How to change home screen on iphone ios 14

Since the release of Apple's iOS 14 in 2020, you've had the ability to customize your iPhone's home screen. So instead of using the boring default design that everyone else has, you can create home-screen themes filled with your own unique app icons and widgets.

When paired with a custom wallpaper, personalized themes can create quite an aesthetic effect. Also, with Focus Mode you can design completely unique home screens for different locations or times of the day.

Setting up these custom widgets and app icons requires two iPhone apps -- one lesser-known native app and one third-party app that's free in the App Store. Read on to learn how to customize your home screen.

For more, learn how to optimize your iPhone's performance and seven ways to Android-ify your iPhone.

How to change your app icons on your iPhone

The applications that live 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 preinstalled).
2. Tap the plus icon in the top right corner.
3. Select Add Action.
4. In the search bar, type Open app and select the Open App action.
5. Next, tap App and select the app you want to customize.
6. Then tap the downward-facing arrow next to Open App at the top.
7. From the menu, tap Add to Home Screen.
8. Where it says Home Screen Name and Icon, rename the shortcut to anything you'd like.
9. Next, go into your web browser of choice 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 on the image you just saved. You can zoom in or out on the image. Tap Choose.
11. Finally, hit Add. 

Now you have a customized app on your phone (it's actually a bookmark). You can delete the original app from your home screen, but you'll easily be able to find it in your App Library.

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Customize the widgets on your iPhone home screen

Apps aren't the only think you can customize. With the help of this third-party app, you can also add a little flavor to your widgets:

1. Download the Widgetsmith app on your iPhone.
2. In the app, select the size of the widget you'd like 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 once you're done and tap Save.
4. Go to your home screen and hold and press down anywhere on the screen.
5. Once you're in edit mode, tap the plus icon in the top left corner and search for Widgetsmith. Tap the icon.
6. Select the widget size you'd like to add to your home screen and tap Add Widget.
7. You can change the widget by pressing down on the app and selecting Edit Widget. That's all! Now your home screen has different-size icons for a customized look. 

You can create widgets for certain features and applications, including photos, time, date, Weather (paid), Health, battery, Calendar, Reminders, tides (paid), and astronomy.

iOS 16 adds a bunch of new options for setting your wallpaper and customizing your lock screen, with the ability to pick dynamic astronomy and weather backgrounds, emoji art, photo album shuffles, add widgets, and more. But one thing that isn’t so easy anymore is to set a different wallpaper photo for your home screen and lock screen. Here’s how to do it …

The new iOS 16 wallpaper system really tries to encourage you to set the same wallpaper for both your lock screen and home screen. This is the default behavior when setting a new wallpaper and there is some reason for it. iOS uses special transitions when moving from the lock screen to home screen, when the two match. For instance, the Earth on the Astronomy wallpaper rotates forward as you swipe to unlock.

However, if you do want to have different images for the photo on your lock screen and the photo behind your app icons, it is possible. It just might not be super obvious.

How to change wallpaper for the first time after upgrading to iOS 16

After you upgrade to iOS 16 for the first time, your wallpaper will be in a legacy mode. This method does not support any of the iOS 16 and later configuration features. So, before making any changes, you will first need to make a brand new wallpaper. From Settings -> Wallpaper, you can press Add New Wallpaper. Or from the lock screen, long-press on the display to enter the Gallery and tap the blue + button. Then, follow the instructions below.

How to set a different photo for your lock screen and home screen

1. If you haven’t made a new wallpaper yet, go to Settings -> Wallpaper, and press Add New Wallpaper. You can also do this by long-pressing on the lock screen to enter the Lock Screen Gallery and pressing the blue Add buton.
2. Tap the Photos button at the top of the gallery. Select a photo to use for the lock screen. Customize the lock screen further if you want to.
3. Tap Add in the top-right corner of the screen. Then, when the panel appears, select Customize Home Screen button.
4. In this view, you can choose how you want your home screen to differ. You can make it show a color a gradient, blur out the lock screen content, or choose a different photo altogether. To do this, tap the Photos button.
5. Select a new photo. Optionally enable the Blur effect. Then, tap Done in the top-right of the screen.
6. That’s it. You now have a different lock screen and home screen photo set up.

How to change your home screen photo later

If you change your mind, and want to pick a new photo later, you can do this from Settings. With an iOS 16-style lock screen active, navigate to Settings -> Wallpaper, and press Customize to change the corresponding photo. The same home screen configuration user interface will be presented, allowing you to pick a color, gradient, or another photo. You can optionally blur the chosen photo using the Blur toggle. After you have made your changes, press Done to save.

Remember, you can also set up multiple lock screens and switch between them, if you have a variety of looks you like. You can also use the Photo Shuffle wallpaper option to cycle through a whole bunch of photos, not just one.

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How do I customize my Home Screen on iOS 14?

How do I change my iPhone Home Screen?