How do I change app categories in App Library?

Answer is: you can’t.

which is really a pretty amazing oversight by Apple. For example productivity & finance should be two separate categories. Why is Word, Excel, and PowerPoint combined with my banking apps? And why is my wallet in Utilities and not finance with the rest of my banking apps?

having to choose between the old way of using folders or using the library, I think I’ll just go back to folders. No way I will remember where things are and as a result I’ll forget what I have so searching is pointless as I don’t remember what to search for.

greatzipper wrote:

Answer is: you can’t.

which is really a pretty amazing oversight by Apple. For example productivity & finance should be two separate categories. Why is Word, Excel, and PowerPoint combined with my banking apps? And why is my wallet in Utilities and not finance with the rest of my banking apps?

having to choose between the old way of using folders or using the library, I think I’ll just go back to folders. No way I will remember where things are and as a result I’ll forget what I have so searching is pointless as I don’t remember what to search for.

It's the first iteration of the feature. It will probably change and mature with time. Submit your feedback to Apple letting them know what changes you'd like to see:

Product Feedback - Apple

I have sent feedback requesting the ability to move apps within the library. Of course, it still may never be exactly what everyone wants.

johnmd50 wrote:

Come on Apple, Pleeeeese can we decide?

Apple is not reading here for suggestions. You can let them know your thoughts here:

Product Feedback - Apple

Meanwhile, you continue to have complete control over what folders you put your apps in on the regular home screens.

davidh_23 wrote:

App Library is difficult or impossible to change. If I try to move or delete apps it does the same outside the “library”.

You can't move things around in the App Library. You can move things off the Home Screes so that they only appear in the App Library. Once you make them available on the Home Screen again, you'll need to move them where you want them. But once they're on the Home Screen on whichever one you want, in which ever folder you want them in, the App Library has no effect on them.

if you can’t, which appears to be the case, it’s a huge oversight. For me, it affects parental control capabilities: many of my kids’ games are placed in the education category! (The exact opposite!) When I assign screen time limits, they are lumped together, defeating the purpose of being able to allow some apps when blocking others after a certain time limit.

I’m surprised that Apple built the App Library without the ability to rename or add categories.

The app auto arranged my apps intro categories. Which would be nice, except much of the time into categories that make no sense. There is no way to reorganize the apps into proper categories.

Because of this the App Library is of no use to me. I already have my apps organized well on my phone without this added ‘feature’.

You can’t. The App Library is absolutely useless, taking up. Space on our iphones.

From your Home Screen, swipe right until you see the App Library. Your apps are automatically sorted into categories.

...

Search for an app in the App Library

• Go to the App Library.
• Tap the search field, then enter the app that you're looking for.
• Tap the app to open it.

Organize the Home Screen and App Library on your iPhone ...

greatzipper wrote:

Ok. fair point. BUT! Answer me THIS one.... why are productivity and finance even the same category?

I can't answer that as I don't work for Apple or know why they made a specific UX decision. My sense is they wanted to keep the number of categories to a minimum. The App Library is not a replacement for a very carefully arranged set of personal folders. It appears to be designed to automate basic organization for those folks who were never especially interested in making folders.

I think it works really well but frankly, I stopped being interested in putting apps in folders and figuring out what I should call them years ago. Nothing Apple does is going to meet everyone's needs.

Apple has already given you a way to create your own categories and put your apps in whatever folders you want. The App Library is in addition to that, not in place of it.

Let Apple know your thoughts here:

Product Feedback - Apple

Agree absolutely that the App Library in its current form is almost useless. I have been trying to move Apps from one (Apple titled) App library Box to another. Tried it on App Library page, moving from Home Page, but all to no avail, and now I see from Forum that you can't. Appalling that Apple has decided not only the Titles of the Boxes, which you cannot change, but also what goes into which category. It should be my choice, not Apple's. It's my new iPhone 12 after all. Come on Apple, Pleeeeese can we decide?

IdubI wrote:

if you can’t, which appears to be the case, it’s a huge oversight. For me, it affects parental control capabilities: many of my kids’ games are placed in the education category! (The exact opposite!) When I assign screen time limits, they are lumped together, defeating the purpose of being able to allow some apps when blocking others after a certain time limit.

You can pick and choose what apps in a given category you allow. Nothing says you have to allow the entire category.

App Library is difficult or impossible to change. If I try to move or delete apps it does the same outside the “library”.

I don’t know how you leave that option out in the first place. You can choose which folder it’s in, why not which library? Also why can’t we rename the libraries? They should have at least the same functionality as folders, otherwise I can just keep my folders.

The apps are randomly put into categories Useless as it is

has to give the option to rename categories and move the apps into the categories the user chooses

how did the great Apple miss this