What Is Home Screen and Lock Screen on iPhone: Know the Difference

Have you been wondering what are the different screens called on iPhone? Or what does the home and lock screen do on your iPhone? All your questions will be answered in this post where we cover the meaning and differences between the home and lock screens on iPhone. Let’s get started.

What Is Home Screen on iPhone

The home screen of your iPhone is the portal or gateway to your phone. It is the screen from which you have access to all the apps installed on your phone. The home screen can have widgets, website shortcuts, and wallpaper in addition to app icons.

You have to swipe right or left on the home screen to switch between different home screen pages. you may add or remove home screen pages as per your need.

Earlier, all the installed apps would show directly on the home screen but now they are grouped in the App Library, which is the last or right-most screen of the home screen. Similarly, you will find the Today screen on the far-left side of the home screen, which houses various widgets.

You can create multiple home screen pages on your iPhone but each home screen page should have at least one app on it. If you delete all the apps from a page, the page will be deleted automatically. The apps can still be accessed from App Library.

What Is Lock Screen on iPhone

The lock screen is the first screen that you see when you wake up, turn on, or start your iPhone. It is the screen where you see the big clock and recent notifications. The home screen shows up after the lock screen.

If a passcode or any other authentication service is enabled, then the lock screen serves as the gatekeeper to your iPhone and protects it from unauthorized access. You cannot go beyond the lock screen if you don’t know the passcode of the iPhone.

In addition to securing your private content, the lock screen also acts as your mini assistant.From the Lock screen, you can see your notifications, get useful information from apps, open Control Center or Camera app, and even control media playback.

Difference Between Home Screen and Lock Screen on iPhone

Here are the differences between the lock and home screen on iPhone.

Functionality

The Lock screen on your iPhone protects your iPhone from being accessed by unwanted users and it also lets you view notifications, time, and other useful information on one screen. However, you cannot access all the apps or your personal data from the lock screen. You have to go beyond the lock screen to have full access to your iPhone.

On the contrary, when you are on the iPhone’s home screen, you have full access to the phone. You can view and open the installed apps, see data in different apps,open websites using shortcuts,open contacts, and access widgets.

The Lock screen is basically a single screen only. But you can access other functions using gestures. You have to swipe left on the lock screen to open the Camera app. Similarly, swipe right to open the iPhone’s Today View or swipe up to view notifications. Lastly, swipe up from the bottom edge to openControl Center.

On iPhone, swipe left or right to switch between home screen pages. Swipe down to access the notification center and swipe up to open Control Center from the home screen.

Number of Screens

you’re able to have multiple home screen pages on your iPhone. Long press the dots at the bottom of the home screen to hide home screen pages.

On the other hand, you may have only one lock screen at a time. Sure, you can change its wallpaper or widgets but you cannot switch between different lock screen pages.

Change Home Screen or Lock Screen with Focus

In iOS 15, Apple introduced the ability to change the home screen page with Focus modes. With iOS 16, this functionality has been extended to the lock screen as well. So, now you may change both the lock screen and home screen pages based on a Focus profile. That is, when you switch to a different Focus profile likeDo not disturbor Gaming, the selected lock or home screen will be set. Go to Settings > Focus. Choose the desired focus profile and select lock or home screens as per your preference. Learn how touse Focus modes with lock screen.

You can add widgets to both your lock and home screen on your iPhone. Whilehome screen widgetswere introduced with iOS 14, lock screen widgets came with iOS 16.

Customization

Both the home and lock screens can be customized on iPhone. you’re able to change the lock screen wallpaper, and add or remove widgets likeweather,battery percentage, etc. You can evencustomize the lockby changing font, style, and color. Check out 10+ tips tocustomize the lock screen on iPhone.

Regardinghome screen customization on iPhone, you’re able to change the home screen wallpaper,customize app icons, create folders to group similar apps, and move apps between different home screen pages. You can also add or remove widgets andcreate widget stacks.

Tip:To get your iPhone’s home screen back to normal, you may reset your home screen settings. For that, go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset > Reset > Reset home screen layout.

To get to the home screen on your iPhone, press the physical Home button or swipe up from any app. On the other hand, press the Power button to go to the lock screen.

Delete Permanently

While you’re able to remove or hide individual home screen pages from your iPhone, you cannot delete all the home screen pages. Your iPhone must have at least one home screen page.

Similarly, you cannot remove the lock screen completely. Sure, you can disable the authentication features like a passcode, Face ID, etc., but that will not remove the lock screen from your iPhone.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the dock on the iPhone home screen?

The dock is the area at the bottom of the iPhone’s home screen that houses four apps. You can replace the existing apps with new ones by using the drag-and-drop gesture.

What is the difference between the home screen and wallpaper on iPhone?

The home screen houses the app icons and widgets that are present or displayed over the wallpaper. The wallpaper is a digital image present in the background of the home or lock screen of your iPhone. It doesn’t have any functionality and only serves a decorative purpose. Check out three ways tochange wallpaper automatically on your iPhone.

Can your lock screen and home screen be different on your iPhone?

Yes, you canset a different wallpaper for lock and home screen on youriPhone.

Tips to Use iPhone

Hope you have learned the meaning and differences between the lock and the home screen of the iPhone. Before you go, check out the tips to use interesting features such asscreen time,markup tools, andSpotlight searchon iPhone.

Mehvish Mushtaqis a tech lover from Kashmir. With a degree in computer engineering, she’s always been happy to help anyone who finds technology challenging. She’s been writing about technology for over six years, and her favorite topics include how-to guides, explainers, tips and tricks for Android, iOS/iPadOS, Windows, social media, and web apps. you’re able to also find her work onMake Tech Easier,Guiding Tech, andNerds Chalk

What Is Home Screen and Lock Screen on iPhone: Know the Difference