iOS 15 Tidbits: Rearrange Home Screen Pages, Disable All App Badge Notifications, and More

[MacRumors]

Apple on Monday revealed iOS 15 with redesigned notifications, major changes to FaceTime, and new tools that help users reduce distractions. Amongst the comprehensive set of tools for reducing distractions is the ability to disable app badge notifications for all apps on the Home Screen, resulting in a much cleaner Home Screen look.

App badge notifications can be disabled when users are in Do Not Disturb or "Focus" mode. Users running the iOS 15 beta can go to Settings -> Focus, and choose either Do Not Disturb or any of the other Focus modes listed. Then under Customization, tap Hide Notification Badges.

Now, when that Focus or Do Not Disturb mode is enabled, all apps will no longer show a notification badge on the Home Screen. Users can, of course, disable notification badges on a per-app basis; however, this is a global option that impacts all apps on the Home Screen.

Another customization feature is the ability to rearrange Home Screen pages. With iOS 14, Apple introduced the ability for users to disable individual Home Screen pages thanks to the introduction of App Library, but many users were disappointed to find that Home Screen pages cannot be rearranged. On iOS 15, Apple allows users to tap and hold on individual Home Screen pages and rearrange them. In addition, Apple also now allows users to delete a page completely rather than disable it.

Alongside iOS 15, Apple also introduced iPadOS 15, macOS Monterey, watchOS 8, and tvOS 15. Catch up on all the WWDC announcements here.

Article Link: iOS 15 Tidbits: Rearrange Home Screen Pages, Disable All App Badge Notifications, and More

 

[Spock]

Still can’t put my icons where I want.

 

[MrGimper]

Still can’t put my icons where I want.

Correction, Apple won’t allow you to put icons where they don’t want you to.

 

[circatee]

Still can’t put my icons where I want.

Agreed. Yes, Apple have offered alternative options. But, I still find it rather odd, after over a decade, Apple still do not offer the option to place icons ANYWHERE on ones device screen.

Odd, just bloody odd...

 

[calstanford]

A lot of tiny things.

 

[jmh600cbr]

Shortest tid bit list in memory. Yesterday felt flat.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Perhaps most useful feature…

 

[sniffies]

Things that still haven't changed:

1. I just wish iCloud mail automatically synced read status across devices, it still doesn't (since forever)
2. Safari bookmarks still don't display favicons
3. Can't clear all new notifications all at once unless there is at least one old notification present
4. Can't protect Hidden Photos
5. Can't search phone recents
6. Can't search blocked contacts
7. Can't customize the two shortcuts at the bottom of the lock screen
8. Can't disable Shortcuts completion popup whenever you run a Shortcut from home screen
9. Can't see which number/email I receive a FaceTime call on
10. Can't see which number/email I receive an iMessage on
11. Can't see full URLs in Safari
12. Can't turn off smart addresses in Mail

 

[Spock]

I’m thinking we will get another event rather soon.

 

[minimo3]

Still can’t put my icons where I want.

It’s amazing that Windows 3.0 circa 1990 on a 640KB RAM machine has better Home Screen management than iOS/iPadOS 15

 

[now i see it]

It's funny how a little red dot next to an app icon drives people insane

 

[BeefCake 15]

What about CarPlay?

 

[Kylo83]

CarPlay is the exact same still when someone calls it turns off maps? Also for the love of almighty why can’t we just remove homebar if we don’t like it’s starting to get on my nervous

 

[hybrid_x]

I'm baffled as to why it's taken so long for them to add re-arranging Home Screen pages to iOS. It should have been added at the same time they retired iTunes, because Home Screen page management was available there years ago.

 

[steevn]

The most interesting thing to me yesterday was Siri being allowed on third party devices, which I am hoping quite a few companies adopt.

Other than that I felt like iOS 15 is really just updated Maps, FaceTime, and iMessage, and I’m not sure why we need to wait for an entire new iOS for three apps.

 

[ahovis]

Anyone see their iPadOS portrait mode now only 4 apps across? Annoying.

 

[agsystems]

Things that still haven't changed:

1. I just wish iCloud mail automatically synced read status across devices, it still doesn't (since forever)
2. Safari bookmarks still don't display favicons
3. Can't clear all new notifications all at once unless there is at least one old notification present
4. Can't protect Hidden Photos
5. Can't search phone recents
6. Can't search blocked contacts
7. Can't customize the two shortcuts at the bottom of the lock screen
8. Can't disable Shortcuts completion popup whenever you run a Shortcut from home screen
9. Can't see which number/email I receive a FaceTime call on
10. Can't see which number/email I receive an iMessage on
11. Can't see full URLs in Safari
12. Can't turn off smart addresses in Mail

all these are good - have you used the feedback app and reported this?

 

[IMPOSSIBLEMAN]

This is more like 14.8 rather than iOS 15.

Look at the comments to see the dozens of changes people eagerly hoped to see yet Apple missed.

It is going to be a very long and boring year for iOS.

 

[jonnysods]

Things that still haven't changed:

1. I just wish iCloud mail automatically synced read status across devices, it still doesn't (since forever)
2. Safari bookmarks still don't display favicons
3. Can't clear all new notifications all at once unless there is at least one old notification present
4. Can't protect Hidden Photos
5. Can't search phone recents
6. Can't search blocked contacts
7. Can't customize the two shortcuts at the bottom of the lock screen
8. Can't disable Shortcuts completion popup whenever you run a Shortcut from home screen
9. Can't see which number/email I receive a FaceTime call on
10. Can't see which number/email I receive an iMessage on
11. Can't see full URLs in Safari
12. Can't turn off smart addresses in Mail

For #11 I've attached this here. As a web dev I was so happy to find this one.

 

[sniffies]

For #11 I've attached this here. As a web dev I was so happy to find this one.

This is iOS thread, not macOS.

iOS doesn’t have this.

Plus, macOS has had it for several years now. It’s nothing new.

 

[gavroche]

Still can’t put my icons where I want.

Being able to change the size of individual icons would be sweet as well. And probably take them hardly any time to implement.

 

[jk1221]

Also for the love of almighty why can’t we just remove homebar if we don’t like it’s starting to get on my nervous

The home bar is a really odd one. Why not at least have it auto-hide like Safari does now? Or setting option to turn it off.

No one needs a persistent home bar anymore. At first I get it but its been there for 3-4 years now; people get how to use it.

But this was really a flop year. Mail was not touched; how many years is that now? No interactive widgets so you can actually do stuff with them (this is not the watch). Or as mentioned place icons anywhere.

Notifications are still a crap mess. They need to look at Android how they handle them and actually group. Inspiration is not a bad thing.

It's like Apple thinks iOS is perfect and there was little to work on; and it is far from. But hey, you can tell your friend over FaceTime how "shook" (god that word🤮) you were about that episode watching together! Like really, who does that if you arent a kid/teen? Especially with life going back to normal now; last year ok I would have got it more. It's odd timing now for a fall release. But will even 1% of iOS users even use that sharing junk that was somehow a tentpole OS feature this year?

 

[QuarterSwede]

This is more like 14.8 rather than iOS 15.

Look at the comments to see the dozens of changes people eagerly hoped to see yet Apple missed.

It is going to be a very long and boring year for iOS.

I very much disagree. On device Siri and contextual awareness was a major undertaking and much needed since Alexa is much further ahead. Shareplay will be massive for the kid crowd (I have 3 and they already do this. Shareplay just makes it easier). All the messages updates are very welcome and I’ve wanted to use drag and drop on iOS for a while. Although, the best of all is Focus. I’m so tired of having work text threads and emails interrupt what I’m doing at home, etc. or non-emergency family threads interrupting work. It’s as if Apple almost went down my feedback suggestions and knocked out a few items.

Ex:
- Add Pilates to Apple Fitness+ ✅
- Ability to rearrange Home Screens ✅
- On device Siri (no network needed) ✅
- Personal/Work Profiles ✅

 

[Premium1]

This is the first year in a while I won't be running the betas this summer. I get the whole pandemic and whatnot, but it seems apple took this year off in terms of software development. Maybe mail will actually work 100% of the time this year (who am I kidding?) lol

 

[QuarterSwede]

The home bar is a really odd one. Why not at least have it auto-hide like Safari does now? Or setting option to turn it off.

No one needs a persistent home bar anymore. At first I get it but its been there for 3-4 years now; people get how to use it.

I wouldn’t mind an option to turn it off but I just don’t get the hate for it. Most of the time I don’t even notice it. Although, that could be because I’m on an iPhone 12 Pro Max and it’s quite literally in my peripheral vision when I’m looking dead center on the screen (a lot of the time). The only time I consciously notice it is when YouTube leaves it on screen in landscape mode. But that’s just a bug.