App icons arrangement on ipad (and iphone) under iOS 16 and iPadOS 16

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Level 1

37 points

App icons arrangement on ipad (and iphone) under iOS 16 and iPadOS 16

I am currently under iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2. Over the years, my app icon arrangement has changed significantly... most notably durning various app updates. At this point, there is limited logic to what was once a very orderly layout.

I finally got around to attempting to reorder the lot of them, so I can actually find them. In the process of doing this, I noticed that the order of icons on a given page (screen) changes completely when switching between landscape and portrait views. I don't just refer to a change due to the available columns from one orientation to another, but a substantial shuffling of individual icons in the display.

For the most part, the "set" of app icons on an individual page remains fairly consistent. But sometimes even this changes, whereby a given app moves from one screen to another, during an update of said up.

Why in heaven's name is this happening, and how can I prevent it?

iPad Pro, iPadOS 16

Posted on Jan 21, 2023 1:56 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

thebank

Level 1

8 points

Mar 13, 2023 5:10 AM in response to IdrisSeabright

It happens EVERYTIME you tilt the screen and change orientation! In iPadOS 14, the icons just reoriented themselves and stayed where they are. Now, they are moving all over the place. And, there are ugly, huge, empty spaces at the side of the screens.

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Answer 2

thebank

Level 1

8 points

Mar 13, 2023 5:15 AM in response to LotusPilot

I don’t care about your useless widgets, give me back my icon layouts! And greetings to your design them, and anyone else who approved of this terrible layout.

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Answer 3

svdrifter Author

Level 1

37 points

Jan 24, 2023 4:25 PM in response to svdrifter

Seriously?! And this was "by design"?

Having purchased the very first iPhone and the very first iPad, I can't even guess how many apps I've purchased over the years (you know... as in "PAID FOR"). I just now checked under "My Purchases" and count 399 apps. A considerable number of them indicate "not able to update". This is likely a moot point since most of them were relatively worthless to begin with, and only perform one simple function (typically very poorly).

I [vaguely] recall when the App Store was first introduced. At that point, even though a typical app had incredibly limited capabilities, the vetting process was nonetheless most excruciating! While limited in scope, at least they performed "virtually nothing" in a manor that was pretty much as advertised. Those days are long gone.

I upgrade my apps regularly and I did so within the past couple of weeks. Today, I see that exactly 100 of my apps require updating! And I can guaranty that many of them will likely appear in new places on different pages. So when I finishing rearranging them again in one screen orientation, I can so yet again in the other screen orientation.

I do appreciate your answer. And while it was not the answer I had hoped to hear, it was indeed the answer I expected! Thank you for having the only one with the knowledge (and/or nerve) to divulge the truth! As such, it is most assuredly the "Best answer"!

I have storeroom full of MacBooks, iPads and other Apple hardware and software. The only hardware I have that performs without gremlins and surprises is a mid-2015 MacBook Pro, running under High Sierra, and an iPad4, still running under 10.3.4. My 10-5" iPad Pro worked fine until I was foolish enough to up[down]grade it to iPadOS 16! I find it incredibly frustrating that it's impossible to reload the original OS on the iPad, like you can on a MacBook!

I'm currently looking for another used mid-2015 MacBook Pro to mirror my existing one as a backup. Maybe I can also find a used iPad that is still running under a older iOS as well.

Thanks again for reaching out!

[Edited by Moderator]

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Answer 4

Jan 24, 2023 8:41 AM in response to svdrifter

By design, iPadOS allows your App icon layout to differ between Portrait and Landscape view - allowing you to freely place Widgets as you prefer in each view. Once set, iPadOS will remember the configuration of each.

So, with your iPad is one orientation or other, arrange your Widgets, Apps and App Folders as you would like them to be. When you are finished, rotate your iPad to the other orientation - and repeat the positioning process.

That’s it - you’re done. Your iPad will now show everything in locations consistent with your manually set positions. Just remember that the App locations are independent for Portrait and Landscape.

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Answer 5

lexOS1

Community Specialist

Jan 24, 2023 8:28 AM in response to svdrifter

Hi svdrifter,

Thank you for participating in the Apple Support Communities. If you would like to leave feedback for Apple on this, here is where you can do so: Product Feedback - Apple

Have a great day.

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Answer 6

Mar 13, 2023 6:01 AM in response to thebank

Contributors within the Apple Support Community (ASC) are all end-users, just like you. Other than the site Moderators, Apple neither monitor nor participate within the Support Community. Contributors here have absolutely no influence with Apple or its Development Team.

ASC is a user-to-user technical community. We can offer advice with operation of your devices - and guidance/help if you are experiencing difficulties. We can also direct you to technical resources and appropriate contact-points for Apple support.

Apple do invite submission of constructive comments and feature requests via its Product Feedback portal. If you would like to see different or changed functionality, this would be the most appropriate channel through which to communicate your feelings to Apple. For iPad and iPadOS:

Feedback - iPad - Apple

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Answer 7

Jan 25, 2023 7:10 AM in response to svdrifter

svdrifter wrote:

I upgrade my apps regularly and I did so within the past couple of weeks. Today, I see that exactly 100 of my apps require updating! And I can guaranty that many of them will likely appear in new places on different pages. So when I finishing rearranging them again in one screen orientation, I can so yet again in the other screen orientation.

I've never had apps (on either an iPad or iPhone) move around on the screen when I updated them. If that's something you're seeing, I'd suggest that there is something amiss.

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Answer 8

svdrifter Author

Level 1

37 points

Jan 25, 2023 9:14 AM in response to IdrisSeabright

I'm sorry, but I do not recall the exact scenario under which this occurred, nor how frequently it happened. I wouldn't say that it is the norm, but it happened often enough to be an inconvenience.

I'm in the process now of going through and removing most of the older apps that I only use occasionally. Surprisingly, while doing so I discovered that I have duplicate occurrences of some of my apps, in different locations. In some cases it appears that the duplication is when an iPad and iPhone version of the same app is loaded. In other cases, it seems to be caused by two different releases of the same app. I just don't time to waste analyzing it.

I'm trying to get my sailboat ready for a 6-mo trip to the Bahamas. I will likely remove every app that isn't for either navigation nor weather. Most of the others are of little value anyway.

s/v Drifter

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App icons arrangement on ipad (and iphone) under iOS 16 and iPadOS 16

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