Can’t find an app when you need it? Here is the solution

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You can make finding apps easier by grouping your apps into multiple app folders. You can create alphabetic and similar function app folders for easy access to your apps. Both iPhone and Android allow you to create app folders.

Do you have so many apps installed on your phone that it’s hard to find the one you really need when you need it? Here are some things you can do to make finding and launching apps faster and more efficient.

Use your app search

Probably the easiest solution to find an app is to simply search for it. iPhone has Spotlight Search, and on Android, typing an app’s name into the Google widget can also make it appear quickly. However, you’ll always have to remember the name of the app you want, and typing on a keyboard can be challenging if you’re using your phone one-handed.

Group apps to make them easier to find

If you don’t want to have to type anything into a search bar, or if you prefer to search visually, you can speed up finding apps on your Home screen by grouping apps together. The iPhone and almost all Android phones allow you to put two or more apps in a single container (called an app folder) taking up the space of an icon on your Home screen. When you need an app, touch the folder and all the apps it contains will appear. You then launch your apps the same way you would from your app drawer or home screen.

Bundled apps on an Android phone.

Folders not only make it easy to find apps, they also declutter your home screen. With all those apps neatly organized and stowed away, you get a more stress-free minimalist feel, or room for more widgets.

On an iPhone, create an app folder by first touching and holding a home screen until all the apps start to wiggle, then drag an app onto another app. On most Android phones, including Samsung Galaxy phones, you can create app folders by dragging an app and dropping it onto another app.

If you’re not sure what kind of groups to create, one idea is to group your apps in alphabetical order. Doing so ensures that you can find an app when you really need it without any problem, as long as you remember the name. As an example, you can put the Uber app in a folder called “U Apps” or “UZ”. This way, you’ll know exactly where that app is when you’re out and about and want to hail a cab.

Another option is to group apps by function. For example, you can put all your instant messaging apps in a single folder, making it very easy to find the app you need when you want to chat or talk to someone. Similarly, you can group all your streaming apps into a single folder. This helps you save time and eliminates the hassle of going through multiple home screens to find the app you want.

RELATED: Why are iPhones still limited to 9 apps per folder page?

Place apps and folders strategically on the home screen

Another way to simplify finding apps is to put the apps you use most often at your fingertips. Google Pixel phones by default put your recently used apps at the bottom of your phone’s screen, but you may have some that you never want out of reach.

A good idea if you’re right-handed, for example, is to place your favorite apps in the bottom-right corner of the home screen.

An app in the bottom right corner of an Android phone.

If you’re left-handed, use the lower left corner. That way, even when you need to use your phone with one hand, you’ll still have easy access to the apps you use most often.

Hide or remove rarely used apps

To make your favorite apps easier to find, you can also simply move rarely-used apps to a less accessible area of ​​your Home screens. This way, you’ll have access to them, but these apps won’t get in your way or interrupt your everyday phone experience.

If you have a lot of apps that you rarely use, consider uninstalling them entirely. Not only do they get in your way when you find other apps, but they also eat up storage space. Also, the fewer apps you have installed, the smaller your “attack surface” will be; you’re reducing the number of avenues viruses and hackers have to get to your device.

Using Android? Try a different launcher

One advantage of being an Android user is that you have a lot of control over how your phone works, and that includes how apps are found and run. In fact, there are many alternative app launchers for Android that replace your phone’s default app drawer. We particularly like Niagra Launcher for large phones because it makes launching apps much easier with just one hand.

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