Home screen

Home screens usually consist of a grid of application links or shortcuts that can often be arranged over multiple pages, and serve as the user's main method of accessing phone functions.

[1][2] In addition to applications links, many home screens are also capable of displaying ambient information, such as live tiles on Windows Phone or widgets on Android.

However, the increased relevance of the information can come at the cost of device battery life, bandwidth, and the ease of recognition afforded by static application icons.

The former is Apple's natural language user interface, which performs functions similar to more traditional home screens such as opening applications, displaying relevant data, and managing phone settings.

For example, early versions of iOS did not allow users to rearrange applications on the home screen or change the background image.