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.
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 ?♂️
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.
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.
Updated on September 22nd with hands on video.
In iOS 14, Apple introduced the concept of Home Screen widgets, which provide information from apps at a glance. Widgets can be pinned to the Home Screen in various spots and sizes, allowing for many different layouts. Despite the relative lack of...
Thursday March 4, 2021 10:31 am PST by Juli Clover
Over on our YouTube channel, MacRumors videographer Dan has a new video up where he shares his Home Screen, wallpaper, and all of his current favorite widgets.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Check out Dan's video to see his setup, and then comment below and show us your own Home Screens. It's always fun to see other peoples' Home Screens, and with widgets and...
Less than seven months after launch, iOS and iPadOS 14 are now installed on an estimated 90% of all compatible iPhones and iPads, according to data collected by Mixpanel's iOS 14 adoption tracker.
In February, Apple said that iOS 14 was installed on 86% of all devices introduced in the last four years. Now, a little more than a month later, the installation base seems to have grown by around ...
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Apple today announced iPadOS 15, which introduces the ability to place widgets anywhere on the Home Screen and includes an App Library, a feature first introduced in iOS 14.
Widgets can be pinned in different sizes on any page of the Home Screen, providing useful information to users at a glance. Widgets on iPad also get a new larger format to make better use of the device's larger screen. ...
Thursday April 22, 2021 3:56 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple will introduce several new features and enhancements in iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 later this year, including a redesigned Home Screen for iPad, an updated Lock Screen, and new notification preferences for users, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
From the report:Apple Inc. is readying a major revamp of its mobile software that will include an upgrade to how users handle notifications, a...
Wednesday October 14, 2020 6:02 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Following a brief beta testing period, Spotify today updated its iPhone and iPad app with a new Home Screen widget that provides quick access to recently played playlists, artists, albums, or podcasts. The widget is available in small and medium sizes.
To access the widget, update the Spotify app to version 8.5.80 or later and open the app. Then, tap and hold a widget or an empty area of the ...
Wednesday May 19, 2021 12:41 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple software engineering chief Craig Federighi is testifying in the ongoing Apple v. Epic games trial this afternoon, providing details about iPhone security to convince the judge that any change to the App Store policies would be detrimental to iPhone users.
Epic Games wants the judge to force Apple to allow multiple app stores on iOS, similar to how it works on Mac, which would allow...
The iOS and iPadOS 15 updates that were released today introduce several expanded widget options, which can be used on the Home Screen or in the Today section of the Notification Center on the iPhone and iPad.
Apple has created several new widgets for Apple products and services, as listed below: Find My - Track your friends and personal items from the Home Screen. Contacts -...
Tuesday October 20, 2020 3:58 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Customizing the home screen has become popular since the release of iOS 14, and many users have been adding custom app icons to their home screen using the Shortcuts app to create unprecedented levels of personalization.
The only problem with this method is that it kicks you to and from the Shortcuts app whenever you open an app with a custom icon, which isn't a great way to optimize usage...
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I mean, I am yet to see a customized Home Screen that looks better than a Home Screen with stock icons.
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.
/rant over. Sorry.