It’s a sight we’re all familiar with: Rows and columns of neatly arranged app icons. But what if it didn’t have to be that way? Apple is reportedly updating the iPhone’s home screen in iOS 18 to make it more customizable, according to MacRumors and Bloomberg.
We won’t know for sure until Apple announces iOS 18, which will presumably happen on June 10 at its Worldwide Developers Conference. But if those reports turn out to be true, the iPhone’s home screen could end up looking a little more like an Android’s. MacRumors indicates the update may bring more flexibility when it comes to how icons can be arranged on the home screen. For example, the report suggests you’ll be able to leave blank spaces between icons and widgets.
Changing the home screen is delicate business. Apple has to straddle the line between keeping it comfortable and familiar — we call it the home screen for a reason — while introducing new features and functionality.
But in the case of the home screen, change can be a good thing.
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The iPhone’s home screen has been largely the same for years. The lock screen got a facelift in iOS 16 that made it possible to customize fonts and added more depth to photos, giving them a 3D-like effect. The home screen deserves its own makeover.
Providing users with the freedom to arrange app icons more freely may sound minor. There are likely plenty of people who are satisfied with their tidily arranged apps. But the option to put spaces between apps and widgets could open new possibilities.
For one, it could put more emphasis on the wallpaper, and perhaps Apple could even design new wallpaper options with this in mind. The option to place apps closer to the bottom of the screen could also be helpful at times when you’re using your phone with one hand. Reachability mode already exists for this purpose. But simply positioning an app within reach could feel more natural.
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