Advice for the mature or befuddled...

Friday, June 28, 2013

How To Add A Website To Your Home Screen

If you’re reading this blog post on your iPhone or iPad, you may wish to capture the website address so that next time you want to visit, it’ll be an easier journey.

Apple’s Safari browser makes that simple. This tip will work not only for any of my websites that I hope you frequent, but for all of your favorites.

Here’s how to add a website to your Home screen. But wait, perhaps a definition is in order: the Home Screen on your iPhone or iPad actually starts on the the second page of your device. The first page is what I have named, the global search page. You use that when you can’t find, or remember where an email, document, or app is on your phone. Just type the description into the horizontal blank space, and a list of suggestions should appear.

The Home Screen is the page where all of your Apple apps (applications), as well as those you’ve added, sit. This screen can actually go on for several pages, depending upon the number of apps you’ve placed on our phone or pad.

So, when you visit a page in Safari that you want easy access to -- perhaps your own website -- just tap the Share button at the bottom of the Safari window on the iPhone and at the top of the iPad. (Share looks like an arrow that points to the right and is coming out of a box.) Several rows of options for how you’d like to Share this website are available. 

You choose and tap Add to Home Screen. Another box will open with a title Apple believes should be attached to the chosen website. You can pick this and click the Add button at the right hand top of the screen, or you can type in a name which you believes fit better.

Once you’ve hit the Add button, swipe to the last page of all of your screens and you’ll see the website added. It will look like your other apps. Test it out. Click on it and it should take you directly to the website without going on your Safari browser first.