Take Control of Your Home Screen

Folders, quick-action menus, widgets and a little basic icon organization can make navigating your smartphone a smoother experience.

Is your phone’s home screen jampacked with pages of apps in random order — including some apps you never use? Sure, you can always find the program you need with search or the voice assistant, or by browsing the app drawer. But app access can be quicker if you have your icons arranged in a useful order and you take advantage of shortcut menus and widgets. Here’s a guide to streamlining your home screen. First, audit your collection. While tidying up, you can also reclaim storage space. On many recent Android phones, including models by Google and Samsung, you can see all your apps listed alphabetically by swiping up from the bottom of the screen to open the app drawer. (Depending on the Android version and carrier, you may have an apps button instead, and icons for installed apps may not automatically appear on the home screen.)