iPhone Home Screen To Get Revamp In iOS 18

Michael Grothaus

03/24/24 •  4 min read

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With the release of iOS 18, the iPhone’s homes screen is set to get an update.

It has long been rumors that iOS 18 will be one of the biggest updates to the iPhone’s operating system in years. A large part of that upgrade is expected to have to do with artificial intelligence features Apple is planning on baking into iOS 18. These features likely include numerous generative AI capabilities, along with AI technology that helps users organize and access their data more efficiently.

But AI isn’t expected to be the only draw of iOS 18. A new pair of reports out recently have said that iOS 18 will see improvements to the iPhone’s home screen. The home screen is the pages of apps that an iPhone user can swipe between. 

For years after the iPhone’s launch, the home screen hardly changed: it was just row upon row of app icons. Touch and app icon to launch the app. But in recent years Apple has added more features to the iPhone home screen, most notably the ability to add interactive widgets to the home screen to live alongside apps.

But now with iOS 18 Apple may be getting ready to add even more customization to the home screen. In Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman’s latest newsletter the journalist said that in iOS 18 Apple would make the iPhone’s home screen “more customizable”. However, Gurman didn’t elaborate much beyond that.

But in a followup report by MacRumors, the site said that at least one of the customization options will be the ability to have greater control over the arrangement of app icons on the home screen. Currently app icons automatically snap in place in rows, one icon after the other. But MacRumors says that may be changing for iOS 18:

“While app icons will likely remain locked to an invisible grid system on the Home Screen, to ensure there is some uniformity, our sources say that users will be able to arrange icons more freely on iOS 18. For example, we expect that the update will introduce the ability to create blank spaces, rows, and columns between app icons.”

MacRumors

Unfortunately, the report doesn’t reveal any other customization options beyond that. But if the report is accurate, it suggests that iPhone users will at least be able to have more control over where they put their icons on their iPhone’s screen. 

The report suggests that users won’t be able to place icons anywhere at random. Rather, the customization will still require icons to be arranged evenly, but now it seems that if you want to have a blank space between icons or an entire black row between rows of icons, you’ll be able to do so.

Is this groundbreaking? No, not at all. However, it does show Apple is willing to give users more control over how their iPhone’s home screen looks and, combined with the ability to place live widgets on the home screen, may indeed make it feel like the home screen in iOS 18 features the biggest advancements to come to the iPhone home screen in years.

Of course, whether such a feature is actually coming to iOS 18 for certainty is only known by Apple. We’ll need to wait until the company shows off the first beta of iOS 18 at its Worldwide Developer’s Conference in June to know for sure.

Michael Grothaus

Michael Grothaus is an American author and journalist with a flair for exploring the intersection of technology, creativity, and digital culture. With a background in film, journalism, and creative writing, he brings a unique perspective to the world of mobile technology. His work has been featured in renowned publications like Fast Company, The Guardian, and Engadget. At KnowYourMobile, Michael leverages his extensive knowledge to guide readers through the complexities of mobile devices, helping them make informed choices in the fast-paced tech landscape.