How to Stop iOS from Adding Apps to Your iPad’s Dock

If you’ve noticed new app icons on the right side of your iPad’s dock since updating to iOS 11, you may be wondering what they are, why they’re there, and how to turn them off.

In this article, we’ll show you how to stop iOS from automatically adding apps to your dock. We’ll also briefly discuss how suggested apps on the dock work.

Remove suggested apps from the iPad dock

To remove suggested apps from your iPad’s dock, go to the Settings app (usually found in the dock or by swiping down and searching for it).

In the left-hand menu, tap on General and then select Multitasking & Dock. From here, you can turn off the “Show suggested and recent apps” option to prevent iOS from adding apps to your dock automatically.

Once you turn off this option, the three app icons on the right side of your dock should disappear.

Handoff

If you still see an app on the right side of your dock, it may be due to a feature called Handoff. This feature allows you to continue tasks on your iPad that you started on a linked Mac, and vice versa.

To turn off Handoff and remove the app from your dock, go to General > Handoff in the Settings app and turn off the “Handoff” option.

How Do Suggested Apps Work?

Suggested apps use AI to recommend apps based on factors like the time of day and peripherals you have connected to your iPad. Recent apps are ones you’ve opened recently.

The three icons on the right side of your dock likely contain a mix of suggested, recent, and Handoff apps. While unpredictable at times, this feature can be helpful in suggesting apps you may need at any given moment.