How to Move, Resize and Color App Icons and Widgets in IOS 18
With iOS 18, Apple is finally opening up the iPhone Home screen. You’ll still have to stick to the grid, but beyond that you can freely arrange app icons, remove text labels, get dark mode icons, and even color your app icons the color of your choice! Here’s how to make the most of the new home screen on your iPhone and iPad.
Host your apps anywhere
Apps and widgets can now finally be used anywhere. As long as you stick to the grid, you can now only place app icons at the bottom of the screen, along the sides, or in a zigzag pattern. The world is your oyster. This also applies to widgets.
The only limitation is that you still can’t overlap icons or create custom spacing between them. But still, you now have the freedom to place app icons in any format you want, and it’s really worth experimenting to see what goes well with your wallpaper.
The app icon layout still works the same way. You tap and hold an app icon and move it where you want it. If there are other icons in the place where you placed it, they will move accordingly.
Remove app shortcuts to make them look cleaner
One of the best aesthetic updates in iOS 18 is the ability to remove text labels for apps and widgets. You can do this by switching your home screen to the new large mode. This will increase the size of apps and widgets, and shortcuts will disappear.
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Press and hold the button in the background to enter jiggle mode.
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Click the “Edit” button in the top left corner.
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Select Customize .
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Switch to the “Large” option in the new pop-up menu.
Switch all app icons to dark mode
Apple has designed dark mode icons for all of its apps and will even allow third-party developers to define specific dark mode app icons. If an app doesn’t have a dark mode icon, Apple will automatically flip the colors (it’s a trick, but not a bad one).
Again, in jiggle mode, click the Edit button and select Customize . In the edit menu, switch to the Dark option for app icons.
Here, you can also enable only dark mode wallpapers or use only dark mode icons by tapping the Sun icon in the top left corner of the pop-up menu.
Change the color of your app icons
No, this is not a 2014 Android skin pack. Trust me, I used to be a connoisseur of Android app icons and skin packs. In iOS 18, Apple added the ability to change the color of icons on the Home screen. However, this only works with app icons in dark mode.
Tap and hold the background to enter jiggle mode, tap the Edit button at the top and select Customize .
Now select the Tinted option from the menu. First, Apple will automatically apply a tint based on the bright color of your wallpaper. In my experience, this is usually quite loud and ugly.
But you can improve the result in about 10 seconds. Tap the Eyedropper tool at the top and choose a less harsh wallpaper color (this step is optional, but it can help as a starting point).
Once you’ve chosen a color, reduce the intensity to about 50%. I found this to be the most enjoyable place. You can also use the color slider to select any color you need.
Play around with it and you’re sure to find something great that suits your background.
Resizing widgets
Finally, iOS 18 allows you to resize widgets without having to completely remove and replace them (that is, if the widget has multiple size options).
Long press any app icon or widget and you’ll see a new panel in the context menu showing all available sizes. Choose a size and watch the widget instantly transform.
If you’re in jiggle mode, you can also just grab the handle at the bottom of the widget. Simply pull out the handle to expand the widget, or pull it back to shrink the widget.