How to Customize Your Phone Home Screen

Edited 1 week ago by ExtremeHow Editorial Team

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We all spend a lot of time on our phones, so it's important to have a home screen that reflects your personal style and makes it easy to find what you need. Customizing your phone's home screen will make your device feel more like yours and can improve your overall experience. This guide will cover different ways to customize your home screen on both Android and iOS devices.

1. Organize your apps

The simplest way to personalize your home screen is to organize your apps. You can put the most used apps in easy-to-reach places for quick access.

For Android:

1. Tap and hold an app icon until options appear.
2. Drag the app to the location you want.
3. Release the app to place it in the new location.

For iOS:

1. Tap and hold any app icons until they start to jiggle.
2. Drag the app to the location you want.
3. Press the Home button (for devices with a Home button) or tap "Done" in the upper right corner to save the arrangement.

2. Create the folder

Folders can help keep your home screen organized by grouping similar apps together.

For Android:

1. Tap and hold an app icon until options appear.
2. Drag the app over another app you want to group it with. A folder will be created automatically.
3. Release the app to drop it into the new folder.
4. Tap the folder, then tap its name to rename it.

For iOS:

1. Tap and hold any app icons until they start to jiggle.
2. Drag one app over another; this creates a folder.
3. Release the app to place it in the new folder.
4. Tap the folder, then tap its name to rename it.
5. Press the Home button or tap "Done" to save the changes.

3. Change the wallpaper

A new wallpaper can completely change the look of your home screen. Both Android and iOS allow you to easily change wallpapers.

For Android:

1. Press and hold an empty area on your home screen.
2. Select "Wallpaper" from the options that appear.
3. Choose from the available options or select an image from your gallery.
4. Set it as your wallpaper.

For iOS:

1. Go to "Settings" > "Wallpaper" > "Choose new wallpaper".
2. Choose a category (Dynamic, Stills, Live) or select an image from your photos.
3. Tap "Set" and then choose "Set Home Screen", "Set Lock Screen", or "Set Both".

4. Add widgets

Widgets provide quick information and functions from your favorite apps right on your home screen.

For Android:

1. Press and hold an empty area on your home screen.
2. Select "Widgets" from the options that appear.
3. Scroll through the available widgets, select one, and drag it to the location you want.
4. Release the widget to place it on your home screen.

For iOS (iOS 14 and newer):

1. Tap and hold an empty area of the Home screen until the apps begin to jiggle.
2. Tap the " " button in the top left corner.
3. Scroll through the widgets, select one, and choose the size you want.
4. Tap "Add Widget," then drag it to the location you want.
5. Tap "Done" to save the arrangement.

5. Use app shortcuts

App shortcuts let you perform quick app-related actions directly from the home screen.

For Android:

1. Tap and hold an app icon until a menu with shortcuts related to the app appears.
2. Select the desired action, which will perform the task either directly or by opening the app with the selected shortcut.

For iOS:

1. Tap and hold an app icon until the quick actions menu appears.
2. Select the desired task that will be performed by the app.

6. Customize the Dock

The Dock is the area at the bottom of your screen that contains your most used apps. Customizing it can help improve your productivity.

For Android:

1. Tap and hold an app in the Dock until it lifts up.
2. Drag it to a new location on the Home screen to remove it from the Dock.
3. Now drag a new app to an empty space in the Dock.

For iOS:

1. Tap and hold any app icons until they start to jiggle.
2. To remove an app from the dock, drag it to a new location on the Home screen.
3. Drag a new app from your Home screen to the now empty spot in the Dock.
4. Press the Home button or tap "Done" to save the changes.

7. Use themes (Android only)

Themes can dramatically change the look of your phone, changing not only the wallpaper but also icons, colors and fonts.

For Android:

1. Open the "Settings" app.
2. Select "Themes."
3. Browse the available themes and choose the one you like.
4. Apply themes to change the look of your phone's home screen.

8. Hide unused apps

If you have apps that you rarely use, you can hide them so as not to clutter up your home screen.

For Android:

1. Open the "Settings" app.
2. Go to "Apps" or "Application Manager."
3. Select the app you want to hide.
4. Tap "Disable" to hide the app. Note that some pre-installed apps cannot be disabled.

For iOS:

1. Tap and hold an app icon until it starts to shake.
2. Tap the “X” button on the app you want to hide.
3. Select "Remove from Home Screen." The app will remain in your App Library.

9. Customize app icons

Changing app icons can make your home screen even more personal. On Android, this often involves third-party apps, while iOS has built-in options for changing icons via the Shortcuts app.

For Android:

1. Download a third-party launcher like Nova Launcher from Google Play Store.
2. Open the launcher and follow the setup instructions.
3. Tap and hold an app icon, select "Edit", and choose the icon you want.

For iOS:

1. Open the Shortcuts app.
2. Tap the “ ” button to create a new shortcut.
3. Tap “Add Action” and look for “Open App.”
4. Select the app whose icon you want to change.
5. Tap the three dots in the top right corner, then tap "Add to Home Screen."
6. Tap the icon next to the shortcut name to choose a new image for the icon.
7. Tap “Add” to place the customized icon on your home screen.

10. Experiment with different launchers (Android only)

Different launchers offer different customization options, so you can completely change your home screen experience.

For Android:

1. Download a launcher from the Google Play Store (e.g., Nova Launcher, Microsoft Launcher).
2. Open the launcher and set it as your default home screen.
3. Customize according to the launcher's settings and options, which can include icons, themes, widgets, and more.

11. Manage notification badges

Notification badges show the number of unread notifications. You can customize the way they appear on your home screen.

For Android:

1. Go to "Settings" > "Notifications."
2. Select "App icon badges."
3. Customize them to your liking, e.g., by number, by point, or turn them off.

For iOS:

1. Go to "Settings" > "Notifications."
2. Select an app from the list.
3. Toggle the “Badges” on or off according to your preference.

12. Personalize the home screen layout

Both Android and iOS allow you to customize the grid layout of your home screen, which determines how many rows and columns of apps you can have.

For Android (launcher-specific):

1. Open your launcher's settings.
2. Look for the "Home Screen" or "Layout" option.
3. Select the grid layout that suits your needs (e.g., 4x5, 5x5).

For iOS:

Although iOS doesn't officially support custom grid layouts, you can achieve a similar effect by using widgets and folders to organize your apps in a unique way.

13. Automate changes to the home screen

On both platforms, you can set up automatic home screen changes, such as changing the wallpaper at specific times or based on events.

For Android (using third-party apps and Tasker):

1. Download an automation app like Tasker from the Google Play Store.
2. Create a new profile and set triggers for automated actions (e.g., time, location).
3. Set actions like changing the wallpaper or launching a specific app layout.

For iOS (using shortcuts):

1. Open the Shortcuts app.
2. Create a new automation by tapping "Automations" and then "Create Personal Automation."
3. Select triggers (e.g., time of day, arriving at a location).
4. Add actions like "Set Wallpaper" or any other supported actions.
5. Save and enable the automation.

14. Conclusion

Customizing your phone's home screen can make your device more personal and functional. Whether you use Android or iOS, there are many ways to rearrange apps, add widgets, change the wallpaper, and apply other customizations. Experimenting with these options can help you find the perfect setup that works best for you.

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