If you have an iPhone or an iPad, the Apple App Store is where you’ll head to get new apps for your phone.
The App Store is pretty easy to navigate. But before you can use it, you must set up an account. Your account is set up by using your Apple ID, which you set up when you first configured your device. As long as this is set up, you are automatically logged in. If not, you’ll be asked to log in or create a new Apple ID. Then you can log in and begin exploring the App Store.
The App Store is set up in categories. The main page will list the Best New Apps and the Best New Games, as well as Popular Apps and Games below that. You can scroll through these choices simply by swiping to the left or right, or you can hit the See All arrow to see all listings in that category.
Each app will show you a small icon, the title of the app and the creator, as well as a price if it is a paid for app.
If you want to learn more about an app, simply tap on it from this screen. A window will pop up giving you screenshots from the app, a description, age rating, and information, as well as tabs to look at reviews and related apps.
You can also share the app on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media or email by hitting the share icon in the top right corner. You’ll see the menu pop up.
Perhaps the easiest way to find a specific app is through the search feature at the bottom menu.
When you tap on the box, the keyboard will pop up and you can type what you want. The App Store will likely start filling in suggestions as you type. Tap on one of the suggestions or type your whole suggestion in and hit the magnifying glass.
You’ll see a list of suggested results.
To download the app, tap on Get (or the price). The box will change to Install (or buy).
You’ll be asked to confirm your Apple ID password before the app will download. Once confirmed, the app will start to download. You can see the progress by the circle icon next to the app.
Once the install is complete, you can open from the app store, or an icon will show up on your home screen.
If the app you want to download has already been installed on another device by your Apple ID, you’ll see a different symbol that looks like a cloud with an arrow. This tells you to download to your device.
Simply tap on the cloud symbol to download (or redownload) to your current device. The app will also be added to your home screen.
Tomorrow in part 2 of this series, we’ll explore the app store and look at ways to find apps.