What to Know
- There are a variety of ways to customize your iPhone Home Screen, starting with widgets.
- iOS 18 lets you change the size of widgets and arrange them any way you prefer.
- Additionally, you can change the color of your app icons and place them anywhere on the Home Screen.
Wild for widgets? We've compiled a list of fun ways to update your iPhone icons, including how to set up custom app icons, add themed widget ideas, and change widget sizes. We'll also introduce you to all the new iOS 18 widget and app icon features, like changing the color of your app icons and placing icons and widgets anywhere you want on your Home Screen. Let's get started with how to change your Home Screen on the iPhone and make it more personalized to you.
Related: How to Create Custom App Icons on the iPhone
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Customize Widgets with Widgetsmith
With the help of third-party apps, you can customize your Home Screen in all sorts of different ways—to look like a video game, a favorite TV show, etc. The most popular app right now for widget customization is Widgetsmith, which is available for free in the Apple App Store. This app lets you schedule widgets, create themed Home Screen ideas, and add custom clocks to your iPhone. If you want to know how to turn an app into a widget on your iPhone, Widgetsmith is your best bet. Give it a try if you want to customize your iPhone Home Screen!
Move Widgets from the Today View to Your Home Screen
Widgets are a fun and dynamic way to spice up your Home Screen, and you can easily get started by borrowing some from Today View (accessed by swiping right until you get to the page that's one screen beyond your first Home Screen). If you want to know how to move widgets on your iPhone, simply press your screen until it goes into edit mode (icons start jiggling), and then drag the widget to your Home Screen. For the full selection of widgets, enter edit mode, then tap the plus icon on the top left, and select the widget you’d like to add. To remove, select the minus symbol on the top of a widget in edit mode.
Change Widget Size on Your iPhone
The icing on the cake in this buffet of widget options is the ability to choose your widget size. Maybe you want your photos to take up most of your Home Screen, or maybe you want the weather to subtly sit in a corner. Whatever your preference, it’s easy to choose the size of your widgets. When adding a widget to your Home Screen, just scroll through the size options and select whether you want it to be a small square, a larger rectangle, or a big square.
Edit the Size of Your Widgets
What if, after you choose the size of your widgets, you realize you actually prefer a different size? Maybe your Photos widget now makes it too hard to access your favorite apps, or maybe you want your Weather widget to be bigger so you can see the weekly forecast. No fears! iOS 18 lets you edit the size of your widget right from the Home Screen! Simply enter jiggle mode, then drag the corner of the widget in or out to make it larger or smaller.
Use Apple Smart Stacks
If you want several widgets at your fingertips but don’t want to take up all that space on your Home Screen, you can easily add a Smart Stack, which will automatically select what’s on top based on your usage patterns. The steps to create a Smart Stack on your iPhone are simple, but rewarding!
Customize Widget Stacks
Not everyone is happy with the widgets included in Apple’s Smart Stacks. To create a custom widget stack, just add the widgets you like to your Home Screen, then, while still in edit mode, drag the widgets on top of each other to create the stack. All widgets must be the same size in order for this to work. You can also remove widgets from a stack or change the order that widgets appear in a stack.
How to Change App Icons on iPhone
With the latest version of iOS, iOS 18, you can change the color of your app icons, as well as the size. You can choose to have your app icons in Light mode or Dark mode, or you can add a custom tint to them to match your wallpaper. Find out how to customize app icons on your iPhone Home Screen.
Place Apps & Widgets Anywhere
iOS 18 also introduced the ability to place apps anywhere on your Home Screen. Gone are the days of having your apps automatically arranged in a 6x4 grid starting from the top row. Now, you can move your apps anywhere you like on the grid, allowing for greater Home Screen customization. We can show you how to move an iPhone app anywhere you like.
If you are up for learning more fun ways to customize, read how to select custom text tones for your favorite contacts next, or maybe a personalized ringtone?
FAQ
- Can you organize apps on iPhone automatically alphabetically? When you set up an iPhone for the first time, your apps are arranged alphabetically. However, over the years, customizing your Home Screen layout can result in some clutter. Find out how to alphabetize apps on your iPhone to help re-organize your Home Screen.
- How do you add an app to the Home Screen from the App Library? The App Library is home to all the apps you have installed. You can easily add an app to your Home Screen on the iPhone by tapping and dragging them to your Home Screen.
- Can you hide apps on the iPhone? In iOS 18, there is a hidden folder in the App Library. You can also find out how to remove an app from the Home Screen without deleting it.
