It’s honest to say that iOS 18 is extra extremely customizable than any prior launch. The large customized lock display screen replace of iOS 16 positively allow us to add some persona to our iPhones, however that’s nothing in comparison with the liberty to fiddle afforded in iOS 18.
Sadly, which means you’re going to should perform a little work. Apple’s newest main replace helps you to customise the lock display screen shortcuts, expanded customization of the Motion button (which is now out there on all new fashions), lastly provides you full management over the Dwelling display screen structure and shade, and contains an all-new Management Middle with a number of pages, third-party controls, resizable controls, and extra. And let’s not neglect the redesigned Images app, which moved round and reorganized every little thing.
The liberty to customise this stuff to your liking is unprecedented, however so is the want to customise this stuff. The defaults aren’t significantly nice, and in some circumstances have infuriated customers who replace and might’t stand the best way Apple has modified issues. You possibly can actually love iOS 18, however you’ll should spend a good chunk of time setting issues up the best way you want them first. What a chore!
Make the Motion button extra helpful
Final 12 months, the Motion button was just for the iPhone 15 Professionals, however this 12 months it’s on all 4 iPhone 16 fashions. What’s extra, Apple has added just a few extra choices to it, and it’s straightforward to arrange, so let’s begin there. Open Settings > Motion Button and swipe by means of the choices to select one thing you suppose may be slightly extra helpful than the mute operate.
Apple offers numerous choices, however probably the most highly effective one is the flexibility to launch a Shortcut, which helps you to carry out highly effective actions with a single lengthy press of the Motion button. You possibly can mess around with it or discover some good examples at MacStories.internet.
My favourite operate is to set the Motion button to open the Management Middle, which is simply doable in case you’re working iOS 18.1 (in beta, on the time of this writing). Right here’s how: Make a brand new Shortcut and add the “Present Management Middle” motion to it. That’s it! (Right here’s a hyperlink to mine in case you discover that helpful—open it in your iPhone.) Then go to the Motion Button settings menu and set it to activate that shortcut.
Swap out your Lock display screen buttons
The subsequent best factor to do in getting iOS 18 personalized to the best way you want it’s to swap out your Lock Display buttons. The 2 buttons for the flashlight and digital camera have been staples of the Lock Display for therefore lengthy that you could have by no means thought of what else you may want them to be. However now that the iPhone 16 has fast entry to the Digital camera with the Digital camera Management button and fewer of a necessity for a devoted Lock Display button, Apple has given everybody utilizing iOS 18 the flexibility to swap out one or each of your buttons with third-party apps or features.
To get began, lengthy press in your Lock Display (in case you’re in your Dwelling display screen, swipe down your notifications shade from the highest left edge to enter the Lock Display). Faucet Customise, faucet Lock Display, after which faucet one of many icons to vary it. There are lots of to select from—Shazam, Stopwatch, ChatGPT or some other app you may like.
Rearrange and redesign your Dwelling Display
Possibly you’ve got your Dwelling display screen (or screens) arrange simply the best way you want. Maybe you’re holding onto a dozen folders from years previous, refusing to present the App Library an opportunity. That’s positive, however you should still take pleasure in slightly glow-up to your Dwelling display screen.
Faucet and maintain any empty spot in your Dwelling display screen till the icons all jiggle and get a (-) image within the nook. You possibly can drag round your icons wherever you need now, even leaving empty areas for widgets or to see your wallpaper higher.
And there’s extra. From this view, faucet Edit within the higher left after which Customise. Right here you may change icon measurement, set them to all the time be Darkish or Mild, or give them a customized color-tinted look. If you wish to go additional, add widgets (drag same-size widgets on high of one another to make a wise stack) or take away complete Dwelling display screen pages to maintain every little thing tidy.
Management the Management Middle
The Management Middle is vastly totally different in iOS 18, with new pages and buttons and an entire new structure. It will in all probability take extra time than some other customization step, however it may possibly even have probably the most impression (particularly in case you set your Motion button to open Management Middle, as described above).
Open Management Middle (swipe down from the upper-right nook) and faucet the “+” button within the upper-left nook. It will put you into Edit mode. Now you can faucet and drag controls to rearrange them or faucet and drag the nook to resize them. Some controls actually look and act in a different way at totally different sizes, so that you’ll must experiment with them.
Keep in mind that the Management Middle has a number of pages, and also you swipe up and all the way down to flip between them. It’s also possible to put a number of copies of the identical management on totally different pages, and even the identical web page if that is smart.
When you’ve obtained issues the place you need them, you may faucet the “+ Add a Management” button on the backside of the display screen so as to add new controls. Among the apps you’ve got put in can present controls too, and others will likely be up to date so as to add new controls over time.
Repair the Images app
The brand new Images app in iOS 18 has been met with combined critiques (to place it charitably), however most of its issues come from all of the scrolling and swiping it’s important to do to get to what you need.
However there’s a repair. Scroll all the best way all the way down to the underside and faucet Customise and Reorder. There, you may flip off the classes you don’t need and drag those you do need into a special order. With slightly pruning, the Images app will get so much simpler to make use of, way more customizable, and as straightforward to make use of as earlier than.
