[ad_1]
With iOS 14, Apple has finally given you the ability to customize your home screen design to some degree. Instead of simply repositioning the icons, you can remove them thanks to the new application library. With the new widgets, you can finally fill your home screen with more than just apps.
But the new “aesthetic” trend of the iPhone goes much further. By combining shortcuts with custom icons and highly customizable widgets, you can give your iPhone a dramatically different look.
Here’s how to start making your iPhone “aesthetic.”
First, grab some icons
Before you do anything else, you’ll want to take some pictures to use as icons. There are many designers with matching icon packs on the web, just look for the one that suits you best. Some are free, others (like Traf’s popular minimalist icons) are quite expensive.
A great way to find some free icons is to search Twitter “iOS 14 aestheticAnd start poking around.
You’ll want to add your icons to your Photos library. On your iPhone, press and hold an image and choose “Add to Photos.” If you have a Mac, you can drag images into your Photos app.
Use shortcuts to replace apps
The key to replacing all of your app icons with your own designs is to replace your actual apps on your home screen with Shortcuts.
IDG-
Open the Shortcuts application (it comes installed on your iPhone).
-
Tap on the + in the upper right corner to create a new shortcut.
-
Tap Add action.
-
Tap Scripting.
-
Tap Open the app.
-
Tap on the Choose word and select the application you want to open this shortcut.
-
Touch the three dots (…) in the upper right corner and select Add to the home screen.
-
Give your shortcut a name (app name is a good idea).
-
Tap the image to the left of the name and choose Choose a photo. Select the image from your Photos library that you want to use as your new icon.
-
Tap Add in the upper right corner, and you will see a pop-up window telling you that the shortcut has been added to the home screen.
IDGBack on the home screen, you can see your new shortcut. If the original app icon is still on the home screen, press and hold it, choose Remove apps, and so Move to app library to remove it from the home screen.
Repeat that process for each app you want to keep on your home screen, and delete all the others, leaving them in your App Library.
There are three caveats to be aware of when replacing your apps with shortcuts in this way. First, you won’t get those little red notification badges in the corner of your shortcuts like you will in real apps. Second, when you launch an application from a shortcut, it will first jump briefly to the Shortcuts application before opening the application you want. And third, you will lose the ability to press and hold the application icon to access any quick actions you have; the shortcut will not have them.
Custom widgets
To match your custom app icons, you’ll want some custom widgets. New apps like Widgetsmith and Color Widgets are popular choices.
You will use the application to design your own widgets, choosing what information to display, fonts, colors, borders, etc. Once you’ve created your widgets, it’s time to add them to your home screen.
-
Press and hold any empty area on the home screen until you enter “motion mode.”
-
Tap on the + sign in at the top left to add widgets.
-
Select the Widgetsmith or Color Widgets app (or whatever custom widget app you’ve used) and the size of the widget you created.
-
Tap Add widget.
-
Place the widget on the home screen and, while it is still in motion mode, touch it to change its options; you may need to choose the particular widget you have customized.
-
Tap Done in the upper right corner to exit motion mode.
There are limits to what you can do with custom widgets at this time, but the capabilities of these apps continue to expand.
If you’re willing to accept the limitations of using shortcuts to launch your apps and using custom widgets, you can create some truly unique home screen looks!
[ad_2]
