Tech

iPhone quick tip: Quickly find apps that want your attention

Most of the time iOS apps are very good at letting you know they want your attention, but if you use folders to organize your app, things can get a little bit confusing.

Written by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, Senior Contributing Editor Nov. 9, 2018 at 1:37 a.m. PT

Folders are a great way to organize apps in iOS, but using them comes with a downside. And that downside is that it can be hard to know which app is trying to attract your attention using a badge.

If you're an iOS user you know the situation well. An app wants your attention and in addition to regurgitating a notification it also embellishes the app's icon with a badge.

iOS badges are easy to spot if the icon is not in a folder

But what if the icon is inside a folder?

iOS badges for apps in folders, on the other hand, can be hard to find

Now, unless it's on the front screen, you're going to have to scroll about to find the app that needs your attention. Well, that is, unless you use this trick.

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The trick is a simple one. Just use the 3D Touch feature to Force Touch the folder (that is, press down on it hard) until a pop-up menu appears. And this popup will show you which apps need your attention and give you a shortcut to them.

Using 3D Touch to find apps in folders that have associated badges

I'm finding this to be a real timesaver, and I'm actually making more use of folders now that I discovered it.

Note: 3D Touch is available on the iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max, but not the iPhone XR.