home screen

noun

1

: television sense 2

… it's the kind of movie that plays better on the home screen, where you're less likely to miss any of the fiendishly witty lines of the screenplay … and can replay some of the stunning special effects.

—Molly Haskell

TV viewers soon may be seeing some of their black-and-white film favorites blushing with new color on the home screen.

—Ron Miller

2

: the graphical user interface that is displayed by default by an electronic device (such as a smartphone or computer) or software application and that provides quick access to commonly used functions, settings, etc.

[Journalist Catherine] Price's suggestions range from the extreme, such as a "digital sabbath" during which you turn your phone off for 24 hours, to the seemingly slight, such as reorganising your phone's home screen so you can't see the bright, tempting colours of your favourite apps the second you turn it on.

—Caroline Crampton

The Netflix interface—the home screen that greets users when they open the app—is constantly evolving.

—James Titcomb

Examples of home screen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

It can be found on the app’s home screen or by clicking the plus button to create a new playlist. —Kristin Robinson, Billboard, 16 Apr. 2024

The default home screen includes folders for Google and Motorola apps, along with folders for Entertainment and Shopping. —PCMAG, 11 Apr. 2024

Check your credit card statement and your app home screen to source ideas. —Andy Dunn, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2024

Facebook Watch had meaningful reach on the home screen of the social media platform, and an impressive budget as well. —Maxwell Zeff / Gizmodo, Quartz, 28 Mar. 2024

The big feature this year is a somewhat customizable home screen. —Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica, 4 Oct. 2023

The first reversal came earlier this month when Apple meekly agreed to let home screen web apps continue functioning as intended on iPhones. —David Meyer, Fortune, 11 Mar. 2024

In an update on the Apple developers website, the company explains that as the DMA will allow alternative browser engines for users in the EU, which don’t use Apple’s WebKit engine—the first time this has happened—it has been forced to remove Support for home screen web apps. —David Phelan, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024

Hesitate for even a second, and the home screen starts blasting an ad for the latest show or movie from Amazon Prime. —Kate Lindsay, The Atlantic, 27 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1948, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

home screen

noun

1

: television

2

: the graphical user interface that is displayed by default by an electronic device (as a smartphone or computer) or software application and that provides quick access to commonly used functions and settings