Ever since iOS 14 was rolled out, I have seen and tried all sorts of hacks to customize the iPhone home screen. I have loved giving my home screen a custom look using a variety of tools. And I guess most of you would be pretty much in the same ballpark given how big a trend “iOS 14 home screen customization” has been in recent time. Though there is no dearth of paid tools, how do you customize the iOS home screen like a pro for free? Well, so long as you are willing to get a bit creative, there are quite a few cool hacks that can let you deck up your iPhone home screen to your heart’s liking.
To me, there are three most crucial tools for designing a home screen – custom app icons, custom widgets, and a solid library of wallpapers. Once you have got these components under your radar, all you need to do is take your imagination for a long spin. Depending on a specific theme like dark, vibrant, and nature, you can set a suitable wallpaper, place app icons, and widgets in perfect tune with the layout. Now that you have got the idea, let’s bring it into practice!
- Create Custom App Icons
- Make Eye-Catching Custom Home Screen Widgets
- Create Transparent Widgets
- Make the Most of Stunning Wallpapers
- Automatically Change iPhone Wallpaper with Just a Tap
- Keep a Track of Cool Home Screen Design Ideas
- A Couple of Neat Ways to Keep the Clutter Away from the Home Screen
Create Custom App Icons
Nothing looks as elegant on the home screen as custom app icons. So, if you wish to amplify the customization game, do not fail to craft custom app icons so that your iPhone home screen will look more personalized.
App Icon Changer (free, $9.99/month) and Launch Center Pro (free, offers in-app purchases) are the apps that I use to create custom iPhone app icons. They are both available for free and make the task of creating app icons quite simple.
In the end, add the app icon to the home screen. Going forward, you can tap on this custom icon to launch the corresponding app. If you want to follow the step-by-step instruction, follow our detailed guide about creating and using custom app icons.
When it comes to iPhone home screen customization, custom widgets have a major role to play. And guess what, App Store has got a boatload of apps that can let you create amazing home screen widgets. Whether it’s an ever-running clock widget or cool weather widget or the useful utility widget showing memory and total storage, you can make all sorts of widgets that can let you deck up the iPhone home screen to your heart’s content.
Whenever I am out to personalize the iPhone home screen, I wish to have the desired freedom to place icons. Though iOS doesn’t offer the flexibility to leave blank space like Android, there are a few third-party apps that fill up the void. Thus, you can create transparent widgets on your iPhone and place them at the spot which you want to be blank. After that, you can place app icons at the desired spot. Take a glance at the screenshot below!
Notably, the process of creating invisible widgets for iPhone is almost the same as the normal widgets. The only thing that you have to keep in mind is to make sure the transparent widgets match the wallpaper so that they can easily deceive the eyes.
Wallpapers form the crux of attractive home screen designs. So, be sure you have the luxury to choose from a wide assortment of backgrounds as they can play a vital role in letting you design your iPhone home screen with different themes.
What if you don’t want to install wallpaper apps on your device or just wish to have more beautiful wallpapers, I would recommend you to check out a couple of well-known websites that offer a ton of iPhone wallpapers: Unsplash and Wallpaper Safari.
No matter how nice-looking a theme is, it tends to look dull or pale after a while. That’s why a well-timed change is inevitable to keep the charming look and feel intact. Turns out, there is a shortcut that can let you automatically change your iPhone wallpaper with just a tap.
The workaround works with a shortcut called “Wallpaper” Thus, you will need to first set it up using your selected wallpapers. To get going, create an album of all of your favorite wallpapers and then add the wallpaper shortcut to your shortcut library.
Keep a Track of Cool Home Screen Design Ideas
Once you have got custom app icons, widgets, and matching wallpapers, creating beautiful themes is not a big deal. Depending on different themes like dark, winter, love, and funky, you can design the home screen by placing the icons in line with a specific layout.
A Couple of Neat Ways to Keep the Clutter Away from the Home Screen
A cluttered home screen never looks pleasing to the eyes. Thus, be sure to keep it clean so that it will never look burdened with too many unnecessary apps. iOS 14 offers a couple of better ways to keep the home screen clutter-free.
So, that’s how you can give a custom look and feel to your iPhone home screen. With so many cool ideas, I guess customizing the home screen will now become a pleasant experience for you. And that too without having to break your bank.
