iPhone and iPad: 5 ways to declutter, reorganize and refresh your device right now

Spring cleaning isn’t limited to cleaning the cobwebs off the outside of your home or organizing the garage. Use this time of year as a reminder to spend some time showing love to your favorite gadgets. With just a few tweaks you can make your iPhone or iPad feel brand new again. 

I’m not talking about cleaning the outside of your device, but instead, I’m talking about giving the software a bit of a tune-up to ensure you have storage and your device is running as smooth as possible. Not to mention the impact subtle tweaks like moving app icons or changing your wallpaper can have on making your phone or tablet feel brand new. 

Reset your home screen’s app layout for a fresh start

Personally, I know I grow bored of my Home Screen layout and constantly find myself moving an app, folder or widget around just to change things up a little bit. But there are times when I want to start all over, so I reset my homescreen layout. 

You can find this setting by going to Settings General Reset Reset Home Screen Layout. Once you use this option, the built-in apps will go back to their default position and you’ll have the chance to rearrange or organize your phone. 

I’ve found that doing this often reminds me of old apps I never use, which I can then delete instead of leaving them hidden in some folder I created a while back to, well, hide apps I no longer use. This brings me to my next tip: Delete unused apps.

Get rid of those single-use apps

Not only do old apps take up precious storage space on our devices, but they clutter up your home screen and, depending on your privacy selections when you first installed the app, can potentially check your location, or monitor your contacts or calendars. Instead of letting an app you no longer use take up space or have access to your data, take a few minutes to delete any and all apps you no longer use. 

With the release of iOS 14, Apple changed how you delete apps on the iPhone. But instead of using the default method, I’m going to show you yet another method. Open the Settings app then go to General iPhone/iPad Storage and wait for the list to load.

Scroll through the list of apps installed on your phone or tablet. When you find one you want to get rid of, tap it, then select Delete App. 

When I’m removing a lot of apps, I prefer to use this method because it’s easy to see everything installed in a list instead of having to go folder to folder — something that’s only become more complicated with the addition of the App Library in iOS 14. 

Get a new wallpaper every day

After your Home Screen is free of unnecessary apps and reorganized, here’s another easy way to keep it looking fresh every day. Apple’s Shortcut apps is a powerful tool for all sorts of use cases, but one thing I use it for daily is to set a random image from Unsplash as my iPhone and iPad’s wallpaper. 

Open this link on your phone or tablet, then add the Shortcut. Once it’s added, you’ll need to create a personal automation in the Shortcuts app via the automation tab at the bottom. Pick a day and time you want it to run, then select Run Shortcut and pick the Unsplash Wallpaper shortcut. 

Going forward, the shortcut will run at your set time (I have mine run every morning at 6 am) and your wallpaper will be new and fresh every day. 

Triage your current subscriptions

More and more apps are moving to the subscription model and it’s easy to forget what you’ve signed up for. Take a quick glance at your App Store subscriptions by opening the Settings app. Tap on your iCloud name at the top of the screen, followed by Subscriptions. 

A list of everything your Apple ID is signed up for, complete with cost and renewal date will show up after a few seconds. Tap on anything you want to cancel, which should still allow you to use the app or service until your renewal date. 

Really want to get crazy? Do this

Resetting your device settings will give you a clean slate without deleting any apps or accounts stored on your phone to tablet. Indeed, this is an extreme option and one that requires extra thought. But it’s all too easy to enable or disable a setting and forget all about it, all the while you grow to get annoyed with how your device works. By resetting all of your device’s settings, you can start fresh. 

Go to Settings General Reset Reset All Settings. You’ll need to enter your passcode and confirm your decision. 

Remember, you need to tap Reset All Settings and not Erase All Content and Settings. That option will factory reset your iPhone or iPad, removing all apps, documents and accounts on your device and you’ll truly have to start all over. 

After giving your iPhone or iPad a spring cleaning treatment, take a few minutes to learn more about iOS 14’s most useful features. We also found some hidden features you’ll want to know about. Of course, you should also clean the outside of your phone or tablet.

Article source: https://www.cnet.com/how-to/iphone-and-ipad-5-ways-to-declutter-reorganize-and-refresh-your-device-right-now/#ftag=CAD4aa2096