A feature to satisfy your organization urges!

If you’re an iPhone user and have an OCD of getting things in order and organized, then iOS 14 offers you the latest feature: the App library to satisfy your itch to organize your apps in order! It brushes off your display, provides a neat look and makes them easier to find. In fact, all of your phone apps will be placed there, including the new ones.

This new feature is a godsend, especially when your iPhone is jumbled with a lot of apps.

Automated classifications

You will have a separate page on your home screen dedicated to the App Library. Once you’ve updated to iOS 14, continue swiping left until the final ‘App Library page appears.

This feature automatically grouped all your installed apps into various categories such as Utilities, Social, Creativity, Recently added, Productivity and Finance, health and Fitness, Games etc. Each category folder has four quadrants; each quadrant reflects an icon of a particular app. If a folder exceeds the limit of four apps, the rest of the icons are minimized and bundled into a single quadrant.

You can access a particular app by clicking directly on an icon from the App library. In case of smaller icons (making it difficult to tap), tap anywhere within the quadrant and the folder expands to fill your screen so you can easily choose the app you desire to use.

Image credit: The Verge

Press and hold to any app in the app library, and a pop-up menu allows you to delete it, or copy the icon to your home screen (this action will not remove the app from the App library).

You can use the search field on the top to get an alphabetically-ordered list of your apps, in case you don’t find an app.

Image credit: The Verge

However, the App Library does not organize things according to your will. For example, if you download any app, let’s say Facebook app, it will appear in the recently added category. When the app no longer remains a recent one, it automatically shifts to another category which you don’t know. Moreover, it will not allow you to locate a particular app in the category of your choice, nor can you create a new one of your own.

Move Apps to the App Library

If you want to brush up your home screen, then “remove” icons that will automatically appear in the App library. For a single app:

● On the home screen, press and hold on the app you want to add.

● Select “remove the app.”

● Select “Move to App Library.”

Image credit: The Verge

You can clear up your home screen apps by long-pressing anywhere on your home screen. Select on the “minus” icon at the top right corner of each app you want to get rid of the home screen and tap “Move to App library.”

For a neater look, you can also set up that all your recently installed apps appear directly in the App Library.

● Go to Home Screen option in Settings

● Select either “Add to Home Screen” or “App Library Only.” You can also choose to have notification badges accessible red in the App Library

image credit: The Verge

Overall, the App Library is a useful addition to the iOS arsenal, providing improved organization of apps and a cleaner home screen. However, the absence of personalization is a major turn off of this feature, as it does not allow you to create your own personalized category apps. Let’s just hope that Apple will improve this feature over the coming months.