Apple might finally let you freely customize Home Screen icons on iPhone

A change is coming with iOS 18.
By Stan Schroeder  on 
Apple iPhone
Imagine: There could be an empty space between some of these icons. Credit: NurPhoto/Getty Images

Apple has always been stingy when it comes to Home Screen customization on the iPhone. Yes, you can move the icons and folders around, but that's about it; it's far from the level of customization you get on Android phones, or even that same iPhone's Lock Screen.

This is probably about to change. According to MacRumors, which cites sources familiar with the matter, Apple is planning a big Home Screen overhaul with iOS 18, which is likely to be unveiled during Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June.

You won't get complete freedom; app and folder icons will remain locked to the invisible grid, just like they are now. But MacRumors claims that users will be able to arrange icons more freely, with the ability to create blank spaces, rows, and columns between app icons.

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Bloomberg's Mark Gurman recently mentioned that Apple is planning to introduce a "more customizable" Lock Screen, too, though he didn't share any additional details.

Apple's iOS 18 is shaping up to be a massive release; reports say that Apple plans to introduce new generative artificial intelligence features, new Live Speech options, the ability to launch accessibility settings with your voice, RCS support for Messages, and design changes, among others.

Topics Apple iPhone

Stan Schroeder
Stan Schroeder
Senior Editor

Stan is a Senior Editor at Mashable, where he has worked since 2007. He's got more battery-powered gadgets and band t-shirts than you. He writes about the next groundbreaking thing. Typically, this is a phone, a coin, or a car. His ultimate goal is to know something about everything.


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