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How to disable the new iPhone Search Bar in iOS 16
In This Article
iOS 16 is hitting iPhones and it comes packing a number of UI tweaks – one such tweak is the addition of a Search bar on the homescreen.
Sitting below your apps on the Home Screen, this new Search bar is a quicker way of accessing the search functionality of the phone. Previously this was accessed by a swipe down.
However, not everyone loves UI alterations and unlike a lot of Apple changes, it’s actually very easy to switch back to the older view. In this quick guide, we’ll show you how to do just that.
What you’ll need:
The Short Version
Step1
Unlock your iPhone running iOS 16
First things first, unlock your iPhone running iOS 16 so you’re looking directly at the Home Screen. Currently, iOS 16 is available in public and developer betas – however, it’ll be made official later in the year.
Step2
Open up the Settings menu
Once your iPhone is unlocked, find the Settings menu, This looks like a cog icon, and can either be found on the homescreen or by searching for it in the App Library.
Step3
Scroll down to Home Screen
In the Settings menu, scroll all the way down until you get to the Home Screen option. When you find it, tap it.
Step4
Toggle the Search option
At the bottom of the Home Screen page there’s a new option added in iOS 16 called Search: Show on Home Screen. This will be on by default, but just toggle the switch to off and the Search bar will no longer show.
Troubleshooting
Yes, swiping down on the Home Screen will still bring up the traditional iOS search bar.
It’s a quick way of finding apps, finding Siri suggestions for websites, text inside photos and even the ability to search directly within certain apps.
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Max is the Editor of Trusted Reviews, and has been a mobile phone and technology specialist for over nine years. Max started his career at T3 straight after graduating from Kingston University. Max ha…
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Why trust our journalism?
Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
