If your Home screen’s starting to feel cluttered, it’s time to tidy up. iPhones running iOS 15.5 (like the iPhone SE 3) offer plenty of ways to organize your apps so you can find what you need faster and keep your digital space clean. Whether you’re sorting by usage, category, or location, here’s how to do it.
1. Create Folders to Group Similar Apps
Folders are a simple way to keep your Home screen neat.
- Touch and hold any app until it starts jiggling.
- Drag it onto another app to create a folder.
- The folder will auto-name itself, but you can tap the name to rename it (e.g., “Social,” “Games,” “Work”).
- Drag more apps into that folder.
- Tap Done or the Home screen to exit edit mode.
You can even create multiple pages within a folder if needed.
2. Set Up Dedicated Home Screens
Want a Home screen just for work apps or travel essentials?
- Long-press an empty space until apps jiggle.
- Drag the apps you want to group together onto a new page.
- To hide or show pages, tap the dots at the bottom of the screen while in edit mode and select/deselect the pages you want visible.
3. Add Widgets for Quick Access
Widgets let you group and view info without opening apps.
- Long-press on your Home screen and tap the “+” icon in the top-left.
- Browse or search for the widget you want (e.g., Calendar, Reminders, Smart Stack).
- Choose a size, tap Add Widget, then drag it where you want.
You can even stack widgets by dragging one on top of another to create a Smart Stack.
4. Sort Apps by Usage (Most Used)
Want quick access to the apps you use the most?
- Go to Settings > Screen Time > See All Activity to view your top-used apps.
- Or go to Settings > Battery and check which apps use the most power.
Now that you know what you use the most, move those apps to the front of your Home screen or into a priority folder.
5. Organize Apps by Category
Group your apps by type:
- Social: Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook
- Productivity: Notes, Calendar, Gmail, Reminders
- Entertainment: Netflix, YouTube, Spotify, Podcasts
- Finance: Wallet, PayPal, banking apps
Use folders or separate Home screens to sort them.
6. Use Focus Mode to Customize App Access by Situation
Want only work apps to show during work hours?
- Go to Settings > Focus, then tap + to create a new Focus (e.g., “Work”).
- Customize allowed people and apps.
- Under Home Screen, choose which pages are shown when the Focus is active.
- Activate Focus from Control Center when needed.
Great for separating work and personal life or minimizing distractions.
7. Create Travel-Ready or Context-Based Pages
You can also group apps based on lifestyle needs, like:
- Travel page: Maps, Translate, Flight apps, Airbnb, Uber
- Fitness page: Health, Workout, Apple Fitness, Water Reminder
- Home-only page: Smart Home apps, Music, TV Remote
Just drag those apps to a new page and organize from there.
8. Reset Home Screen Layout (Alphabetical Sort)
Want to start fresh or sort your apps alphabetically?
- Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset.
- Tap Reset Home Screen Layout.
- This returns built-in apps to their default spots and sorts others A–Z.
Note: This won’t delete apps—just rearranges them.