here’s what’s new in iOS 18! (part II) ✨
the new iOS 18 was released on September 14th. I thought it would be a great idea to highlight the most important updates! I'll break down these updates in three separate posts. this is part II of the series. 💗
with the new iOS 18 you can make app icons appear smaller or larger on your homescreen. in addition, the colors of the app icons can be changed to dark or light mode. you can also customize the color of the app icons to your preferred color.
let me know what you think of these updates!
After diving deeper into the new iOS 18 update, I'm genuinely excited about the home screen customization options! It's not just about aesthetics; it's about making your iPhone truly *yours*. I wanted to share some more practical tips and my personal experience with these improvements, especially since many of you are looking for ways to truly make your home screen reflect your style. First up, let's talk about those app icons. You know how sometimes you want your home screen to feel less cluttered, or maybe you want to highlight certain apps? Well, with iOS 18, you can now make your app icons appear smaller or larger right on your home screen! I've been playing around with this, and it's a game-changer for organizing. For my main productivity page, I've sized down some less-used apps to make space for bigger widgets, while keeping my most essential apps a bit larger for easy tapping. To adjust the size, simply long-press on any empty space on your home screen until the icons jiggle, then tap the 'Edit' button at the top or bottom. You'll see options to adjust icon size, and it even subtly affects the dock appearance for a uniform look. This flexibility is fantastic, especially if you're trying to achieve a minimalist layout or want more information at a glance. Then there's the dark or light mode for app icons. This isn't just about the system-wide dark mode anymore. You can actually choose to apply a dark or light filter specifically to your app icons, independent of your overall system theme. I personally love the dark mode icons – they give my home screen a really sleek, uniform look, especially at night. It makes everything feel more integrated, rather than having a mix of bright and dark app logos. If you're someone who likes a consistent theme or finds bright icons distracting, this feature is a must-try. You can find this option in the same home screen editing interface. It’s a small change that makes a huge visual impact, giving your entire setup a more cohesive and professional feel. But the real fun begins with customizing the color of your app icons. This is where you can truly unleash your creativity! iOS 18 includes a color picker that lets you choose virtually any hue for your app icons. I've seen some amazing setups where people match their icon colors directly to their wallpaper, creating a seamless aesthetic. For my current theme, I picked a soft pastel blue for all my social media apps and a calming green for my health and wellness apps. It's surprisingly satisfying to have your home screen reflect your personality so perfectly. To access the color picker, after entering home screen edit mode, you'll see a color palette icon. Tapping it brings up a wide range of colors and a custom color selector, allowing for incredibly precise matching. This means you’re not limited to a few preset options; you have the freedom to create a truly unique aesthetic. These new features aren't just cosmetic; they genuinely enhance the user experience by giving us more control over our digital environment. I've found that having a more personalized home screen makes my iPhone feel more intuitive and enjoyable to use. It’s definitely an improvement that makes me excited to explore even more customization possibilities in the future. If you haven't tried these out yet, I highly recommend diving into your settings and seeing what unique home screen you can create! It's a simple way to refresh your device and make it truly your own.