How To: Make a New, Empty Home Screen on an iOS Device, and Manage Your Home Screens

Isn’t it stupid that the only way you can create a new, empty home screen on an iOS device is in iTunes?

Let’s say you want to move some of the icons on your first home screen to a second home screen, but move the rest of your home screens as well. In other words, you want to create a new home screen between the first and second.

The only way you can do this is in iTunes. Connect your device, select it, click Apps, then you’ll see the home screens.

Screen Shot 2015 01 28 at 7 52 38 PM

To add a new home screen, click the + button at the top-right of this section. The new home screen is added to the right of the others; you can drag it where you want.

Screen Shot 2015 01 28 at 7 52 47 PM

On an iOS device, the only thing you can do is create a new home screen to the right of all the others. To do this, tap and hold your icons until they wiggle. Tap and hold an icon, then drag it to the right. When it gets beyond the last home screen, it will create a new home screen. But you can’t move this home screen on the device.

It’s really surprising that you can’t do this. It wouldn’t be complicated to have an interface such as what iTunes shows in the Settings app, where you could manipulate home screens, move them around, or create new ones.

Oh, and if you want to get rid of that home screen you added? Just remove all its icons; it’ll go away on its own.