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iOS 18 could add a customization feature I’ve waited years for

By Joe Maring Published March 25, 2024

iOS 17 interactive widgets on an iPhone 15 Pro Max. — Joe Maring / Digital Trends

iOS 18 is coming later this year, and all signs point to it being a dramatic iPhone update. Now, thanks to one new report, it looks like iOS 18 could add a customization feature I’ve been waiting years and years and years for: better home screen customization.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, iOS 18 will introduce a “more customizable” home screen. More specifically, iOS 18 will allow you to place app icons and widgets anywhere you want. If you want a space or break between an app icon or your widget, welcome to the future: iOS 18 may finally let you do that. MacRumors corroborated this report with its own sources, too.

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Currently, the iPhone’s home screen customization is quite limited. When you add app icons or widgets, they automatically snap into place next to existing apps or widgets, ensuring there’s no unsightly blank space on your home screen. This has been a quirk of iOS since the early days, and it’s an annoying, archaic thing Apple has never gotten rid of. After all of these years, iOS 18 may finally change that.

iOS 18 will let you place app icons anywhere on the Home Screen grid, multiple sources told me

Example image via @iDownloadBlog pic.twitter.com/EuGv7sbaHH

— Joe Rossignol (@rsgnl) March 25, 2024

Is this something that’s existed on Android phones for years? It sure is. Does it feel a little silly to get this excited about basic home screen customization? Yep! But this is the reality of iOS in 2024, so the idea that it could actually be changing is big news. This is still just a rumor for now and should be taken with a grain of salt, but I’m crossing my fingers this one is true.

Beyond more unique home screens, there’s been a lot of chatter around iOS 18. Rumor has it that iOS 18 will be one of the biggest iPhone updates in years — potentially adding RCS support, big AI features, and more. That’s all fine and dandy, but from here on out, I’m just hoping for a more customizable home screen. What can I say? I’m a simple man.

Former Section Editor, Mobile

Joe Maring has been the Section Editor of Digital Trends' Mobile team since June 2022. He leads a team of 13 writers and…

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