The 9.0.2 iTunes update comes with a relatively simple way to hide any unused or seldom used app icons from your Springboard. Like a lot of folks, I use much better and free replacments for the built-in Stocks and Weather apps, and these are two of the apps I now have hidden.
Here's are the steps to use:
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Step 1. Start iTunes (version 9.0.2 or later) and connect your iPhone to your computer via USB cable. Wait for your phone to appear under "Devices" in the left hand column, then click on it.
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Step 2. Once the page updates to show you your iPhone status, click on the "Applications" tab along the top (not the "Applications" button in the left column!).
You should see two panels appear. On the left is your applications list with check marks next to the apps you want to sync to your phone.
On the right is a simulation of what your iPhone Springboard looks like, with one page shown "Actual Size" and with thumbnail representations on the far right for all of the pages. There are up to 11 standard pages that could be displayed here, depending on how many pages of apps you've created to date.
You can use standard drag-and-drop techniques to move apps between Springboard pages using these iTunes features. You can also re-order entire pages using drag-and-drop on the thumbnails themselves.
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Step 3. Use these drag-and-drop techniques to make sure that you have some apps on all 11 pages. In addition, make sure the last page, Page 11, on your Springboard is entirely full, with all 16 app positions occupied.
You can just drag any full page (thumbnail) to the bottom to make this happen. This doesn't have to be a permanent change. You'll be able to restore the page to it's original position once we're finished.
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Step 4. Drag any app from one of the first 10 pages onto Page 11. Magically, iTunes creates a new, 12th page of apps. The difference is that this page is not given a number in iTuens and the thumbnail appears different -- greyed out. You'll never be able to see this page on your iPhone, which is really exactly what we want.
If you look carefully, moving that extra app onto Page 11 caused one of the existing apps there (the last one) to spill over into this new, phantom Page 12.
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Step 5. Drag any app icons you like to your new Page 12. This is where your unused or seldom used apps should go. Of course, you may want to rescue that app that originally spilled over into Page 12 and drag it back into one of the visible pages 1 through 11. That's up to you.
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Step 6. At some point, you'll need to press the "Apply" or "Sync" buttons to sync all of your Springboard changes back to your phone.
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BTW, if you ever are out and about and want to get access to an app that got moved into the phantom pages, you just need to do a Search for it (by app name) and then launch it from your Search screen.
I haven't tried it yet, but I suspect if phantom Page 12 fills up and you try to move another app into it, a new phantom Page 13 will appear, but I'll leave that experiment to another day.
Here's are the steps to use:
.......................................
Step 1. Start iTunes (version 9.0.2 or later) and connect your iPhone to your computer via USB cable. Wait for your phone to appear under "Devices" in the left hand column, then click on it.
.......................................
Step 2. Once the page updates to show you your iPhone status, click on the "Applications" tab along the top (not the "Applications" button in the left column!).
You should see two panels appear. On the left is your applications list with check marks next to the apps you want to sync to your phone.
On the right is a simulation of what your iPhone Springboard looks like, with one page shown "Actual Size" and with thumbnail representations on the far right for all of the pages. There are up to 11 standard pages that could be displayed here, depending on how many pages of apps you've created to date.
You can use standard drag-and-drop techniques to move apps between Springboard pages using these iTunes features. You can also re-order entire pages using drag-and-drop on the thumbnails themselves.
.......................................
Step 3. Use these drag-and-drop techniques to make sure that you have some apps on all 11 pages. In addition, make sure the last page, Page 11, on your Springboard is entirely full, with all 16 app positions occupied.
You can just drag any full page (thumbnail) to the bottom to make this happen. This doesn't have to be a permanent change. You'll be able to restore the page to it's original position once we're finished.
.......................................
Step 4. Drag any app from one of the first 10 pages onto Page 11. Magically, iTunes creates a new, 12th page of apps. The difference is that this page is not given a number in iTuens and the thumbnail appears different -- greyed out. You'll never be able to see this page on your iPhone, which is really exactly what we want.
If you look carefully, moving that extra app onto Page 11 caused one of the existing apps there (the last one) to spill over into this new, phantom Page 12.
.......................................
Step 5. Drag any app icons you like to your new Page 12. This is where your unused or seldom used apps should go. Of course, you may want to rescue that app that originally spilled over into Page 12 and drag it back into one of the visible pages 1 through 11. That's up to you.
.......................................
Step 6. At some point, you'll need to press the "Apply" or "Sync" buttons to sync all of your Springboard changes back to your phone.
.......................................
BTW, if you ever are out and about and want to get access to an app that got moved into the phantom pages, you just need to do a Search for it (by app name) and then launch it from your Search screen.
I haven't tried it yet, but I suspect if phantom Page 12 fills up and you try to move another app into it, a new phantom Page 13 will appear, but I'll leave that experiment to another day.
