With the new iOS 14 update here, creating and sharing your aesthetic home screens has become the new trend on social media. iOS 14 brings a fresh look to the things you use most often, making them easier than ever to use.
Some go for the functional side, using widgets that easily show them their schedule or the weather for the day. And some go for the matching colour schemes, aesthetically pleasing icons, and a theme that conveys their personality.
Which ever one you may be, creating your perfect home screen has never been easier than with iOS
14! Just follow these steps and you’ll be there in no time.
1. Update your phone
Before you can begin designing, you will need to have iOS 14 installed on your phone.
2. Pick a widget app
The big new thing about iOS 14 is how it now supports the use of widgets. You can download apps that let you create widgets, including Colour Widget, and Widgetsmith. Or you can simply choose to use the widgets that come with your favourite apple apps already, choose from different sizes and arrange them however you like.
3. Design some widgets
Since some apps already have iOS widgets, you can pin the apps you use most often and see the information quicker and easier. To do this simply hold down your finger on the screen till the plus sign on the upper right-hand corner appears. Personally, I use the weather and the fitness app all the time, so I decided to add them to mine.
If none of those tickle your fancy, go into your chosen widget application and tap into your inner designer and start designing.
When you first open the app you are met with three size options. After deciding the size you can choose from multiple different styles and topics that you can then personalize further with different colours and fonts. Simply save and add to your home screen.
4. App re-design
Now that you have you widgets, you might want to create a cohesive look with your apps. But how do you do this? Although you could do this step before the iOS 14 update, it only became popular since its release in September. To change your app icons, you'll need to use the Shortcuts app that is already on your phone.
After choosing and downloading the images you want to replace the original icons, you open and add a new shortcut. Adding an action to "open app" will allow you to choose the app you want to change. When done press the three dots in the upper right corner and enter short cut name, add to home screen and then choose your photo.
After adding to your home screen, you will then need to hide the original app. Simply hold down on your screen, click the dots at the bottom and unselect any of the pages that don’t suit your desired theme.
5. You’re done!
You've done it! You have redesigned your home screen using iOS 14 to suit your personal style and you may have discovered it can be a long and tedious task. But do you think its worth it?
Just know, that using the Shortcuts app to redesign your apps may look cool, but may cause some annoyances. This includes sending you to the shortcuts screen for a few seconds before going to your app. Secondly, you don’t get notification bubbles on these apps, the usability of the app is not affected, but if you think this might annoy you, the aesthetic home screen life might not be for you.