How to Install an App or Game on Your iPhone

So you just got your first iPhone — or you just used your phone for simple tasks — and you’ve never installed an app. With apps, an iPhone can do so much more than just call, text, or take photos. How to install them.

requirements

To download or buy apps on your iPhone, you need an Apple ID with a form of payment set up with Apple (such as a credit card). Your iPhone must also have any restrictions that might prevent you from downloading apps turned off (such as Screen Time restrictions or kiosk mode restrictions). And finally, you must have enough free space on your iPhone to store the apps you want to download.

TIED TOGETHER: How Much Storage Do You Need on Your iPhone?

Types of apps: Free, Paid or Subscription

Before installing an app on your iPhone, it helps to understand the three main types of apps in the App Store:

• Free apps: These apps are initially free to download, but typically support each other through in-app advertising or in-app purchases that you can later use to pay for features. In the App Store, you will see a button next to it that says “Get”.
• Paid apps: Downloading these apps as a one-time purchase costs money, and you get free updates as long as the app is supported by the developer. Pad apps are less likely to contain in-app purchases or ads, but it’s still possible. These apps have a price listed in a button next to their name.
• Subscription Apps: These apps can be free or paid apps that support themselves through a paid subscription that periodically charges your payment method on file with Apple over time, e.g. B. once a month or once a year. Be careful as some apps offer unreasonable pirate subscriptions that charge too much for a basic service.

TIED TOGETHER: What is an in-app purchase?

How to install apps on iPhone

First turn on your iPhone and unlock it. From the home screen, tap the App Store icon, which has a blue icon with a stylized “A” on it.

Tip: If you can’t find the App Store icon, the App Store may be disabled due to parental controls in Screen Time (see Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > iTunes & App Store Purchases). You can also use Spotlight to search for the App Store.

When the App Store opens, you will see an overview screen. Using the row of buttons at the bottom of the screen, tap the area of ​​the store you want to visit. Here is a description of what each button means:

• Today: This includes ads and promotions for apps that Apple wants you to see first.
• Games: This section contains games that you can play on your iPhone.
• Applications: This applies to apps that are not games, such as B. Productivity apps, media streaming apps, and utilities.
• Arcade: This is for Apple Arcade, a paid subscription service that offers games with no ads or in-app purchases.
• Seek: This section allows you to search the App Store for a specific app.

Find an app you want to install by browsing the Store or doing a search. To download and install it on your iPhone, tap the “Get” button next to it. Or if it has a price (e.g. “$4.99”), tap the price button to purchase and install the app.

Next, you’ll see a pop-up window asking if you want to install or buy the app. Tap Install, then confirm that you want to download or purchase the app using your Apple ID password, Touch ID, or Face ID.

After that, you’ll see a circular download progress bar next to the app’s name as the app downloads and installs on your iPhone.

When the download is complete, go to your home screen and swipe left or right until you see the app icon. Tap the app’s icon to launch it.

If you don’t see the app on any of your home screen pages, your iPhone may be configured to send new apps directly to the App Library instead. In that case, swipe left until you see App Library and you can launch it from there. Or you can open Spotlight search, type the app’s name, and quickly open the app.

If you want to remove an app you downloaded, you can delete it from your iPhone by pressing and holding your finger on the app icon until a menu appears. Choose Remove App from the menu and the iPhone will uninstall the app. You can always download it again later in the App Store. Happy downloading!