Why You Should Customize the Apps and Widgets on Your iPhone’s Home Screen

This story is part of 12 days of tipsso you can make the most of your technology, home and health during the holiday season.

The background wallpaper isn’t the only way you can personalize your iPhone’s home screen.

Thanks to a built-in application, as well as a third-party app that you can download for free from the App Store, you can create themes for your home screen quite easily, allowing you to create your own unique app icons and widgets.

If you really want to make your iPhone your own, you’ll want to read on to learn how to customize your home screen.

For more information on personalizing your iPhone, check out the best iphone cases in 2022 and how to remove some of the most annoying features on iOS 16.

How to change your app icons on your iPhone

The applications that are on the home screen have their own logos, but you can use a native iOS feature to change the look of any app icon:

1. Open the Shortcuts app on your iPhone (it’s already pre-installed).
2. Tap the plus icon in the top right corner.
3. Select Add action.
4. Type in the search bar Open app and select the Open app action.
5. Then tap app and select the app you want to customize.
6. Then tap the down arrow next to Open app at the top.
7. Tap in the menu Add to home screen.
8. Rename the shortcut to anything you like.
9. Then go to your favorite web browser and find a new icon image. You can search for something like “Facebook icon aesthetic.” When you find an image you like, save it to your photos.
10. Go back to the Shortcuts app and tap the icon under Home screen name and icon. Select Choose photo and tap the image you just saved. You can zoom in or out on the image. Crane Select.
11. Finally, hit To add.

Now you have a custom app on your phone (it’s basically a bookmark). You can remove the original app from your home screen, but you can easily find it in your app library.

Customize the widgets on your iPhone’s home screen

Apps aren’t the only ones you can customize. You can also add a bit of flavor to your widgets using this third-party app:

1. Download the Widgetsmith app on your iPhone.
2. In the app, select the size of the widget you want to customize — your options are small, medium, and large.
3. Tap the widget to customize it. You can change the font and colors. Go back when you’re done and tap Save.
4. Go to your home screen and hold and press anywhere on the screen.
5. In edit mode, tap the plus icon in the top left corner and search for Widgetsmith. Tap the icon.
6. Select the size of the widget you want to add to your home screen and tap Add widget.
7. You can change the widget by pressing and selecting the app Edit Widget. That’s all! Now your home screen has different sized icons for a personalized look.

You can create widgets for certain features and applications, including photos, time, date, weather (paid), health, battery, calendar, reminders, tides (paid), and astronomy.