order but doesn't delete anything.
On Android, the reset option depends on your phone. Go to Settings, search for "Home Screen," and look for a "Reset" or "Restore Default" option. If you don't see one, try pressing and holding your home screen, tapping "Settings," and looking for a reset button there. Some Android phones don't have a built-in reset — in that case, you'll need to move apps back manually or uninstall and reinstall your launcher app.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have different home screens on different pages?
Yes. Both iPhone and Android let you create multiple pages by swiping left or right. You can organize each page differently — one for work apps, one for games, one for utilities. On iPhone, you can even hide pages you don't use often.
Will moving apps around delete them?
No. Moving or removing an app from your home screen only changes what you see on the screen. The app stays on your phone. To actually delete an app, you have to choose the delete or uninstall option explicitly.
What's the difference between a widget and an app?
A widget shows you information without opening the full app — like a weather widget that displays the temperature right on your home screen. An app is the full program you tap to open. Widgets are smaller and faster, but they can't do everything the full app can do.
Can I change my home screen without restarting my phone?
Yes. All changes to your home screen happen right away. You don't need to restart your phone, and you don't need to read anything. Just press and hold, drag, and you're done.
Why does my Android home screen look different from my friend's?
Android phones from different makers (Samsung, Google, OnePlus) come with different home screen layouts and editors. Some have more customization options than others. You can also read a different launcher app from the Google Play Store to change how your entire home screen works, but the built-in editor is usually enough.