Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile
  3. News

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

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

Joe Maring
By
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.

Recommended Videos

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.

Related

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.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Joe Maring
Joe Maring
Section Editor, Mobile
Joe Maring is the Section Editor for Digital Trends' Mobile team, leading the site's coverage for all things smartphones…
There’s a big problem with the iPhone’s Photos app
The Apple iPhone 15 Plus's gallery app.

While my primary device these days continues to be my iPhone 15 Pro, I’ve dabbled with plenty of Android phones since I’ve been here at Digital Trends. One of my favorite brands of phone has been the Google Pixel because of its strong suite of photo-editing tools and good camera hardware.

Google first added the Magic Eraser capability with the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, which is a tool I love using. Then, with the Pixel 8 series, Google added the Magic Editor, which uses generative AI to make edits that wouldn’t be possible otherwise. There are also tools like Photo Unblur, which is great for old photographs and enhancing images that were captured with low-quality sensors.

Read more
Why you should buy the iPhone 15 Pro Max instead of the iPhone 15 Pro
Someone holding an iPhone 15 Pro Max outside on a patio, showing the back of the Natural Titanium color.

If you want the best iPhone money can buy in 2024, you have two options: the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max. They have the same chipset, similar display technology, nearly identical cameras, etc. It's a really close battle, save for the fact that the iPhone 15 Pro is $200 cheaper.

It might be tempting to save some cash and choose the iPhone 15 Pro, but I recommend you splurge for the larger (and more expensive) iPhone 15 Pro Max. Why? Let me explain.
It's a big iPhone you won't hate using

Read more
This one thing could make iOS 18 the best iPhone update in years
The Home Screen on the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Apple’s WWDC 2024 is just a couple of months away. As with every WWDC, we’ll see what Apple has in store for the next generation of software across its hardware portfolio, including the iPhone with iOS 18.

Rumors have been swirling about iOS 18 and how it will be “one of the biggest updates yet.” We know some features like RCS support in Messages are definitely coming, with other whispers of big home screen customization changes and more.

Read more