Apple is finally embracing Android’s chaos

For years, I’ve kept a beautiful spare iOS homescreen. Two aliases 3 rows of icons connected nan apical of nan screen, sometimes arranged successful specified a measurement that nan app icon colors complement each other, and 3 apps successful nan dock. Because of Apple’s guidance to letting its users muck pinch nan homescreen’s look and feel, I haven’t been capable to make things rather arsenic elemental arsenic I would like.

I’ve looked astatine much customizable Android homescreens pinch jealousy. I’ve had an iPhone since nan time nan first 1 came out, and while Apple’s smartphones person since go wildly much powerful, capable, and larger, nan institution has forced maine to shape my apps starting from nan apical of nan surface for 17 years.

Sure, my homescreen usually looked nice. But I’ve wanted options to adhd much of my ain flair to my homescreen that I spot dozens of times a time — nan types of devices Android users person had for a very long time — moreover if it meant I’d make my telephone look worse. iOS 14’s widgets were a measurement successful nan correct direction, and pinch some Siri Shortcuts wizardry, you could do a adjacent magnitude of theming.

But iOS 18, nan reservoir is yet breaking loose: arsenic portion of nan caller package update, Apple gives users immoderate devices to easy customize nan app icons connected their homescreen, nary jailbreaking aliases Siri Shortcuts required. You’ll beryllium capable to make each of your apps nan aforesaid wide colour pinch a tinting tool, and icons tin get dimmer erstwhile you flip to acheronian mode. You tin besides — again, finally — put your app icons wherever you want, meaning you tin make them easier to scope aliases put them truthful they amended fresh pinch your wallpaper.

How did I usage these newfound powers? At agelong last, I could make my dream minimalist homescreen. 

I emotion it. It’s really I’ve wanted to creation my iOS homescreen for years: a fewer apps wrong easy scope of my thumb pinch small other to clutter things up. Best of all, it only took a fewer minutes to put together.

Let maine break it each down.

First, I instantly made my app icons grey and boring truthful they would lucifer my grey and boring wallpaper. The grey tint makes apps harder to discern from 1 another, and that’s nan point: I wanted to adhd immoderate clash to my telephone truthful that I don’t discarded arsenic overmuch clip connected it.

Then, I moved my apps from nan apical of nan surface to nan bottom. This makes them much accessible erstwhile I request them connected my iPhone 12 Mini. (I tin spot this being really useful pinch a Plus aliases Pro Max iPhone.) An unexpected use has been that immoderate caller apps I download are added to nan top of nan screen, wherever they instrumentality out.

I’ve already gone connected nan grounds astir really I effort to person as fewer apps connected my telephone arsenic possible. Any apps hanging retired astatine nan apical of my surface are glaring reminders that I request to shape them into my homescreen, shove them into my App Library, aliases delete them from my phone. (Usually, it’s nan latter.)

I besides hid nan labels connected my apps truthful there’s fundamentally nary matter connected nan screen. I wish I could region nan connection “Search” from nan fastener supra nan dock truthful location would beryllium nary words astatine all. Maybe we’ll get that by iOS 36.

I’ve utilized iOS 18’s caller Control Center features to make my telephone much boring, too. You tin now make a autochthonal toggle for nan Color Filters accessibility setting, which I move connected to make everything connected my telephone grayscale. I’ve recovered this makes my telephone little interesting, and I return nan grey arsenic a ocular cue that I should beryllium doing thing other alternatively of utilizing my phone. But erstwhile I want to spot a photograph of my kid successful afloat colour for conscionable a second, I tin property nan toggle to move nan grayscale off. 

Yes, nan changes I’ve made are disfigured and sometimes irritating. But they’re my choices, and I’m happy Apple has fixed maine these devices astatine all. People put oddball stuff connected nan extracurricular of their phones each nan time, and pinch iOS 18, that chaos tin bleed complete to what’s connected their homescreens. When nan update comes retired for everyone this fall, I’m expecting an detonation of delightful and wacky designs.

And if I get tired of my grayscale, minimalist iPhone? It’s easier than ever to make thing new.