Editing a home screen on iPhone, Android, or Samsung means rearranging apps, adding widgets, hiding pages, or changing icon colors — each platform uses different steps.
The home screen is the first thing you see every time you unlock your phone, and knowing how to edit your home screen goes beyond just dragging icons around. The process covers widgets, hidden pages, icon tints, and whole-page layouts, and the steps change depending on whether you’re using an iPhone, a stock Android phone, or a Samsung Galaxy device.
What Does Editing Your Home Screen Actually Mean?
Editing your home screen covers everything from small touch-ups to full layout overhauls. You might move an app to a different page, add a weather widget, remove an app icon without deleting the app itself, hide a page full of seldom-used tools, or change the color and size of every icon at once.
Each operating system exposes these controls differently. Apple’s iPhone uses a jiggle mode and a Customize panel. Google’s Android relies on Home settings that vary by phone maker. Samsung’s Galaxy line has its own One UI launcher with unique page-management tools. Knowing which system you’re on is the first step to getting the layout you want.
Editing Your Home Screen on iPhone
Apple’s current Home Screen editing flow applies to any iPhone running iOS 18 or later. The core entry point stays the same: touch and hold an empty spot on the Home Screen until the icons start to jiggle.
Once the icons are jiggling, tap Edit at the top of the screen, then tap Customize. From there you can choose Large App Icon to make everything bigger — though app names disappear in that mode, per Apple’s documentation. You can also pick Dark for dark-mode icons, Auto to switch automatically, Clear for translucent icons, or Tinted to apply a custom color using sliders or the eyedropper tool on your wallpaper. Changes you make in the Customize panel apply to every Home Screen page at once, not one page at a time.
Other common iPhone edits include moving apps by dragging them in jiggle mode, adding widgets by tapping Edit then Add Widget, and removing an app from the Home Screen without deleting it by long-pressing the icon, tapping Remove App, then choosing Remove from Home Screen. To hide an entire page, enter page-edit mode by touching and holding the dots near the bottom of the screen, uncheck the page, and tap Done.
Editing Your Home Screen on Android
Google’s Android Help describes the general process but warns that exact steps depend on your phone and manufacturer launcher. The universal starting point is to touch and hold an empty space on the Home Screen, then tap Home settings.
From there you can customize the favorites row at the bottom of the screen by dragging apps in and out, manage which Home Screens appear, and adjust search behavior. To move between multiple Home Screens, swipe right or left. To add an app to the favorites row, swipe up to open the app drawer, touch and hold the app, then drag it into an empty spot in the row. Because phone makers like Samsung, OnePlus, and Xiaomi each overlay their own launcher, the Home settings menu may look different on your device — but long-pressing the background is the universal entry point to find your editing controls.
Editing Your Home Screen on Samsung Galaxy
Samsung Galaxy phones and tablets running One UI have their own page-management system. To add a new Home Screen, swipe left until you reach an empty screen, then tap the plus sign that appears. To remove a screen, swipe to the screen you want to delete and use the Home screen manager interface to remove it.
Samsung’s approach differs from stock Android in a few ways. The page manager gives you a bird’s-eye view of all your screens and lets you rearrange them by dragging. You can also long-press empty space on any Home Screen to access quick settings for wallpaper, themes, and widgets without opening the main Settings app. The favorites row on Samsung devices works similarly to stock Android: drag apps in and out while in edit mode, or hold an app from the app drawer and drop it into the row.
Home Screen Editing: iPhone vs Android vs Samsung
| Action | iPhone | Android | Samsung Galaxy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enter edit mode | Long-press empty space → icons jiggle | Long-press empty space → tap Home settings | Long-press empty space, or use page manager |
| Move apps | Drag in jiggle mode | Touch and hold, then drag | Touch and hold, then drag |
| Add widgets | Jiggle mode → Edit → Add Widget | Long-press → Widgets (varies by launcher) | Long-press → Widgets |
| Remove app from Home Screen | Long-press → Remove App → Remove from Home Screen | Touch and hold → Remove (varies by device) | Touch and hold → Remove |
| Hide a page | Hold page dots → uncheck page → Done | Home settings → manage screens | Page manager → deselect screen |
| Change icon size | Edit → Customize → Large App Icon | Home settings → icon size (varies) | Home screen settings → grid size |
| Change icon color/tint | Edit → Customize → Tinted (with color picker) | Limited; third-party launcher needed | Theme store or Good Lock modules |
| Dark mode icons | Edit → Customize → Dark or Auto | System-wide dark mode only | System-wide dark mode plus theme support |
Common Mistakes When Editing Your Home Screen
Three errors trip up most people. The first is confusing Remove from Home Screen with Delete App — on iPhone, removing from the Home Screen only hides the icon while keeping the app installed and accessible from the App Library. On Android and Samsung, the wording varies by launcher, so read the confirmation dialog before tapping.
The second mistake is expecting per-page appearance changes on iPhone. When you use the Customize panel, the icon style, tint, and size you pick apply to every Home Screen page at once. You cannot give one page dark icons and another page tinted icons without a workaround.
The third is assuming all Android phones follow the same path. Google flags this explicitly: “depending on your phone,” the Home settings menu may live in a different spot or offer different options. If the steps above don’t match what you see, search for your specific phone model plus “Home screen settings” to find the exact path.
Home Screen Customization Features by Platform
| Feature | iPhone | Android (Stock) | Samsung Galaxy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Widget support | Yes, in jiggle mode | Yes, varies by launcher | Yes, full One UI support |
| Dark icons | Built-in (Dark / Auto) | System dark mode only | Theme-based |
| Tinted / custom color icons | Built-in with color picker | Not available natively | Via Good Lock or themes |
| Large icons (no labels) | Yes, with Large App Icon | Depends on launcher | Via grid size adjustment |
| Hide pages without deleting | Yes, via page-edit mode | Depends on launcher | Yes, via page manager |
| Remove app icon without deleting | Yes, via Remove from Home Screen | Depends on launcher | Depends on launcher |
| Third-party launchers | Not supported | Yes (Nova, Lawnchair, etc.) | Yes, with One UI compatibility |
Getting the Home Screen You Want
The fastest route to a cleaner layout starts with picking your platform: for iPhone users, long-press the background and use the Customize panel to set icon appearance first, then arrange apps and widgets in jiggle mode. For Android users, long-press an empty space and look for Home settings — if your phone’s menu looks different, search for your specific model’s launcher name. For Samsung Galaxy owners, the page manager and long-press shortcuts give you the most direct control over adding and removing screens.
Start with removing apps you rarely use from the Home Screen (keeping them installed), then hide any pages you do not need. Add one or two widgets for live info at a glance, and finish with a color or size change if your platform supports it. The result is a home screen that shows what you actually need, nothing more.
References & Sources
- Apple. “Customize apps and widgets on the iPhone Home Screen.” Official iPhone support guide with current iOS editing steps.
- Google. “Change what’s on your Home screen on Android.” Official Android Help page covering Home settings and favorites row.
- Samsung. “Organize the Home screen on your Galaxy phone or tablet.” Official Samsung support page for One UI page management.