Use Application Groups to Organize Apps on Your Ipad or Iphone

Most of us have many screens of apps on our iPads and iPhones. Sliding multiple screens of icons back and forth is really easy, but it can be a pain finding a particular app if you’ve downloaded tons of apps. For faster access to your apps, create application groups. They are collections of apps within a single icon.

Creating an application or app group is dead easy. Touch and hold your finger on an app icon. After a few seconds, all the app icons on the screen should start shaking. Simply drag one app over top of another and an application group will get created with those two apps in it. To add more apps to a app group simply drag other app icons over and into it. Press the Home button when you’ve finished to stop the shaking.

The icons for application groups have mini icons on a dark background. They are easily distinguished from app icons as they have a silver border. If you look closely, you can actually see miniature versions (up to 9) of the actual icons in that group.

Tap on an app group icon to open it. Group like apps together and give your app groups names that will make it easy to figure out which group has the app you are looking for (e.g., social media, games, utilities, etc.). You can change an app group icon name by editing the text in the white area within an open app group.

You can create multiple app groups on the same screen. You can’t create an application group within another application group.

To remove an app from a group, open a group icon by tapping it as normal. Then press and hold an app icon within the group until all the icons start vibrating, then drag the icon onto the “see-through” desktop above.

Application groups are available as of IOS 4.2. You can also create application groups within iTunes using the device’s apps tab. Some people may find it is easier to move apps around and create groups on the computer. Any changes you make must be synched to get them onto your iPad or iPhone.

Thanks to my youngest son Christopher who showed me this tip last night.