Henry Ford is steadily quoted as saying his Mannequin T was obtainable in “Any color the customer wants, as long as it’s black.” Apple has usually been accused of taking this method to its merchandise, with the unique iPhone solely obtainable in a single end.
Over time, iPhone coloration selections would increase…to black and white, then including silver, then gold, and finally all types of shades.
The iOS expertise has adopted an identical route, at first providing virtually no strategy to customise your telephone apart from to reorder the app icons, however finally permitting wallpapers, folders, widgets, lock display screen photographs, and extra.
The iPhone has all the time had far fewer customization choices than Android telephones, and that’s nonetheless true at this time, however Apple is beginning to actually embrace personalization. The widgets and app library of iOS 14 was a giant step ahead. Customized lock screens gave us one other massive leap in iOS 16. And with iOS 18, Apple has given customers the flexibility to vary the feel and appear of their iPhone greater than ever earlier than.
Listed below are all the key methods you possibly can personalize your iPhone to make it look and act the way in which you wish to, utilizing solely options constructed into iOS with no third-party apps.
iOS 18 customization: House Display
On the time of this writing, iOS 18 continues to be in beta, however we already know the way its new House Display customization options will work. Listed below are the brand new methods to personalize your iPhone’s major display screen within the massive replace coming within the fall of 2024.
Icon placement
You’ve been in a position to reorder the icons on your own home display screen for ages, however with iOS 18 you possibly can put them anyplace on the grid, leaving as a lot empty house as you need.
Press and maintain on an empty space of the house display screen till the icons jiggle to enter edit mode. Then simply drag your icons wherever you need. You’ll be able to even faucet further icons after you begin shifting one (utilizing a second finger) to seize a bunch and transfer them collectively.
It’s also possible to drag an app icon on high of one other one to make a folder, which could be positioned wherever you’d like. You’ll be able to title the folder, and drag different icons out and in as desired.
For extra, see our article Learn how to put app icons, widgets, and folders anyplace you need.
Icon dimension
iOS 18 enables you to make your House display screen icons greater—it simply scales them up, eradicating the icon names, so the grid dimension stays the identical.
It’s a clear look and it’s simple to do. Put your House display screen in edit mode (long-press an empty space till the icons jiggle), then faucet the Edit button within the higher left, then Customise.
Choose Massive from the icon choices menu that pops up on the backside of the display screen. Faucet Small to return to the unique dimension.
For extra, learn: Learn how to make your app icons giant and label-free.
Icon coloration and darkish mode
That very same menu from the final tip additionally enables you to change your icon colours. Computerized will present mild icons when your display screen is in mild mode and darkish icons in darkish mode. However you possibly can power mild or darkish icons on a regular basis by tapping the suitable buttons.
The Tinted button permits you to routinely tint all your icons to a single shade. A tint coloration is routinely urged based mostly in your wallpaper picture, however you possibly can choose any hue and brightness you need. There’s even an eyedropper device to allow you to precisely match one of many colours in your wallpaper.
For more information, learn: Learn how to change the colour of the app icons on your own home display screen
Widgets
Along with the 4 restricted widget spots in your Lock display screen, you possibly can add numerous interactive widgets from apps on to your House display screen. These have been added in iOS 14, and whereas the capabilities of widgets have grown in later releases, utilizing them stays kind of the identical.
In iOS 18, you possibly can resize widgets by dragging them and make them seem bigger by eradicating the textual content beneath,
Faucet and maintain an empty house in your House display screen till the icons all wiggle. Then faucet Edit within the higher left nook of the display screen and choose Add Widget. You’ll see an inventory of varied widgets, lots of which have totally different show choices and sizes. You’ll be able to reposition these widgets simply as you’d app icons, and even drag them on high of one another to type a “smart stack.”
For extra, learn: Learn how to add, take away, and customise widgets.
Henry Burrell / Foundry
Cover pages and apps
There are various methods to prepare your House display screen–you don’t simply should cope with web page after web page of app icons.
Begin with a tap-and-hold on an empty house in your House display screen till the icons all jiggle. You’ll be able to faucet the (-) button within the higher left of any icon to delete that app or to maintain the app however take away the app icon out of your House display screen. It’s also possible to faucet the dots close to the underside of your display screen to see thumbnails of all your House screens. From there you possibly can disguise complete screens from view.
You’ll be able to apps which are hidden from view within the App Library or by way of Highlight search.
iOS 18 customization: Management Middle
You’ve all the time been in a position to customise Management Middle somewhat within the settings, however iOS 18 enables you to take it to the following stage.
Swipe down from the upper-right fringe of your iPhone to open Management Middle, then faucet and maintain on an empty house to enter Edit mode.
Right here you possibly can rearrange controls, faucet the (-) icon within the higher left nook of a management to delete it, or drag the bottom-right nook of a management to resize it.
Faucet Add a Management on the backside of the display screen so as to add a brand new management. You may make some controls so massive they take up complete pages!
Swipe up and down to modify to further management pages. You’ll discover numerous new controls in iOS 18, and for the primary time, third-party apps will have the ability to add their very own Management Middle controls as effectively.
iOS 18 customization: Lock Display
Flashlight and Digicam. These have been the 2 controls in your Lock Display eternally, and there was nothing you may do to vary it…till iOS 18. Now you possibly can change each of the controls to virtually any Management Middle management!
Faucet and maintain on the Lock Display, then faucet Customise on the underside. Select Lock Display fairly than House Display.
From this display screen you possibly can alter your time and date widgets, the row of widgets beneath them, and sure, the 2 controls on the underside left and proper corners. You’ll be able to faucet (-) to take away them and change them with dozens of various Management Middle features.
With iOS 16, Apple made a giant change to the iPhone lock display screen—you possibly can customise the time show, select customized widgets to offer at-a-glance information, and naturally, select the wallpaper you need with a cool depth impact.
Begin by long-pressing your lock display screen to enter into the edit mode. You’ll be able to swipe aspect to aspect to modify to totally different Lock display screen setups and faucet Customise to vary your Lock display screen time, date, and widgets.
For extra, take a look at: Learn how to customise your Lock Display with widgets and wallpaper types
iOS 18 customization: Different options
Whereas the most recent model of iOS provides some massive new methods to personalize your iPhone, there are additionally some older customization choices you won’t learn about. Some are highlighted above, however listed below are a few older customization choices.
Motion button
With the iPhone 15 Professional and Professional Max, Apple changed the mute change that has been in place because the unique iPhone with an Motion Button that you simply maintain right down to carry out one among eight actions, together with turning on the flashlight, launching the digicam, and translating speech.
These choices are nonetheless there, however in iOS 18, the listing of features has enormously expanded with the inclusion of a brand new “Controls” possibility. This allows you to select one of many Management Middle controls because the perform of your Motion button: Rapidly allow Airplane mode, open Calculator, file a fast notice, scan a QR code… there are many potentialities.
Open Settings, and choose Motion Button from the principle menu. Simply swipe by means of the choices to choose the one you need.
Contact poster
Beginning with iOS 17, you possibly can create a brand new customized “contact poster” that can present up on different iPhone customers’ units while you name them and can seem in your entry of their Contacts.
Begin by opening your personal Contact card–both within the Cellphone app or Contacts app–and search for the Contact Picture & Poster entry underneath your image. Faucet that to get began creating your customized contact card.
Within the Contact Poster creator, you’ll additionally have the ability to select one among two choices, both Contacts solely so your contacts will all the time see your customized poster, or At all times ask, which is able to immediate you to share it each time.
For extra, learn: Learn how to create and customise your Contact Poster in iOS 17.
Again Faucet
Although not a standard iPhone personalization possibility, the Again Faucet accessibility function enables you to assign a perform to a double-tap or triple-tap of the again of your telephone. It’s type of like having an invisible button on the again of your iPhone and could be very useful.
Open Settings, then faucet Accessibility, then Contact. Scroll down and choose Again Faucet. Right here you possibly can select a perform or function to activate while you double-tap the again of your telephone and one other one while you triple-tap.
For extra, learn: ‘Back Tap’ function in iOS 14 turns rear of iPhone right into a button.