Unable to move or organize apps after iOS 26 update on iPhone 16 Pro

Thank you to posters in this discussion thread for a solution that actually allows me to MOVE AN ICON or GROUP. Here is the painstaking process (I use iOS 26.3 iPhone 14):

• hold your finger (I suggest your index finger) on the specimen you wish to move and watch closely for an almost indiscernible change to the screen indicating that the icon/group can be moved. If you miss the subtle change you can check if the button can be moved yet by trying to slightly move the selected icon. 
• do not attempt to move the button too quickly or too far from the position it currently occupies, but slowly & firmly drag it to its new destination. If the new location is a screen or two away, your best option is to drag the button a screen at a time allowing it to “settle” on each screen and then repeat the process. 
• once you get the icon/group to the screen you want to drop it on, you may have to “jockey” it around a little before it will occupy an empty space.
• Once you get a spot to settle the icon, leave it on this space and watch your screen closely again. You will see a very slight change in the icons on the screen and this is the signal you can lift your finger from the icon/group you moved.  It “should” remain at that location.  
• DO NOT LIFT YOUR FINGER DURING THIS ENTIRE PROCESS or you will have to restart. 
• Expect this process to move one icon/group to take up to 60+ seconds (sometimes longer) each time. It took a few moves to get the hang of it. I had to restart the process on several attempts. 
• Be creative. If you want to move a group/icon through more than two screens your best bet is to toggle to the view showing all screens and rearrange the screen containing the icon you want to move next to the screen you want it to actually appear upon. Make use of the Dock by moving one of your icons put of it and  into a screen with space on it, then move the icon you want to relocate into the dock. Swipe to the new screen location then pull that icon out of the Dock onto the new screen. (Remember where you spotted the Dock icon you moved temporarily so you can put it back in the Dock without hunting for hours.)

Be patient. This is the ONLY workaround that I have found that allows an icon or group to be moved in iOS 26.x. I have opened two Feedback Tickets FB21***** & FB2154***** but have had no response by Apple. 

[Edited by Moderator]

I figured out a slight hack that seems to work. Go to a screen that isn't full, take one of the 4 icons on the "dock" (the bottom row that stays constant on every screen), and move it to the screen that has room. Then go to the app you really want to move, and move it (very gingerly) to the vacant space on the dock. Be sure to position the icon exactly, because if you don't, it will vanish momentarily and then go back where it came from. Go to the screen containing the new folder for that app, and move it out of the dock and into the new folder. Then, if you're through, restore the app you originally moved from the dock. I don't know if this works with folders -- I have no idea if they can be moved to the dock.

I can only surmise that this is a ploy to get people to upgrade their older phones. I'm using a 12 mini and have 2 second gen SE's, and had hoped to go another year before upgrading.

The suggestion to hold the icon for an extended amount of time works. A very long press. Be patient.

It takes about three minutes to move an app using edit Home Screen.

First, I hold on an app and it starts to jiggle, and then I select edit home screen. Then I hold onto the app as long as it takes until finally, it will allow me to start to move it. I slide it down toward the lower part of the screen over on the far left side and hold it there with it just partially showing and wait a long time until it finally shifts to the next home screen that is there if I want to put it into a folder that exists, I can move it up to that folder and then hold it over that folder until finally the border around the folder, changes color and I can let go of the app. After that, then I take the app and with my finger and slide it into whatever part of that folder that I want it to be at.

If I accidentally hold the app, just a little bit too much off center or trying to slide to a different home screen and miss holding it exactly on the edge of the Apple screen it will not take affect, and the app will go back to where it was originally.

This whole process takes up to three minutes just to move one app. Sometimes the app will disappear and end up back in its original position instead of where I’ve tried to place it. Yes it is frustrating.

I am using iOS 26.one on an iPhone 17 air.

Still haven’t seen any update since 26.2

I’ve talked to some people about it even in stores and they don’t know what’s going on. One person even said that maybe I have too many apps and that could be causing the problem. However, I don’t understand why that would be the situation because it didn’t happen in the previous operating systems before iOS26 came out. So Apple definitely did change something that is causing the problem.

I even noticed that when I slide between screens since I have a lot of screens with apps on them that it takes time before they refresh with the pictures. Something is slowing down the processing.

Unless it’s a flaw in the new chip that they put in that can’t handle the situation anymore. What do you think?

I have the same problem with iOS 26.1. I cannot move my apps or put them into folders or move them to a different screen that contains more folders.

Another issue I have found is that the screen is very slow to refresh when I move from one screen panel to the next screen panel, which I have quite a few since I have many apps in folders. This is getting frustrating because any new apps I might add end up at the end screen that has new apps showing. But I can’t move them and put them into folders that I want to put them in elsewhere on my phone.

I still haven’t found any improvement yet even though I have waited since the iPhone Air came out the first day. Yes I have a lot of information on my phone, but I have a lot of extra space left to be able to add apps, etc.. I have lost my ability to be able to move apps from one page to the next page. They just returned back to where they were originally.

I hope they can fix this soon in moving apps. It’s never happened all this time since I started using an iPhone three version years ago only with the iOS 26..0.1 has this happened.

I too can’t get ANY of my apps to move ANYWHERE since the 26.0 update (on both my iPhone 17 Pro and my iPad 12.9” 6th Gen) - the exact same thing happens as the original poster.

I’ve tried all the suggestions here and none have worked.

Please help!!!

I need things organized a certain way and this is so frustrating!!

Your descriptive technique is challenging but perhaps useful. But what is sure is you sound like a madman with tons of humour. Your post reeks of irony.

Apple better get this mess fixed fast. Good Lord !

I spend enough screen time as it is. Apple needs to fix this issue sooner rather than later. I find it hard to understand that something that worked well was messed up to make life more difficult. Cannot fathom such changes. But thank you for your persistence and patience.

One thing I noticed that I cannot do though is to move apps on a page and let them set somewhere else on the page. They always want to connect next to the last app that’s showing on the page. iOS 26 is supposed to let you leave blank spaces in areas on pages where you can choose apps to appear.

I have IOS 18.6.2 and after removing an app today, and reloading it, none of my apps will move when I try to edit them. Some are in even in new folders. I tried the long hold trick people are suggesting, with patience, it won’t work. My app I removed and reinstalled was also my most important widget and it’s no longer a widget option either. Has anyone resolved this issue in any IOS version, and if so, how did you resolve this? I want to reorganize my icons and folders and I no longer can, it’s very frustrating. Thank you

This whole story is getting way out of hand. Such an essential part of a working iphone being in a state of disrepair of this magnitude, due to an official upgrade is scandalous. The people in charge are aware of this fault.

perhaps their priorities in fixing bugs are from another planet.

Same here still can’t move apps and on each screen, as I toggle, it takes several seconds for the apps to refresh so it’s just a bunch of little white boxes. If I didn’t know where most of my apps were already, I would always have to wait for the screen to refresh! This is terrible. Apple used to be known for quality and now, this just feels like junk. An expensive phone with lots of things that don’t work