Mostly just writing this out here so that I might come across it again in a time of need…
What to do:
The explanation:
I just set up the iPadOS 15 beta. I had six or so pages full of apps, plus ~12 groups/folders with several pages each. 290 total installed apps. (There’s too much junk on here for sure, mostly because the iPad is set to download anything I install on my phone.)
I have only previously been aware of the one-by-one method of removing an app from the homescreen (while keeping it in the app library). That is:
- Tap and hold on the homescreen to enable “jiggle mode.” Then:
- Tap the
-on an app icon; - Tap remove app; and
- Tap remove from homescreen.
- Repeat the three above steps for each app.
- Tap the
I wanted my homescreen to be empty—but I did not want to have to do 290 x 3 = 870 taps in multiple places on the screen to achieve this.
So, I fiddled, and found out that you can do this instead:
- Tap and hold on the homescreen to enable “jiggle mode.” Then:
- Go into a folder or to a homescreen page
- “Grab” an app, as if you were going to move it
- Tap on the upper-left most app to collect it too, then keep tapping to collect the next one that slides in
- Once you’re holding onto all the apps you want to remove, slide the homescreen right until you reach the app library
- Drop the dragged apps onto the Suggestions smart group. (This doesn’t seem to work consistently if you drop the apps elsewhere.)
I imagine there’s a yet-easier way, but this was kind of cathartic. Hopes it helps someone else as they clean up their iPadOS 15 homescreen!
