Several apps quickly emerged allowing users to personalize their Home Screen with custom widgets and icons, and new research by Sensor Tower reveals that almost 15% of iPhone users in the U.S. have installed at least one app to do just that.
The Sensor Tower report tracked the download numbers of five of the most popular Home Screen widget apps – Widgetsmith, Color Widgets, Photo Widget: Simple, WidgetBox, and Photo Widget – and found that they had been downloaded from the U.S. App Store 13 million times since iOS 14 was released on September 16.
Installs peaked during the week of September 21, reaching 3.8 million downloads, and this month they have hit 1.7 installs so far. Collectively, the five apps have reached an estimated 45 million installs across the globe to date.
When it comes to apps that offer replacement icons for other apps, the top five include Brass, App Icons, Icon Changer +, ScreenKit, and Icon Themer, which have collectively reached 1.8 million iPhone installs in the U.S. since September 16, according to the research.
As the report notes, iPhone users have maintained their interest in adding Android-style custom widgets to their Home Screens over the past two months, and with the recent news that custom app icons no longer route through the Shortcuts App in iOS 14.3 Beta 2, that interest is only likely to continue.
Apple's recently announced CarPlay Ultra promises a deeply integrated in-car experience, but not all iPhone users will be able to take advantage of the new feature.
According to Apple's press release, CarPlay Ultra requires an iPhone 12 or later running iOS 18.5 or later. This means if you're using an iPhone 11, iPhone XR, or any older model, you'll need to upgrade your device to access...
Apple today announced that its next-generation CarPlay experience, now dubbed "CarPlay Ultra" begins rolling out today, starting with Aston Martin vehicles.
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CarPlay Ultra is now available with new Aston Martin vehicle orders in the U.S. and Canada. It will also be available for existing models that feature the brand's next-generation ...
Apple today announced the launch of CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles.
CarPlay Ultra features deep integration with a vehicle's instrument cluster and systems, built-in Radio and Climate apps, customizable widgets, and more. The interface is tailored to each vehicle model and automaker's identity, and drivers can also adjust...
President Donald Trump has asked Apple CEO Tim Cook to halt the company's manufacturing expansion in India, in a potential disruption of Apple's plan to shift iPhone production away from China.
"I had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday," Trump said during his state visit to Qatar, according to Bloomberg. "He is building all over India."
"They [India] have offered us a deal where...
Apple this week introduced a new feature designed to allow prospective Apple Music users to import their saved music and playlists from third-party music services to Apple Music.
The feature is either in an expanded testing phase or it has started rolling out, and it is available in Australia and New Zealand according to an Apple Support document. Signs of the transfer option first surfaced...
The first videos of Apple's CarPlay Ultra experience are now available, providing a never-before-seen look at the long-anticipated iPhone-linked infotainment software.
British automaker Aston Martin today shared the first video of Apple's CarPlay Ultra experience in-action, followed by a detailed walk-through of the CarPlay Ultra system on Top Gear's YouTube channel, which provides the...
Apple's Vision Pro headset has left many early adopters expressing dissatisfaction over its weight, limited use cases, and sparse software ecosystem, according to a new article from The Wall Street Journal.
In the year following the device's launch, user feedback suggests that it has failed to meet expectations for comfort, software support, and social acceptance. In interviews conducted by T...
This works just like democracy, it's good to give the average user the power to customize his phone, just do not expect him to use it wisely.
I mean, I am yet to see a customized Home Screen that looks better than a Home Screen with stock icons.
Subjectivity being what it is, I'd bet none of those customized home screen users think your opinion has merit as it relates to their decisions. They probably also think their creations look better than your (assumption here based on your quote) un-customized home screen. As long as the phone owner likes their home screen look, custom or not, outside opinions don't really mean much.
Subjectivity being what it is, I'd bet none of those customized home screen users think your opinion has merit as it relates to their decisions. They probably also think their creations look better than your (assumption here based on your quote) un-customized home screen. As long as the phone owner likes their home screen look, custom or not, outside opinions don't really mean much.
And Steve was right. He knew that people are going to “rape” the design philosophy of a product just like back in the days. I see a lot of ugly customized screens by Android users. Apple should stop people letting customize the icons.
Eh, what’s the big deal. Let the kids (and adults) do what they want. Sure, those are ugly screens, but who cares? To the end user, maybe that’s the most beautiful screen they’ve ever seen!! There’s no accounting for taste ?♂️
And Steve was right. He knew that people are going to “rape” the design philosophy of a product just like back in the days. I see a lot of ugly customized screens by Android users. Apple should stop people letting customize the icons.
Yeah... we don't deserve to customize the device we paid $1200 for... people who think like you are the reason why Apple gets away with all they do.
Hang on.... I have a problem with the title of the article. ‘Installed on...’? It should be ‘downloaded by’. There is a big difference between downloading and using an app or downloading it to later delete it or never use it.
I know I have downloaded and played with shedloads of apps over the years, but have nothing to do with them now.
Ask yourself this: do you still use every app you have ever downloaded?
EDIT: Reading the source article their terminology is slightly better. They only use the phrase, ‘installs’, not ‘installed’. Which more accurately describes the situation. ‘Installed’ = still installed. Yes, pedantic I know, but journalists should have a good grasp of grammar.
EDIT EDIT: I mean technically you could argue the case for the title of the Macrumors article. But it gives the wrong impression.
