If you've been obsessing over all the aesthetically pleasing iPhone home screens in your Instagram and TikTok feeds since the release of Apple's iOS 14, we're here to help you create your own dream phone backdrop. All you need are a few free apps, some creativity, and well, possibly a few hours of free time depending on how complicated you want to get with your design. If you're ready to renovate your home screen with custom app icons, widgets, and a personalized aesthetic, roll up your sleeves and keep reading!
Make sure you've updated your iPhone to iOS 14. Hold down your finger anywhere on your screen (or on an app and select "Edit Home Screen") until the apps wiggle.
Tap the + icon in the top left corner.
Select the Apple or third-party widget you'd like, pick a size (small square, medium horizontal rectangle, and large square), and tap Add Widget to add it to your home screen.
Move your widget to the location you want on the home screen and then select Done in the top right corner to set it in place.
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How to add a Smart Stack to your home screen.
Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Tara Block
Hold down your finger anywhere on your screen (or on an app and select "Edit Home Screen") until the apps wiggle.
Tap the + icon in the top left corner.
Select the Smart Stack widget, pick a size (small square, medium horizontal rectangle, and large square), and tap Add Widget to add it to your home screen.
Move your widget to the location you want on the home screen and then select Done in the top right corner to set it in place.
You an also create your own Smart Stack widget by dragging up to 10 other Apple or third-party widgets of the same size on top of each other.
To remove apps from Smart Stack press down on home screen until apps wiggle and tap Smart Stack, swipe from right on app you want to remove and select Delete. Or hold down finger on Smart Stack and select Edit Stack.
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How to create your own widgets with Widgetsmith app.
Select the style of widget you'd like to use, and choose Edit Widget.
Select the light, coloured, or dark background; then select colour theme, font, and background photo (either what they provide or your own photo).
Select Set Widget. This will now show up at the top as Active Widget. You can tap on it and choose between 12hr Time or 24hr Time and Show Battery or Hide Battery.
Exit app.
Hold down your finger anywhere on your screen (or on an app and select "Edit Home Screen") until the apps wiggle.
Tap the + icon in the top left corner.
Search and select Colour Widgets, pick the size you want to use, and tap Add Widget to add it to your home screen.
Move your widget to the location you want on the home screen and then select Done in the top right corner to set it in place.
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How to customise your app icons with Shortcuts app.
Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Tara Block
Open the Shortcuts app and select Create Shortcut.
Select Add Action.
Type "open app" into the search bar and select it when it appears.
From the new screen, select Choose.
Type in the name of the app that you want to change the image for.
Select the three dots in the top righthand corner.
Type in the name of the app you selected and click Add to Home Screen.
Edit the name of the app (or remove it altogether if you don't want a name listed below the image) and tap the image beside the new name.
Choose a photo previously saved to your phone to replace the old icon.
Select Add in the top righthand corner.
Your new icon should now be clickable from your home screen. You may want to move the original app into a folder.
Search for graphics and photos around a theme or colour scheme from your personal photos and on Pinterest, Instagram, and Google Images. If you want to go with a seasonal look, check out these Halloween aesthetic inspo pictures.
You can use the free Procreate Pocket app to create artistic (or solid colour) backgrounds and icon images for your home screen.
The free and easy-to-use Canva app is great for designing social graphics, icons, and wallpapers.
I used the A Design Kit app to design all the graphics you see here. It's a user-friendly app that I personally love for creating artistic designs that combine art and text.
