Apple May Finally Give You More Control Over Your IPhone’s Home Screen
iOS customization has come a long way. There was a time when user-selectable app icons were unthinkable: now you can make your apps look the way you want . The same goes for the lock screen : for most of iPhone history, you could only choose your wallpaper, but starting with iOS 16, we’ve been able to completely personalize that experience, too. (Apple: Please allow us to change the Flashlight and Camera shortcuts.)
While the lines between Android and iOS customization have gradually blurred over the years, Google is still ahead of Apple in one key area: app hosting. You see, despite all of Apple’s new customization options, they have remained committed to their grid system. Applications always snap to the top left corner of the page and run opposite it. You get four apps in a row, and when a new row starts, the next app appears in the first place on the left side of the display. Even when the company introduced widgets , this grid system keeps them locked down. If you place the widget on a blank home screen, it will be pinned to the top.
Android, on the other hand, doesn’t limit you that way: you can place app icons anywhere on the screen. As phones have gotten larger, it makes sense to place apps on the bottom row of the screen rather than the top row so you can easily reach them with one hand. Of course, Apple is happy to let you put your most frequently used apps in the bottom rows of your iPhone, as long as there are always apps or widgets above them.
The thing about this grid system is that it is good for people who don’t like to customize their home screens. You don’t have to worry about apps being out of place because iOS will always put them where they belong. But for those who want some control over the appearance of their home screen, this grid is a pain in the ass. This forces users who really want to get creative with their home screens to do things like use invisible widgets to create the illusion of negative space in the grid.
This may change with iOS 18.
If MacRumors and Bloomberg are right , the gridiron may finally be coming to an end. Sources for both publications claim that Apple’s iOS 18 will feature more Home screen customization options, including the ability to more freely arrange app icons on a page. In true Apple form, there won’t be as much freedom here as there is on Android: one suspects Apple will introduce invisible blocks that will allow users to place apps wherever they want while still maintaining the built-in grid system. These blocks will act like widgets, only invisible: where apps would normally stick to the top of the screen, this block will allow you to move them to other parts of the screen. You can place a couple of these blocks at the top of the screen so you have one or two rows of apps at the bottom of the screen, or cleverly place the blocks so you can then place apps on the home screen from time to time if that’s your option. thing.
Essentially, Apple is working on its own version of an invisible widget, and while it would be nice to have a gridless system, I for one welcome this potential change to iOS. While I love many of the changes Apple has made to the Home screen customization over the years, ultimately the only change I’ve always wanted is the ability to place app icons where I want them. Let’s hope this succeeds.
Although there are no exact details yet, if Apple includes this option in iOS 18, you can expect the company to announce it during the WWDC presentation. Apple hasn’t confirmed a date yet, but WWDC 2024 will almost certainly take place in June, with iOS 18 developer beta testing soon after for those who want to try out the new features early. Apple will release iOS 18 in the fall, almost certainly in September. (The last time Apple released a major iOS update was in another month : iOS 5 in October 2011. )