Having deleted the widgets, stacks and other clutter imposed on me by the upgrade, I discover that each screen lost half its content to make way for all that clutter. Is there an easy way to go back to how it was laid out previously, or do I need to spend ages dragging and dropping?
iPad Air 2 Wi-Fi, Cellular
As you discovered, update to iPadOS15 introduced the ability to add Widgets to your Home Screens - some being added to your first Home Screen, by default, during the initial update to iPadOS 15.x.
Widgets placed on a Home Screen now individually occupy one or more elements of a 4x6 icon grid. Home Screens without Widgets retain the familiar 5x6 icon grid. With the grid accommodating fewer icons when Widgets are present, other App and Folder icons may be displaced to the next Home Screen - and this may have a ripple-effect where Home Screens icon grids are fully populated.
Removing Widgets from a Home Screen does not cause displaced icons to be restored to their prior locations. Re-arrangement must be done manually. This is perhaps a less onerous task than might initially appear, as Home Screen icons should still follow their original sequence (reading left-to-right / top-to-bottom). With multi-selection of App/Folder icons, it is possible to simultaneously move several icons if you wish.
The easiest way to restore icons to previous positions is to start with the first Home Screen - and remove any Widgets that you don’t require.
Next, select the second Home Screen; icons displaced from the first Home Screen are likely to be at those starting at top-left. Drag App/Folder icons back to the first Home Screen - each likely to having been originally those appearing last in the sequence of the first Home Screen.
When you’re done, move onto the third Home Screen - moving icons back to the second Home Screen - and so on.
As you discovered, update to iPadOS15 introduced the ability to add Widgets to your Home Screens - some being added to your first Home Screen, by default, during the initial update to iPadOS 15.x.
Widgets placed on a Home Screen now individually occupy one or more elements of a 4x6 icon grid. Home Screens without Widgets retain the familiar 5x6 icon grid. With the grid accommodating fewer icons when Widgets are present, other App and Folder icons may be displaced to the next Home Screen - and this may have a ripple-effect where Home Screens icon grids are fully populated.
Removing Widgets from a Home Screen does not cause displaced icons to be restored to their prior locations. Re-arrangement must be done manually. This is perhaps a less onerous task than might initially appear, as Home Screen icons should still follow their original sequence (reading left-to-right / top-to-bottom). With multi-selection of App/Folder icons, it is possible to simultaneously move several icons if you wish.
The easiest way to restore icons to previous positions is to start with the first Home Screen - and remove any Widgets that you don’t require.
Next, select the second Home Screen; icons displaced from the first Home Screen are likely to be at those starting at top-left. Drag App/Folder icons back to the first Home Screen - each likely to having been originally those appearing last in the sequence of the first Home Screen.
When you’re done, move onto the third Home Screen - moving icons back to the second Home Screen - and so on.
Thank you - as you say, at least they're still in the right order. I was hoping there might be some trick for reversing the change automatically.
Once again it demonstrates the "over-enthusiasm of the engineer": who wants to show everyone how cool the new trick is, and thereby annoys every ordinary user who just wants to keep using the device in the same way as yesterday. It's amazing that after decades of consumer technology, this still happens!
Thattoo wrote:
What were you guys thinking? Tell me about a new feature and demonstrate it. Don’t rearrange my screen and then explain how to use my time to fix it.
Some education required…
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As such, I and others have no responsibility for any difficulties that you may encounter. All we can do is constructively share information and guidance. If you don’t need this assistance, you have no need of posting here - or in complaining at those that are attempting to help those that do seek assistance.
What were you guys thinking? Tell me about a new feature and demonstrate it. Don’t rearrange my screen and then explain how to use my time to fix it.
iOS15.1 just messed up my home screen (and all the others). How do I get it back?
