Apple is finally embracing Android’s chaos

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses the author's experience with customizing the iOS home screen, including the new customization features introduced in iOS 18. It covers the author's desire for more customization options, the changes they made to their home screen, and their thoughts on the impact of these new features.

🙋 Q&A

[01] Customization Options in iOS

1. What were the author's previous frustrations with customizing the iOS home screen?

• The author has wanted more customization options for the iOS home screen, like those available on Android devices.
• The author has been limited to a sparse home screen layout with a few rows of icons and apps in the dock, due to Apple's resistance to allowing users to fully customize the home screen.

2. How did the new customization features in iOS 18 address the author's desires?

• iOS 18 introduced new tools to easily customize app icons, including the ability to change their color and make them dimmer in dark mode.
• The author can now place app icons wherever they want on the home screen, allowing for a more minimalist layout.

[02] The Author's Customized Home Screen

1. How did the author design their new minimalist home screen?

• The author made all the app icons gray to match their gray wallpaper, making the apps harder to discern and adding "friction" to reduce time spent on the phone.
• The author moved the app icons to the bottom of the screen to make them more accessible on their iPhone 12 Mini.
• The author hid the app labels to remove text from the home screen.

2. What other customizations did the author make to reduce distractions?

• The author used the new Control Center feature to toggle on a grayscale mode, making the phone less visually interesting and serving as a cue to use the phone less.
• The author wishes they could remove the "Search" button from the home screen entirely, but noted this is a compromise they're willing to make.

3. How did the author feel about the final customized home screen?

• The author acknowledges the changes they made are "ugly and sometimes irritating", but they are happy to have the new customization tools from Apple.
• The author expects an "explosion of delightful and wacky designs" from other users now that the iOS 18 customization features are available.