There are so many different ways to add personality to youriPhone. Whether it’s choosing a blue iPhone instead of the standard silver or black, adding a funky case to your phone or even adding aPopSocketto the back of your iPhone – the options are endless. Now, using custom icons, widgets, and folders, you may customize your iPhone home screen (and even the lock screen) beyond just adding a new wallpaper picture.
iOS 17: All the best iPhone features you should know
Need to catch up on what’s new in iOS 17? We gotchu. Here’s everything you need to know about your iPhone’s latest software update.
Customizing your iPhone’s home screen for holidays like Halloween or Valentine’s Day is a fun way to immerse yourself in the festive spirit. Picture transforming your screen for Halloween with spooky widgets that count down to the big night, accompanied by a wallpaper that’s a blend of shadows and jack-o'-lanterns. Beyond that, you can revamp your app icons to match the theme – imagine eerie skull icons for your messages or a witch’s cauldron for your favorite delivery app. Your apps could be neatly organized into folders named with a bit of Halloween flair too – think “Witches' Brew” for your food apps.
For Valentine’s Day, the customization can take a sweeter turn with widgets displaying heartfelt quotes or countdowns to a romantic evening, complemented by a wallpaper adorned with hearts or roses. Custom icons could add to the ambiance, with love-themed icons for your messaging apps like a musical note wrapped in a heart for Spotify. You can organize your apps into romantic folders like “Love Notes” for messaging apps. This level of customization doesn’t just celebrate the holiday; it allows you to make a personal statement, showcasing your personality and interests through a device that’s with you 24/7.
To get started, you need an iPhone, of course, but it needs to be running the latest version of iOS 17.
1Move the apps on your iPhone home screen
Only show apps you want to see and actually use
To start things off, if you’re stuck on how to actually move apps around your home screen, we can help. Just follow the simple steps below.
2Create folders on your iPhone home screen
Organize apps to create a clutter-free screen
If you’re happy with moving apps around individually, but you’d like to group a bunch of them in one place for convenience, folders are a great way to do just that. Here’s how.
If you’re looking to remove an app from a folder, just open the folder, then long-press on the app in question and drag it out of the folder back onto the home screen.
3Make and add custom iPhone app icons
Now you can really start creating your aesthetic
Get your thinking cap on - because this one requires some creativity.
Trim your apps
Before getting started, trim the number of apps on your home screen. Too many apps can look cluttered. Plus, if you want to change the icon for every app on your home screen, it’ll take less time if you only have a few. To remove an app, hold down on one, select Remove App, and confirm. You aren’t deleting it off your phone; just swipe from right on your home screen to find it in theApp Library, or you’re able to pull down on the home screen to search for it.Apple has a support pagewith extra information and tips about how to neatly organize your home screen and make perfect use of theApp Library.
Pixel 9 rumor roundup: Everything we know so far
Google’s next-gen Pixel 9 flagship lineup is expected to land this fall – here’s what rumors indicate to us right now.
Find app icons to use
Once you have a select few apps on your home screen, go find some photos on the internet or in your camera gallery that you want to turn into app icons. On Etsy,sellers offer thousands of themed icon packsyou can buy and download online in a matter of seconds and for super cheap. There are also apps (likeColor Widgets) and websites (likeFlaticon) that offer free icons for you to download and use. Or, you may use a photo you took and saved. If you’re going for an aesthetic, stick with a theme. Those of you going with Halloween, for instance, could try pics of bats, witches, etc, for icons.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max vs iPhone 14 Pro Max: Actionable differences
The iPhone 15 Pro Max has more features compared to the 14 Pro Max, but is it worth the upgrade? Let’s take a look.
Make app shortcuts
OpenApple’s Shortcuts app. It’s a pre-installed app, so there’s no need to download it.
You’re going to use Shortcuts to replace the app icons on your home screen with all the icons and photos you curated in step two above. You just create a shortcut for an app and then add it to your home screen. It will look like an app and work like one - but it’ll have the custom icon and name you gave it.
In the Shortcuts app, follow these steps:
Now repeat all the steps above for every app you want to change on your home screen. Again, if you’re going for an aesthetic, stick with a theme.
With the Shortcuts app, you’re able to get extra creative. You can make custom shortcuts or use Apple’s starter shortcuts and save them as “apps” to your home screen - with their own icons, too! The idea is, with a quick tap on the app shortcut you’ve made, you can open a specific YouTube video or message your partner onSnapchator launch Shazam. The possibilities are endless. You can really go overboard creating app shortcuts and icons for everything.
Apple has asupport pagewith extra information and tips about how to use the Shortcuts app to maximize your iPhone experience.
4Make and add custom iPhone app widgets
Go the extra mile and use third-party apps
There are several apps in the Apple App Store you can use to create a widget and add it to your home screen.WidgetsmithandColor Widgetsare both popular examples. With them, you can pin a small, medium, or large photo to your home screen. For instance, if it’s Halloween, add a pumpkin photo.
For the purposes of this guide, we will tell you how to easily useColor Widgetsbecause it has a better UI than Widgetsmith, in our opinion.
There are caveats to widget customization apps. For instance, many of them cost money to use after their free trial expires. They also add their name to the widget on your home screen and either don’t allow you to remove the name or they make you pay extra to do so. Finally, the widgets themselves are often very limited. They can be a photo that opens to the widget customization app, they can be a clock or calendar, and not much else.
5Change your iPhone’s wallpaper
Bring your iPhone home screen aesthestic over the finish line
You should probably also change your iPhone’s home screen wallpaper to finish the aesthetic makeover you’re trying to achieve. Don’t know how? Apple has asupport pagewith more information, but here’s the quick version: Go toSettingson your iPhone, tapWallpaper, then selectAdd New Wallpaper. Easy peasy.
6Optional: Add an iPhone lock screen video
Oh now you’re just being fancy
Those of you who want to go a step further should also change your lock screen to something more on theme. You could even go all out and use a video wallpaper (or “Live Photo”, as Apple calls them). These are GIF-like wallpapers that move when you press down on the screen. Neat, right?
Check out our guide to learn more:How to turn any video into a live wallpaper for your iPhone lock screen.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage on the iPhone 15 Pro feels like the future of gaming, but performance issues nearly ruin the experience
I wanted to love Assassin’s Creed Mirage on the iPhone. Here’s why I didn’t.
7Optional: Customize your iPhone’s lock screens
Last but not least
A major new feature with iOS 16 is the ability to make custom Lock Screens. you’re able to add widgets, fonts, photos, wallpapers, and more.Pocket-lint has an entire guidededicated to showing you - step by step - how to customize your iPhone lock screen. But the TL;DR version of that guide is detailed below.
How to customise your iPhone lock screen wallpaper, font, colour, and widgets
Pocket-lint has detailed how to customize your iPhone lock screen with iOS 16, and we tried to answer any questions you may have along the way.
Q: Is there an app or service that will do all this for you?
Yes, actually. Search “home screen” in the app store. You will see apps likeBrass,Aesthetic Kit, andThemifythat allow you to quickly and easily change your home screen and lock screen aesthetic. This guide explains how to do it yourself. Doing it yourself gives you way more customization options and allows you to be more creative. But if you don’t want to put too much time or effort into it, use an app.
Q: What does an ‘iPhone home screen aesthetic’ actually mean?
An “iPhone home screen aesthetic” is all about making your iPhone’s main screen uniquely yours by customizing how it looks to match your personal style. It involves picking out themed app icons, wallpapers, and widgets that all fit together perfectly.
