Set or Prevent New App Icons from Appearing on Your Android Home Screen

Learn how to set whether newly downloaded apps go to your Home screen or the app drawer

Written by Darlene Antonelli, MA

Last Updated: July 17, 2023 Fact Checked

It's been a while since Google removed the "Add icon to Home screen" toggle, so where did it go? Instead of opening the Google Play Store app, you'll find this setting in your launcher's settings. This setting will not hide or remove the icons that are already on your Home screen, but it will determine whether new apps appear on your Home screen when you download them from the Play Store. This wikiHow article teaches you how to toggle the feature that adds new app icons to your Home screen automatically.

Things You Should Know

The setting to automatically add new app icons to your Home screen is no longer available in the Google Play Store.
Instead, go to your launcher's settings by tapping and holding a blank space on your Home screen and selecting "Preferences/Settings."
Tap the switch in the "Home" option to turn off or turn on the feature to automatically add new app icons.

Steps

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1
Tap and hold a blank area of your Home screen. If your finger is on a widget or an icon, you'll get options to delete, move, or edit it instead.
- If you tap and hold an app icon, you can drag it to another icon to create a group and organize your Home screen so things are easier to find.
- Deleted an app accidentally? Get it back easily using the app drawer!
- This method works for all Android phones, no matter what launcher you're using.
2
Tap Preferences/Settings. You should see this option appear at the bottom of your screen with either "Preferences" or "Settings."
- This will open your launcher's settings.
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It's usually the first option in your launcher's menu.
The setting also says "For new apps" under the toggle, so you know that it is the setting that changes if newly installed apps appear on your Home screen.

Community Q&A

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Question

I did it, but the icon is not appearing on my screen. What do I do?

Community Answer

Google Play usually adds it automatically (sometimes it might take a couple of minutes), but if it didn't then you should try checking your apps screen or uninstalling the app and reinstalling it.

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Question

What do I do if I took Google Play Store off of my home screen?

Phillip Graham

Community Answer

Go to your apps listing, press and hold on Google Play Store, then the home screen should pop up. The app will still be under your finger. You can drag it over the spot where you'd like it, then release.

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Question

How do I recover the contact icon onto the home page?

Rudy Toth

Community Answer

Most Androids have widgets/icons to get back what might be lost or accidentally deleted. Some Androids have extra icon settings from the bottom to be swiped upwards to show a list of widgets/icons; look for your contact icon and place your finger on that to drag it to your home screen.

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