The location of all the apps in a list, is on the search/categorisation page, which would still remain. No point in a toggle, as this page effectively is that.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
App Library is useless
- Thread starter -BigMac-
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
It's not a home page. Home page is the first page you come to, when your phone is turned on, effectively the desktop if it was a 'computer'.
When you go to a restaurant, and don't want breakfast, or dessert, do you ask for the waiters to only bring a food menu, without anything other than the food you want? No! I suggest if you want an OS to do exactly what your heart desires, build one.
YMMV. Personally, I find it quite useful.
I have actually forgot there was a app library until I saw this thread 
He's calling for a toggle in Settings to remove the App Library from showing in the sequence of Home screens. This has been a common feature request.
What difference does it make? It’s the last page anyhow; just don’t open it if you don’t want it.
The difference is that you can't just blindly swipe to quickly get to your last Home screen, as you could before the App Library was introduced. Now you have to take care to not swipe too far, or you have to swipe back again. This can be all the more annoying if it happens frequently and you find the App Library useless.
As I said, this doesn't affect me personally, but I can understand people whom it does.
I think it needs customization options.
Any friend I’ve talked to about the App Library has had an idea that would make it better for them.
What I’d like are sorting and filter options just like you might have with other lists:
- Default view by Category (current behavior) or List
- Sort List View Alphabetically, by Date Added, by Recently Used, by Category
- Show all apps or show only those hidden from Home Screens
- Maybe be able to pin your favorite apps to always show at the top in List View
- Toggle off completely in Settings
Any friend I’ve talked to about the App Library has had an idea that would make it better for them.
What I’d like are sorting and filter options just like you might have with other lists:
- Default view by Category (current behavior) or List
- Sort List View Alphabetically, by Date Added, by Recently Used, by Category
- Show all apps or show only those hidden from Home Screens
- Maybe be able to pin your favorite apps to always show at the top in List View
- Toggle off completely in Settings
Yeah, I’d like to opt for a similar approach. The problem comes if you want to have, and use, widgets on the Home Screen. Then, the number of apps gets dramatically reduced and I think I’d need at less three home screens…
The idea of the App drawer is good, but it would be also cool, if not better, if we had a toggle to switch between the App Library on the last page, or the list view that is enabled after, once in the App Library, you swipe down.
And, as I said, while App Library is good enough, it would be much better if Apple allowed us to customize the categories and which apps go in each category.
It depends on how you use your iphone or especially, for me at least, you ipad.
If you like the „old school” iPhone Concorde that „everything is an app”, then fine. Everything is an app on your home screen, and you can flip between multiple home screens the more apps tou acquire.
But for a lot of people, myself included, this becomes messy, and messy becomes time-wastoing. You can put your apps insider “folders” or groupe, but this meaning more finger touches and swipes.
I’ve my iPad set up with a single home-screen, with mainstream widgets on the screen and only my most used apps sin the Dock, with a few more app ikons I use. Regularly. Everything els e is. Acceleration from the. Applibarry, not. The. Homework scree.
Yes, this.makes isa bit moreMac-like, but that works for me.
I’m very happy that Apple are offering different ways for different people to use their service, rather than one way of using the OS that evrery must follow.
If the App Library is useless for you, fine. It’s not invasive or distrscting to not use it. But the option is there for those who do.
Passing the choice onto the users, rather then Apple deciding for the users, is good. If you don’t it, don’t use it. It maybe be useless for you, but having a title that reads ‘App Library is Useless” is just attention-seeking click bait.
If you like the „old school” iPhone Concorde that „everything is an app”, then fine. Everything is an app on your home screen, and you can flip between multiple home screens the more apps tou acquire.
But for a lot of people, myself included, this becomes messy, and messy becomes time-wastoing. You can put your apps insider “folders” or groupe, but this meaning more finger touches and swipes.
I’ve my iPad set up with a single home-screen, with mainstream widgets on the screen and only my most used apps sin the Dock, with a few more app ikons I use. Regularly. Everything els e is. Acceleration from the. Applibarry, not. The. Homework scree.
Yes, this.makes isa bit moreMac-like, but that works for me.
I’m very happy that Apple are offering different ways for different people to use their service, rather than one way of using the OS that evrery must follow.
If the App Library is useless for you, fine. It’s not invasive or distrscting to not use it. But the option is there for those who do.
Passing the choice onto the users, rather then Apple deciding for the users, is good. If you don’t it, don’t use it. It maybe be useless for you, but having a title that reads ‘App Library is Useless” is just attention-seeking click bait.
On top of that, now you must dismiss BOTH app libraries before you can access your Home Screen, just for extra flavor.
Don’t need it, don’t use it, have no trouble not accessing it.
Prior to this I always created a folder called “Crap Apps” and dumped everything I didn’t want to see/use into it. Today, the Library fulfills that need. Still have the CA folder, still use it, don’t care about the Library. Same for iPhones and iPads.
Prior to this I always created a folder called “Crap Apps” and dumped everything I didn’t want to see/use into it. Today, the Library fulfills that need. Still have the CA folder, still use it, don’t care about the Library. Same for iPhones and iPads.
It depends on how you use your iphone or especially, for me at least, your ipad.
If you like the „old school” iPhone Concorde that „everything is an app”, then fine. Everything is an app on your home screen, and you can flip between multiple home screens the more apps you acquire.
But for a lot of people, myself included, this becomes messy, and messy becomes time-wasting. You can put your apps insider “folders” or groups, but this meaning more finger touches and swipes.
I’ve my iPad set up with a single home-screen, with mainstream widgets on the screen and only my most used apps on the Dock, with a few more app icon I use regularly. Everything else is remove from the homecreens, accessible only from the App Library to remove clutter.
Yes, this.makes it a bit moreMac-like, but that works for me.
I’m very happy that Apple are offering different ways for different people to use their service, rather than one way of using the OS that evrery must follow.
If the App Library is useless for you, fine. It’s not invasive or distracting to not use it. But the option is there for those who do.
Passing the choice onto the users, rather then Apple deciding for the users, is good. If you don’t it, don’t use it. It maybe be useless for you, but having a title that days ‘App Library is Usless” is just ranting.
If you like the „old school” iPhone Concorde that „everything is an app”, then fine. Everything is an app on your home screen, and you can flip between multiple home screens the more apps you acquire.
But for a lot of people, myself included, this becomes messy, and messy becomes time-wasting. You can put your apps insider “folders” or groups, but this meaning more finger touches and swipes.
I’ve my iPad set up with a single home-screen, with mainstream widgets on the screen and only my most used apps on the Dock, with a few more app icon I use regularly. Everything else is remove from the homecreens, accessible only from the App Library to remove clutter.
Yes, this.makes it a bit moreMac-like, but that works for me.
I’m very happy that Apple are offering different ways for different people to use their service, rather than one way of using the OS that evrery must follow.
If the App Library is useless for you, fine. It’s not invasive or distracting to not use it. But the option is there for those who do.
Passing the choice onto the users, rather then Apple deciding for the users, is good. If you don’t it, don’t use it. It maybe be useless for you, but having a title that days ‘App Library is Usless” is just ranting.
For, me, that’s exactly what it’s for - accessing rarely used apps I don’t want to delete completely from the device, but don’t want cluttering up the home screens.
it’s not about hiding an app, it’s more about, just like the dock on macOS, not needing everything on the Home Screen.
you don’t put literally every single application installed on your computer in the dock.
And on macOS Apple is forcing users into using the App Library. Can't wait until iOS 27 when they remove all apps from people's home screen in order to force users into using the App Library.
This is now giving me another idea: Imagine you could configure any installed app to appear as the book-ending Home page, like the App Library does now. If the App Library was an app, then that could be the default, but users could swap it out for another app (including “none”).
This is the kind of orthogonal functionality I would like to see more of.
Last edited:
Yes. That’s how I use it. I think it’s good feature. It was super annoying before when there was no option to hide apps. Then the only option was to keep them on the last home screen.
I’m a one page of apps person. There’s a handful of apps I use at least once a week. Those go on my one page with a few widgets. Everything else is in the App Library. Swipe right, swipe down, search. 3 seconds to find a seldom-used app you need. I also use Focus to change my one page of apps depending on what I’m doing (Home, Work, Vacation). Personally, App Library is a top 10 feature for me.
I have the same setup and use. I also like the Smart Stack on the Home Screen.
I like App Library. It allowed me to make one Home Screen of the essentials, and then everything else can chill in the App Library, used less often. When I need something that isn’t in the home page, most of the other apps that are used most often are usually visible at the front of the folders they are automatically grouped into. This means my most used apps are usually a click away. Worst case they are in a folder or behind quick pull down to search.
The only thing I haven’t liked about App Library is that occasionally it has screwed up and put all the apps in one uncategorized folder. No clue why that happens, it’s rare, but does happen sometimes. 99% of the time though, I like App Library for what it is.
The only thing I haven’t liked about App Library is that occasionally it has screwed up and put all the apps in one uncategorized folder. No clue why that happens, it’s rare, but does happen sometimes. 99% of the time though, I like App Library for what it is.
It does take a while to build the app library on a new phone which can be a bit frustrating but I still like it as it tidies stuff up