Android: how to stop app shortcuts from being created automatically on your home screen

Let's say that you have your Android phone's home screens arranged to perfection – you have your app shortcuts, your folders, and your widgets right where you want them. But then suddenly, the immaculate presentation of your home screens is disturbed because that app you just installed slapped its shortcut on one of them. Oh, the horror!

Okay, we may have gotten a bit carried away there – app shortcuts can be easily removed or grouped in folders for a tidier home screen. Still, there's a better solution for folks with OCD who don't want app shortcuts to be created automatically for each newly-installed application.

So here's the deal. To turn Android's automatic app shortcut feature off, you need to open your Play Store application. Tap on the basket in the upper left-hand corner (or swipe from the left) to bring out the side panel where the Settings menu is. Open up the Settings menu and take a good look at the third option, the one labeled "Add icon to Home screen for new apps". This is what you need to disable.

Ta da! From now on, app shortcuts won't be generated automatically after you install an application. Your home screens will stay right the way you want them. Feel free to refer to the screenshots below in case any of the aforementioned steps are unclear.