Ok, I admit it, up until now, I was a late adopter. I just installed ios 14.2 for iPhone, jumping up from 12.x (I know, old, right?!)
Although the interface didn’t seem to change much, I’m sure I’ll continue to find new “features” every day. One feature, I’ve discovered is the App library.
What is the App Library?
The App Library provides a new way to return your iPhone to a minimalist look.
Yes, it’s really possible, even with all of the apps you have.
The functionality implies 2 methods:
- Move all of your apps to the App Library, away from the home screens
- Hide additional home screens, and use the App Library
My 2c, Read on and familiarize yourself with the app library and how to use it before changing to either method.
New feature: App library
A feature new to ios 14 is the App library. Apple provides pre-themed groups for my apps so I can quickly scan and see them.
- As per Apple’s reference (see bottom of this article for reference link), the “[m]ost frequently used apps show first” in large rounded bubbles
- The next less used apps showing in a quad of 4 tinier bubbles.
- Badges (with numbers awaiting) still show on large and small bubbles (this setting can be made in your iPhone Settings.
Navigation: Where to find the App Library?
How to get or access app library
Position: Farthest right after visible Home Screen(s)
- The app library itself is in the farthest right position from home, past all my home screens, which is why Apple has created a way to hide all but your main home screen.
- Note, in this next section, I’ve summarized the instructions, but Apple has an excellent quick and easy step-by-step article with screenshots that I’ve linked at the bottom of this article.
- Summary:
- If you choose to, you can hold and tap the icons, and from the jiggly apps screen, choose to remove the app from the home screen, and add it to the App Library
- To show or hide app screens, you can click the dots at the bottom of the screen and select which screens you want to show.
- By making all except the main home screen “hidden”, the App Library would be immediately available, by swiping left to see the App Library (to the right of the Main Home screen)
- For Apple’s awesome instructions on this – refer to the bottom of this article.
How to use the App Library
Direct Access for apps
- Click on any large bubble to go directly to that app.
- To exit:
- Swish the app upwards with your finger to see all open apps, or click your home button (if an older iPhone) to see all open apps.
- Then, click anywhere outside the screen that has been pushed up, twill return you to the app library.
Access a particular category
- Click on the cluster of four (4) tiny icons in the lower right of the main bubble for the category. This will pop-open a screen with the icons for the apps in that category.
My thoughts – Initially, I thought this must be for the whole Apple population of people using the App Library. I thought this because I don’t use Twitter, even though it’s installed, yet it was showing second after Facebook in the Social category.
Now, I remember that there was a nurse in the news featured on twitter regarding the covid 19 virus, which I clicked through and read, so my phone probably used the app when I clicked to view the tweet. So, cookies probably count.
Find a particular app: 4 ways
- Click in the search bar at the top with magnifying glass and the words “App Library”, this brings up a screen reminiscent of the Song list in your Music Library with the alphabet listed vertically on the right side.
My keyboard didn’t pop-up so I can’t type there, only use the following:
- Scroll down to find your app (by putting your finger in the middle of the screen, and swiping down or up), or
- Jump quickly by alpha – through the list (by putting your finger over the alpha section, and swiping up or down), or
- Jump directly to the section of the alphabet, based on your app name’s initial letter (by clicking on the letter directly).
The Cloud icon also shows on apps that are available to you but are in the Cloud, and haven’t been downloaded to your phone yet.
- Apps starting with “#” show at the bottom of the list, below “Z”.
What are the App Library Categories?
The pre-defined categories in the App Library are shown as follows in bold. Examples of the apps I found showing in each category,
- Suggestions
- This is based on your recent use of applications
- Recently Added
- These are apps you just bought from the App Store
- Utilities (examples of apps):
- App Store
- Calculator
- Internet Browsers
- Settings
- Compass
- Clock
- Other “Tool” type applications that help you measure, e.g. QRCode
- Productivity & Finance (includes video recording)
- Contacts
- Notes and Note taking apps
- Calendar
- Package tracking apps
- Currency conversion
- Communication tools
- Social (examples)
- Phone
- Messenger
- TikTok
- Creativity (examples)
- Photo editing apps
- iMovie
- Games
- Games apps
- Information & Reading (examples)
- Books
- Kindle
- Stocks
- Weather
- Translate
- Entertainment (examples)
- Music
- iTunes Store
- Podcasts
- Eventbrite
- Shazam
- Shopping & Food (examples)
- Amazon
- Food ordering & delivery apps
- Grocery store apps
- Coupon clipping type apps
- Starbucks
- Open Table
- Wayfair
- Travel
- Airline apps
- Airbnb
- Disney
- Travel booking apps
- Hotel apps
- Car booking apps
- Transit apps
- Gas apps
- Health & Fitness
- Health
- Meditation-type apps
- Sleep tracker apps
- Health tracker apps
- Education
- Apps categorized as Education apps
- Other (examples)
- Whatever didn’t fit in the other categories
My thoughts:
- App categories may be dependent on how the developer of the app has categorized the app.
- All my photo editing apps ended up in Creativity, for example, except Skitch, which ended up in Productivity & Finance.
- One of my voice recording tool ended up in Productivity, and the apple version is under Utilities
How to organize it: Can it be customized?
So far, I cannot see a setting to customize it, nor customize the Category names, nor re-position them. Perhaps these features will come later. This article is effective November 29, 2020.
In the settings icon, there are only options to choose to add new items to the home screen or the app library, and to turn on/off the notification badges (i.e number of notification messages in the app, depicted by the number in a red circle)
For new apps – you can pre-select that these be added directly the App library.
The Apple Support article you need:
To hide all home screens (except the main one), and
“Organize your Home Screen and app Library”:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211345
This lovely Apple Support article includes step-by-step instructions with screenshots for hiding additional home screens
I can see I’m going to enjoy organizing what apps will be or will not be in my App Library.