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.
Thursday November 6, 2025 11:12 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today updated its trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models. Trade-ins can be completed on Apple's website, or at an Apple Store.
The charts below provide an overview of Apple's current and previous trade-in values in the U.S., according to its website. Maximum values for most devices either decreased or saw no change, but the iPad Air received a slight bump.
...
Wednesday November 5, 2025 11:57 am PST by Juli Clover
The smarter, more capable version of Siri that Apple is developing will be powered by Google Gemini, reports Bloomberg. Apple will pay Google approximately $1 billion per year for a 1.2 trillion parameter artificial intelligence model that was developed by Google.
For context, parameters are a measure of how a model understands and responds to queries. More parameters generally means more...
Thursday November 6, 2025 2:45 pm PST by Juli Clover
Apple is promoting the new Liquid Glass design in iOS 26, showing off the ways that third-party developers are embracing the aesthetic in their apps. On its developer website, Apple is featuring a visual gallery that demonstrates how "teams of all sizes" are creating Liquid Glass experiences.
The gallery features examples of Liquid Glass in apps for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac. Apple...
Monday November 3, 2025 5:54 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Following more than a month of beta testing, Apple released iOS 26.1 on Monday, November 3. The update includes a handful of new features and changes, including the ability to adjust the look of Liquid Glass and more.
Below, we outline iOS 26.1's key new features.
Liquid Glass Toggle
iOS 26.1 lets you choose your preferred look for Liquid Glass.
In the Settings app, under Display...
Friday November 7, 2025 6:40 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple's online store in the U.S. is suddenly offering a pack of four AirTags for just $29, which is the same price as a single AirTag.
This is likely a pricing error, and it is unclear if orders will be fulfilled. Apple has not discounted the AirTag four-pack in any other countries that we checked.
Delivery estimates are already pushing into late November to early December, suggesting...
Thursday November 6, 2025 4:37 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple in iOS 26.2 will disable automatic Wi-Fi network syncing between iPhone and Apple Watch in the European Union to comply with the bloc's regulations, suggests a new report.
Normally, when an iPhone connects to a new Wi-Fi network, it automatically shares the network credentials with the paired Apple Watch. This allows the watch to connect to the same network independently – for...
Thursday November 6, 2025 4:08 pm PST by Juli Clover
IKEA today announced the upcoming launch of 21 new Matter-compatible smart home products that will be able to interface with HomeKit and the Apple Home app. There are sensors, lights, and control options, all of which will be reasonably priced. Some of the products are new, while some are updates to existing lines that IKEA previously offered.
There are a series of new smart bulbs that are...
Wednesday November 5, 2025 3:54 pm PST by Juli Clover
It's been over a decade since Apple's HomeKit smart home platform launched, and it is overdue for an update. HomeKit and the Home app can no longer keep up with AI-powered solutions from other companies like Google and Amazon, but that's set to change with a smart home revamp that Apple has planned for 2026.
Home Hub
Apple is working on a home hub or "command center" that will serve as a...
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.
