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iOS 18: Hide App Names on Your iPhone Home Screen

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MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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In iOS 18, currently in beta, Apple has broadened the customization options for the Home Screen on iPhone, and thanks to a new setting it is now possible to make app icons and widgets bigger by hiding their labels.

big-icons-home-screen.jpg

With the setting enabled in iOS 18, the names of apps are removed from the grid, which increases the size of the icons and widgets on your Home Screen with the space saved. With larger icons, you still get a maximum of six icon rows with four icons each, the same that you're limited to when icon names are turned on.

If you're familiar enough with your favorite apps that you don't feel the need to see the names underneath the icons, then it's worth giving it a try. With the labels removed, the design of your app icons takes center stage, resulting in a cleaner look for your Home Screen. Note that this setting is universal, so you cannot have small icons on one app page and large icons on a different app page.

The following steps show you how it's done.
  1. Press on an empty space on your Home Screen to enter jiggle mode.
  2. Tap the Edit button in the top-left corner, then choose Customize.
  3. Tap the Large option in the customization panel.
  4. Tap on an empty space to hide the customization panel.
large-home-screen-app-icons.jpg

That's all there is to it. If you decide you want to see app labels again, simply repeat the steps, but choose the Small option in the customization panel instead. iOS 18 is currently in public beta and will be officially released to iPhone users in the fall.

Article Link: iOS 18: Hide App Names on Your iPhone Home Screen
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/hide-app-icon-labels-iphone-home-screen/
Last edited:
sw1tcher

sw1tcher

macrumors 603
Jan 6, 2004
5,832
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Will iOS 18 allow us to change the app icon without having to use the Shortcut app? Having more (and easier to use like this) customization options beyond simply rearranging, tinting, or increasing size of the icon would be nice.
 
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ghostface147

ghostface147

macrumors 601
May 28, 2008
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Tried it for 30 seconds and reverted back because looks like a toy with those large icons. I also assume that it'd also look off with a larger amount of space between rows of icons. Idk, this is another feature that I'll ignore.
 
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axantas

axantas

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Jun 29, 2015
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An interesting feature - if you want it, why not. I rather would prefer, Apple would allow name on two lines, leaving the icons the way they are. Their algorhitm truncating names, which are too long is partially silly, endin... up in filenam... whi... make no sens... - replacing two letters with dots, that occupy the same space or even making the app name unreadable. This is up to the developers, but Apple could assist here a bit.

I guess it is already the second time I filed this suggestion.
 
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axantas

axantas

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Jun 29, 2015
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JM said:
As well as covering more of the picture in the background.

Seems like something they can tweak through the Beta process (i.e. keep icons same size but remove text).

*someone on Beta program please request.
Click to expand...
The option is just "make icons bigger". "Remove description" it can not be chosen separately. And as markgpearse writes, it also removes folder names. This is a bit silly then. I will report this.

Request done:
- make it selectable by user / Icon size / text /
- do not hide folder names, if selected.
 
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C

CarAnalogy

macrumors 601
Jun 9, 2021
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miric said:
Whoa? Which Android? Symbian and Windows CE have been there even before some android started as a project. They also had home screens. Just think about it.
Click to expand...

I used Nova Launcher. Not sure what the state of Android launchers is today.

But this is one reason I like iPhone. Yeah, it’s annoyed me a lot for years how little I can change things that other me on the home screen. But now that they are finally doing it, it’ll be here forever and be consistent and stable and I don’t have to worry about the launcher developer selling out or quitting development.

The first party Google launcher drove me far more crazy than the iPhone Home Screen. Because as was typical for them it was a poor imitation that they kept changing and removing features from every few months.

With regard to Symbian and CE specifically, that was so long ago I’m not sure it’s comparable. They got there first the way luggables got there before laptops.
 
ikramerica

ikramerica

macrumors 68000
Apr 10, 2009
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MacRumors said:


In iOS 18, currently in beta, Apple has broadened the customization options for the Home Screen on iPhone, and thanks to a new setting it is now possible to make app icons and widgets bigger by hiding their labels.

big-icons-home-screen.jpg

With the setting enabled in iOS 18, the names of apps are removed from the grid, which increases the size of the icons and widgets on your Home Screen with the space saved. With larger icons, you still get a maximum of six icon rows with four icons each, the same that you're limited to when icon names are turned on.

If you're familiar enough with your favorite apps that you don't feel the need to see the names underneath the icons, then it's worth giving it a try. With the labels removed, the design of your app icons takes center stage, resulting in a cleaner look for your Home Screen. Note that this setting is universal, so you cannot have small icons on one app page and large icons on a different app page.

The following steps show you how it's done.
  1. Press on an empty space on your Home Screen to enter jiggle mode.
  2. Tap the Edit button in the top-left corner, then choose Customize.
  3. Tap the Large option in the customization panel.
  4. Tap on an empty space to hide the customization panel.
large-home-screen-app-icons.jpg

That's all there is to it. If you decide you want to see app labels again, simply repeat the steps, but choose the Small option in the customization panel instead. iOS 18 is currently in public beta and will be officially released to iPhone users in the fall.

Article Link: iOS 18: Hide App Names on Your iPhone Home Screen
Click to expand...
What about renaming apps? What about not
having so many blue, green and orange system apps?
 
error

error

macrumors regular
Jun 22, 2006
100
388
I like the icons without the labels… but the four large icons in de dock are way too tight left and right. They should make te margin between the icons smaller, looks bad this way.
 
JordanCautious

JordanCautious

macrumors regular
Sep 26, 2023
247
662
I was about to say that they should keep this feature without changing the size of the icons but it seems we were all thinking the same thing lol 😂
 
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adrianlondon

adrianlondon

macrumors 603
Nov 28, 2013
5,409
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Switzerland
It hides icon names, folder names, blue dots (newly upgraded) and clouds (offloaded).

Luckily, like animals which make themselves bright red/yellow so you know they're poisonous, this option also makes the icons look ridiculously big, so you're not tempted to use it anyway 😁
 
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