Prior to Version 11 of the iPad/iPhone software, we had to drag icons one by one to move them between home screens or rearrange them on their existing home screen. Version 11 made it possible to “stack” icons and move them as a group.
Moving Multiple Icons At Once
Tap and hold on the first icon you wish to move until everything begins the famous wiggle.
I've found it necessary release the first icon after the wiggle begins, then tap/hold/move it slightly out of its position.
Next, begin tapping other icons you wish to move with a finger on your other hand. As you tap additional icons, a number appears in a blue circle, upper right corner of original icon. This number indicates how many total icons are “stacked.”
Once you’ve selected all the icons, drag the stack to a different location on the current Home screen or to a different Home screen.
When icons are in their new location, tap Done in the upper right corner or tap an empty space on the screen.
Moving Icons From One Home Screen To Another
I formerly moved icons from one Home screen to another by dragging the icon to the left or right edge of the current Home screen and waiting for the adjacent Home screen to appear. There’s an easier way.
Initiate the wiggle and move the icon slightly from its position.
I'm right-handed, so I keep my finger/stylus/mouse cursor on the icon I'm moving, and swipe left or right with the left-hand index finger, until I reach the new Home Screen location.
Using my right-hand finger/stylus/mouse cursor, I position the icon in its proper place on the new Home screen.
This method also works when you’ve stacked icons as described above.
Navigating Home Screens
Ever notice those tiny white dots at the bottom of your device’s screen? They indicate how many Home screens you’ve set up on your device. Tapping to the left or right of those dots will navigate one Home screen at a time in either direction.
Create a Group or Folder
Suppose you have multiple entertainment apps, like Hulu, Netflix, and several other entertainment related apps. Rather than have them scattered all over one or more Home Screens, groups them all together.
Initiate the wiggle on the first icon.
Drag that icon on top of the next entertainment related icon and pause until a new window opens.
Drop the icon into the window.
At the top of the window, a suggested title will appear. For example, when I created my Entertainment folder/group, the suggested title was Lifestyle. I tapped the small x on the right of the title and changed the title to Entertainment.
You can also use the stacking technique described at the beginning of the article to move multiple icons into a group at one time.