Apple is months away from unveiling iOS 18, a software update it says is the biggest in iPhone history. This will happen at WWDC 2024, which Apple has yet to announce. I’ve already speculated that the claim may only refer to the iPhone’s upcoming suite of generative AI features that Apple is working on.
But iOS 18 will offer other improvements besides genAI tricks. One of them could be a new way to customize the home screen, which is also happening the a way to arrange apps that some iPhone users have been dying to see in iOS.
As with all rumours, there is no guarantee that this will happen. But we have two different sources that mention the feature.
First, Bloomberg Mark Gurman wrote a new one Inclusion newsletter focusing on Apple’s antitrust issues in the US and the alleged Apple-Google partnership to integrate Gemini AI into iOS 18.
But Gurman also addressed other iOS 18 features, like a “more customizable” Home screen. He did not specify any details. Considering that you can arrange apps in any way you want on the home screen and mix them with as many widgets and folders as possible, the implication here could be that the iPhone app grid that some users hate could become more malleable.
From the beginning, Apple only allowed iPhone users to deploy applications within the network. You cannot leave space between apps on home screens or folders. Also, with the app library taking up the last home screen, you can remove all the clutter you don’t want to see on any home screen. You can hide entire home screens on your iPhone, and I’ve shown you why it might be such a good idea.
On Android, you get the same principle of app layout. The App Network is here. But you can place those apps wherever you want, allowing for much better home screen customization.
For example, I could use such a feature to place two docks on the main home screen. I’d put widgets on top and then a row of apps right on top of the actual iPhone dock. In this way, I would have up to eight applications that I use most often close at hand, while the main home screen would get a cleaner look. Yes, you can add a folder to the dock, but that’s not the way to do it.
Gurman may not have shared additional details about the layout of the Home screen app in iOS 18, but MacRumors learned from his sources that Apple is indeed working to give users more control over it.
Apple will still use the same invisible app grid to place apps on the home screen. But the report says that iOS 18 will allow you to place apps more freely on the screen. You will be able to create black spaces, either rows or columns.
The immediate advantage of such freedom is better enjoyment of wallpapers. You’ll be able to move apps around it so you can see the best parts of your favorite pictures.
We’ll have to wait until June to see the new home screen in action. After that, the feature will likely be available to anyone who installs iOS 18 betas that come out after WWDC.