Hands-On With iOS 14 Widgets, Custom Icons, and Home Screen Setup

[JGIGS]

Yes, I did it, just leave the name blank when making it in shortcuts.

I haven't tried theming icons yet but I hope someone comes up with a way to script or make some sort of app that makes theming icons and removing the app names a lot easier. Looks sooooo much cleaner without the names. It's definitely what I miss most about my android days. That and I still feel like Android's notification pulldown screen is a bit cleaner and easier to use.

 

[RodSerlingLives]

Man are people so brainwashed by Apple these days that they feel like Apple should restrict and decide every aspect of what we can do with our own devices that we pay money for? If this is the case things really need to change.

I agree. I use both iOS and Android and Apple’s stranglehold on icon positioning and style is very aggravating. There is nothing exciting about using this unnecessarily complicated method to customize icons. If Apple wants to maintain control, they should at least offer UI customizations with baked in options similar to the Pixels and a host of other devices. My 3a has multiple icon packs, color accents and fonts in the software without ever having to navigate the Play Store.

 

[psxp]

I can finally make my iPhone look like an Android phone!

 

[Audi09]

let me guess theese are "magical" "super revolutionary" widgets.
Like what ive had on my droid for 10 years lol

 

[heimdallr]

Give PadOS Home Screen widget capability and not just Today View.

 

[4jasontv]

If Apple wants to maintain control, they should at least offer UI customizations with baked in options similar to the Pixels and a host of other devices.

I read this as "if Apple wants to maintain control they should give users more freedom" and that makes no sense.

 

[itsmeaustend]

The whole “opening Shortcuts” for each app seriously turns me off. Everyone is so on board but loading Shortcuts to load an app isn’t a great implementation. I’m surprised that people enjoy doing this. But hey, to each their own...

It's not so bad if you turn off the whole "open shortcuts before running" thing, it's a lot more "direct".

 

[coolfactor]

One look at this and BLAST from the PAST! Strange how some people think this Aqua theme is ugly... I think it's beautiful and way better than the rounded square icons we have everywhere now. Icons should be iconic, and we've lost a bit of that over the past few years in the name of simplicity. Things have become toooooo simple.

 

[Mr. Awesome]

Yes, I did it, just leave the name blank when making it in shortcuts.

This has to be a bug. I’m sure Apple will patch this.

 

[cmaier]

Man are people so brainwashed by Apple these days that they feel like Apple should restrict and decide every aspect of what we can do with our own devices that we pay money for? If this is the case things really need to change. Mindsets need to change.

No they don’t.

 

[Black Magic]

Why doesn't android get this type of buzz on releases?

 

[cmaier]

Why doesn't android get this type of buzz on releases?

Because most android phones can’t be updated to them.

 

[Te0SX]

This is AMAZING!!!! Apple finally let its users to customize their phone. Brilliant!

Note: To the users that don't like that freedom I have no words except that they are pathetic. You like default, don't do anything then. Many of us grew up back in days when we used to customization osx and iOS with jailbreak were in the gold era and it absolutely fantastic.

 

[C DM]

I use as few third-party apps and widgets as possible. Most suck anyway.

Plenty are fairly good, and certainly a variety that are beyond what native/Apple apps offer.

 

[NightFox]

With freedom comes great responsibility

 

[Khaleesi Kendall]

I can finally make my iPhone look like an Android phone!

Ew why would you lol.
I was anti widgets when the betas were out much like how windows 10 mobile started becoming android like. But even with the android esque look, it doesn’t annoy me
So it is still IOS at the heart.

 

[adrianlondon]

It's not so bad if you turn off the whole "open shortcuts before running" thing, it's a lot more "direct".

That doesn't work from homescreen icons, as they're simply bookmarks into the Shortcuits app which has to open to read it. That setting only works with shortcuts place into a widget.

 

[Slarti.BartFast]

This is AMAZING!!!! Apple finally let its users to customize their phone. Brilliant!

Note: To the users that don't like that freedom I have no words except that they are pathetic. You like default, don't do anything then. Many of us grew up back in days when we used to customization osx and iOS with jailbreak were in the gold era and it absolutely fantastic.

Can I ask if you are being sarcastic ?

I can't delete the health app only move it the App Library.

In the settings page I can't delete the health app, the wallet app, the exposure tracker, Game Center, Apple's Password app, Facetime and completely switching Siri off still takes about 4 million swipes.

I have deleted all the widgets I now have a blank screen but I was hoping that the empty widget page would disappear if unused and I can't delete the app Library

It's a small improvement in that I no longer need a folder called 'Apple Junk' to place all the apps I'll never use in it, but iOS 14 does not represent "Apple finally let its users to customize their phone" at least in my understanding, it represents a small step in the right direction.

I'd never buy an Android phone as I don't use any Google services and don't want the slurp, but iOS 14 is still lacking in any real reason to upgrade from previous.

 

[NightFox]

It's not so bad if you turn off the whole "open shortcuts before running" thing, it's a lot more "direct".

How do you do that?

 

[Khaleesi Kendall]

This is AMAZING!!!! Apple finally let its users to customize their phone. Brilliant!

Note: To the users that don't like that freedom I have no words except that they are pathetic. You like default, don't do anything then. Many of us grew up back in days when we used to customization osx and iOS with jailbreak were in the gold era and it absolutely fantastic.

Why do they have to be pathetic though. Personally I appreciate customization but don’t want it to become the hot mess that is android. Windows phone 8 was amazing. Then we got windows 10 and that was awful.

 

[damphoose]

The majority of these look like trash. People on Twitter are even starting to make X-rated icons. Apple will quietly shut this down in the next major update.

 

[The Game 161]

Ew why would you lol.
I was anti widgets when the betas were out much like how windows 10 mobile started becoming android like. But even with the android esque look, it doesn’t annoy me
So it is still IOS at the heart.

Why would you? Because it simply looks better than a bunch of apps

Apple have finally woken up to let the users make their home screen like they want like they should have done 10 years ago

 

[The Game 161]

Why doesn't android get this type of buzz on releases?

Because they already did this crap 10-15 years ago... Its only seen as a big deal because iPhone finally has it... For android users this is all very old news

 

[baryon]

I think the stock widgets are pretty neat. Just wish the calendar widget was available in the smallest size (with just a calendar view and no events on the left).

 

[iBreatheApple]

Subscriptions for widgets now!? My God. The subscription fatigue is real. Photo editing apps. Streaming services. I can’t. Everyone wants a piece of the pie every month and I’m over it. Bring back one time payments you greedy bastards.