How I Organize My iPhone Home Screen
Everyone arranges their phone differently. Here’s the system I settled on—it’s simple, efficient, and easy to maintain.
Context: My daily driver is an iPhone 16 Pro, so the walkthrough references iOS. The same ideas apply to other platforms with minor tweaks.
One Screen Only
I keep everything on a single home screen. No swiping through multiple pages, no hunting for icons. To make that work, I rely on one folder for low-frequency apps and keep only the essentials visible.
Keep High-Frequency Apps Visible
“High frequency” means daily use. For me that includes YouTube, Spotify, Xiaomi Home, Eudic dictionary, Futu, ChatGPT, etc. Everything else—Gemini, Doubao, Xiaohongshu, banking apps—counts as low-frequency.
Tip: Limit the number of “must have” icons. If you don’t open it every day, it probably belongs in the folder.
One Folder for Everything Else
All low-frequency apps live in a single folder called Daily
. That keeps the screen tidy and makes maintenance simple.
Use Spotlight Search
With most icons tucked away, Spotlight becomes essential. Swipe down, type the app name, tap, done.
Optional: Widgets
Once you compress apps into one folder, you’ll find spare space. Drop in a widget for quick info—calendar, to‑do list, weather, whatever makes sense for you. I use a date widget, but a tasks widget works just as well.
Wrap-Up
The core ideas:
- One screen, no clutter
- Visible icons only for daily-use apps
- Everything else lives in a single folder + Spotlight search
- Widgets add convenience without overwhelming the layout
It’s clean, fast, and easy to tweak. Try adapting it to your workflow, and feel free to share your own setup tips!