Get Your Free Guide to Removing Apps From Your Home Screen

Understanding Your Device's Home Screen

Your device's home screen is the first thing you see when you unlock your phone or tablet. It displays apps—small programs that let you do things like send messages, take photos, check weather, or play games. Over time, most people accumulate many apps on their home screen, which can make it cluttered and harder to find the tools you actually use.

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According to a 2023 mobile usage study, the average smartphone user has between 60 and 90 apps installed, but regularly uses only about 30. This means many people have apps taking up valuable space that they rarely or never open. Home screens typically show between 16 and 20 app icons per screen on most phones, depending on your device size and settings. When your home screen becomes crowded, it becomes less organized and more difficult to navigate quickly.

Apps appear on your home screen in different ways. Some come pre-installed by your device manufacturer—these are apps like Settings, Camera, or Phone that your device needs to function. Others you added yourself by searching in your device's app store. You can also have app folders, which are groups of related apps stacked into a single icon. For example, you might create a folder called "Social Media" that contains Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and similar apps.

Understanding why you might want to remove apps is the first step. Reasons include: creating a cleaner, more organized home screen; reducing distractions; freeing up visual space to see your wallpaper or widgets; making it faster to find the apps you regularly use; or simply decluttering because you no longer use certain apps. A well-organized home screen can help you be more productive and make your device feel more personal to your needs.

Practical Takeaway: Take 5 minutes to look at your current home screen and identify apps you haven't opened in the past month. These are good candidates for removal.

How to Remove Apps on iPhone

Removing apps from an iPhone home screen is straightforward and offers a couple of different methods depending on your preference. The most common way is to use the long-press method, which works on all recent iPhone models running iOS 13 or newer.

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To remove an app using the long-press method: First, locate the app icon on your home screen that you want to remove. Press and hold the app icon with your finger for about 1-2 seconds until a menu appears. You'll see several options displayed in a popup window. Look for and tap the option that says "Remove App." A confirmation screen will then appear asking whether you want to "Remove from Home Screen" or "Remove from iPhone." If you choose "Remove from Home Screen," the app stays on your device but disappears from the home screen—you can still find it in your App Library or by searching. If you choose "Remove from iPhone," the app gets deleted entirely from your phone, though you can reinstall it later from the App Store if needed.

An alternative method for older iPhone models or if you prefer different steps: Go to your Settings app, tap "General," then "iPhone Storage." This screen shows all your apps listed by size. Find the app you want to remove, tap it, and then tap "Remove App" followed by "Remove from Home Screen" or "Remove from iPhone."

One important distinction: removing an app from your home screen is different from deleting it. When you remove it from the home screen only, the app still exists on your phone and takes up storage space. When you delete it from your iPhone entirely, it frees up that storage space. Many people prefer to remove apps from their home screen rather than delete them, keeping the apps available but out of sight.

According to Apple's support documentation, you cannot remove certain built-in apps like Phone, Messages, or Settings from your home screen using these methods, though you can remove them from view in other ways. You can, however, remove almost all other apps you've added yourself.

Practical Takeaway: Start with one app you haven't used in a week. Practice the long-press method to remove it from your home screen. This familiarizes you with the process before removing multiple apps.

How to Remove Apps on Android Devices

Android devices, made by different manufacturers like Samsung, Google, OnePlus, and others, have similar but slightly different methods for removing apps. The basic process is comparable to iPhone, but the exact steps may vary depending on your specific device and Android version.

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The most common method on Android is the long-press technique: Find the app you want to remove on your home screen. Press and hold the app icon for 1-2 seconds. A menu or action bar will appear, usually at the top or bottom of your screen. Look for an option labeled "Remove," "Uninstall," or a trash can icon. Tap this option. A confirmation message may appear asking if you want to remove the app from your home screen or uninstall it completely. Select your preference.

Different Android manufacturers customize this experience. For example, on Samsung devices, the menu that appears might look slightly different than on a Google Pixel phone, but the core concept remains the same. On some Android versions, you might see options like "Remove from Home Screen" (which keeps the app on your phone but hides it) or "Uninstall" (which removes it completely).

An alternative method on many Android devices: Open your Settings app, find "Apps" or "Application Manager," locate the app you want to remove, and tap "Uninstall." This method is more useful if you want to completely delete an app rather than just remove it from your home screen.

Like iPhone, Android has certain system apps you cannot remove—these are essential to your device's operation. However, you can remove almost any app you've installed yourself. Some pre-installed apps that came with your device can sometimes be disabled rather than removed, which hides them from view without completely deleting them.

According to Android's documentation, the steps work similarly across most devices running Android 10 or newer, though phones with older Android versions might have slightly different menu layouts.

Practical Takeaway: If you own an Android device, check your specific phone model's documentation to see if there are any unique features for your manufacturer. Then try removing one app to become comfortable with your device's specific process.

Deciding Which Apps to Remove

One of the hardest parts of cleaning up your home screen is deciding which apps actually should go. A useful approach is to evaluate each app based on how often you use it and how important it is to your daily routine.

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Consider these questions for each app: When was the last time you opened it? If you can't remember or it's been more than a month, it's likely a candidate for removal. Does this app do something you can do another way? For example, if you have multiple messaging apps but only use one regularly, you might remove the others. Does this app send notifications you ignore? Apps that constantly notify you but provide little value are cluttering your attention. Do you have duplicate apps that serve the same purpose? Many people have multiple weather apps, note-taking apps, or to-do list apps when they only use one. Is this app something you opened once out of curiosity but never returned to?

Create categories in your thinking: Apps you use daily (keep on home screen), apps you use weekly (might keep but move to a folder or secondary screen), apps you use monthly (good candidates for removal from home screen), and apps you haven't used in months (remove entirely or at minimum from home screen).

A practical strategy many people use is the "seasonal app" concept. Some apps are useful only at certain times—a tax preparation app during tax season, a holiday decoration app in December, or a sports tournament app during playoff season. These can be removed after their season ends and reinstalled when needed again.

Remember that removing an app from your home screen doesn't permanently erase your decision. If you change your mind, you can easily find the app again using your device's search function or reinstall it if you completely deleted it. This means there's no permanent consequence to trying out a cleaner home screen.

According to usage research, people who organize their home screens report feeling less stressed when using their devices and spending less time searching for specific apps. A cleaner interface also tends to reduce unintended app opens and accidental spending on in-app purchases.

Practical Takeaway: Go through your home screen and mark or note 5-10 apps you haven't used in over two months. These