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iPhone owners, you are in for a treat with the highly anticipated release of iOS 17, as you get to experience many new and great features that will make your lives easier and more fun. This update adds useful features and significant customization choices, allowing users to personalize their iPhones like never before. You can now completely customize the look and feel of your iPhone, from configurable app icons and widgets to dynamic wallpapers and themes. Whether you like a minimalist style or a vibrant and colorful UI, iOS 17 has something for everyone.
Lock screen customization
Customizing your iPhone’s lock screen makes it a more efficient and personalized device. Widgets, backgrounds, and numerous profiles can all be used to build a lock screen that not only looks amazing but also greatly increases convenience and productivity. Lock screen customization gives countless options to customize your iPhone experience to your own requirements and lifestyle.
By pushing and holding the lock screen until a vibration happens and the text “Customize” appears, the lock screen can be personalized. After selecting “Customize,” you can alter the clock and text fonts and colors, as well as add widgets to your lock screen.
– Widgets on lock screen
The ability to add widgets to the lock screen is one of the most interesting aspects of iPhone customization. These widgets function as dynamic modules that put important information at your fingertips for instant access. To check the current weather or prediction, for example, you can quickly add a weather widget without having to unlock your device.
– Appearance
- The customization doesn’t stop at widgets. You can personalize the appearance of your lock screen with custom wallpapers, including live photos and dynamic backgrounds that change throughout the day.
- Additionally, you can modify the font style and color of the clock and other lock screen elements to match your aesthetic preferences. This level of personalization ensures that your lock screen not only serves functional purposes but also reflects your unique style.
– Other profiles
- The option to set up several lock screen profiles is another valuable feature. For different situations, including work, home, or exercise, you may set up distinct lock screen configurations.
- For instance, you could like a configuration with smart home controls and entertainment applications at home, but during business hours, you might have a lock screen with calendar events and email notifications. With only a swipe, you can easily transition between different profiles.
- Customized lock screen features also improve privacy and security. To keep private information private, you may select which widgets and alerts show up on your lock screen.
– Focus mode
- An even more customized experience is possible with Focus modes that allow you to customize the lock screen. Focus modes make sure your iPhone always shows the most relevant information by dynamically changing your lock screen based on your location or activities.
- For example, during meetings, the “Do Not Disturb” mode may be used to block out distractions, while the “Fitness” mode can be used to provide exercise statistics and music controls.
Widgets on the home screen
A widget is information from an app shown as a little box on your home screen. Widgets are a terrific way to acquire information like the weather, news, or other vital data without having to open an app. Widgets have grown significantly more useful and customizable since the release of iOS 15. Understanding what widgets do and how to use them is now more effective and beneficial.
- Adding widgets to the home screen: Long-press a space on your home screen until the icons begin to jitter to add a widget. To access the widget gallery, tap the ‘+’ symbol located in the upper-left corner. Click ‘Add Widget’ after browsing through the various widgets, choose one you like, and select its size.
- Adding and modifying widgets: To make changes to your widgets, long-press on them and choose ‘Edit Widget’. This lets you change things like the widget’s look and appearance, as well as the data it displays.
- News widget: The most recent news headlines and articles from your preferred sources are displayed on the news widget. You may configure it to display news from particular publications or categories.
- Widget for battery: Displays the remaining battery life of your iPhone and any linked devices, including the Apple Watch and AirPods. Assists in monitoring the battery life of your device.
- Weather Widget: Shows the temperature, forecast, and current weather. Various sizes and degrees of detail are available for selection.
Wallpaper
Choosing a visually appealing and customized wallpaper for your phone may greatly improve its looks and make it feel more personal. With so many alternatives available, you can pick from a wide range of wallpapers to fit your style and preferences.
– Static wallpapers
- Creative designs: Get high-quality pictures from the internet, such as photographs of landscapes, abstract art, or creative artwork. There are a ton of excellent, free wallpapers available on websites like Unsplash, Pexels, and Pixabay.
- Custom creations: Use graphic design software such as Adobe Photoshop, Canva, or even mobile apps made only for making wallpapers to make your own wallpapers. This enables you to have a genuinely distinctive style that suits your tastes.
- Themed wallpapers: Seasons, holidays, and fandoms are just a few of the themes for which you may get wallpapers. This allows you to periodically change the wallpaper on your phone to reflect special occasions or mood swings, keeping it feeling modern and relevant.
– Live wallpapers
Live wallpapers provide a dynamic and interactive aspect to your phone’s home or lock screen. They include subtle movements, animations, or special effects such as falling leaves, flowing water, or changing colors. Live wallpapers make your smartphone feel more alive and deliver a more immersive experience.
- Apple’s live wallpaper Collection: The company offers a range of themes for its live wallpapers, such as abstract patterns, nature, and seasonal imagery.
- Custom live photographs: You may make wallpapers out of your own live photographs. Use the Live Photo function to record brief films, then set them as your live wallpaper.
App icon customization
While iOS provides a more restricted environment than other mobile operating systems, there are still a number of ways to personalize and adapt your apps to improve the user experience.
– Creating personalized App icons using shortcuts
Using the Shortcuts app, which lets you swap out the default program icons with pictures or custom-made icons, is one of the most often-used ways to customize app icons on iOS.
How to use shortcuts to customize icons:
- Step 1: Launch the iPhone Shortcuts app.
- Step 2: To add a new shortcut, tap the plus button.
- Step 3: Click Add Action and look for the Open App action.
- Step 4: From the list, select the app that you wish to modify.
- Step 5: Choose Add to Home Screen by tapping the three dots in the upper right corner.
- Step 6: To submit a custom picture for the icon, tap the default icon next to the app name and choose Choose Photo.
- Step 7: To add the new app icon to your home screen, tap Add.
By using this method, you can totally alter the appearance of your home screen by swapping out all of the stock app icons for unique pictures, including icons that adhere to a certain theme or style. But be aware that using the Shortcuts app to start the app using these customized shortcuts may cause a small delay.
– Themes and packs
You can download a variety of icon packs from the internet to swap out the default program icons. Certain icon packs are made to provide a unified theme, such vintage, vibrant, or minimalist styles.
- Where to look for packs: Custom icon packs are available for download on websites such as Etsy, Icons8, and Flaticon.
- Apps from third parties: You can apply themes to alter widgets and app icons using apps like Launcher and Icon Themer.
Applying icon packs
- Open the Photos app and download the icon pack of your choice.
- To replace app icons with pictures from the icon pack, use the identical procedures as with the Shortcuts technique above.
- Try creating a cohesive home screen design by mixing personalized icons with complementary backgrounds and widgets for a smooth appearance.
– Bonus tip: How to hide apps on the home screen
Apps can be removed from the home screen on iOS, but they remain available in the App Library. You can still locate the app when you need to by using this strategy, which keeps your home screen tidy.
- Holding down the app icon will bring up a menu.
- Instead than tapping “Delete App,” tap “Remove App.”
- Choose “Delete from Home Screen.”
💡 How to locate the hidden App:
To reach the App Library (final page), swipe left across every page of your home screen.
To locate the app fast, use the Search Bar at the top.
Dark Mode
You could significantly enhance your viewing experience, lessen eye strain, and even prolong battery life by adjusting the display settings on your iPhone. Apple offers a number of options that let users customize the appearance of their screen to suit their tastes or the lighting around them.
– Benefits of Dark mode
Your iPhone’s UI becomes darker when you go to Dark Mode, which helps protect your eyes in low light. Dark Mode isn’t just for show; because fewer pixels are lit, it can help prolong the life of batteries, particularly on OLED-screening devices like the iPhone 12 and subsequent models.
- Battery conservation: OLED panels help your phone last longer during the day by conserving electricity by turning off pixels in dark sections of the display.
- Eye comfort: Light writing on dark backgrounds is easier on the eyes, particularly when used at night or in low light.
By lowering the quantity of blue light your screen emits, Night Shift turns the display to warmer tones for the evening. Night Shift aids in improving sleep quality by producing a display that is less stimulating to the melatonin produced by blue light, which can disrupt sleep patterns.
- Better sleep quality: Even after using your device, it might be simpler to unwind and go to sleep in the evening when you choose warmer tones.
- Better viewing: To preserve your eyes and encourage a more peaceful sleep cycle, you should limit your exposure to blue light in the evening.
Display customization
With the variety of display options available on iPhones, consumers may customize their visual experience. Here’s how to change the display settings on your iPhone, whether you want to increase readability, prolong battery life, or just make your smartphone appear and feel more pleasant to use:
- Auto-brightness: This feature automatically modifies the brightness of your screen according to the lighting conditions outside. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size and turn Auto-Brightness on or off to make it active or inactive.
- Settings > Display & Brightness > Night Shift: This feature makes it easier on the eyes at night by lowering the amount of blue light that the display emits. Night Shift can be manually enabled or scheduled to activate automatically.
- Bold text: To make the text thicker across the interface and easier to see, you may also activate Bold Text in the Display & Brightness area.
- Display Zoom: Choose Standard (the default size) or Zoomed (bigger interface components) under Settings > Display & Brightness > View to see your apps and interface more closely.
- Configuration → Motion → Accessibility Reduce Motion: This setting lessens the animation and motion effects on your iPhone, including app transitions and the parallax effect on icons. Turning this on can help lessen eye strain and prolong battery life.
- Settings → Accessibility → Display & Text Size → Increase Contrast: This option improves reading by enhancing the contrast between the text and backdrop.
- Settings → Display & Brightness → Raise to Wake: When you pick up your iPhone, this function activates the screen automatically. You may turn off this feature if you would rather manually wake your phone by touching or hitting the side button.
- Settings → Accessibility → Display & Text Size → Color Filters: You may activate Color Filters to change the screen’s color if you have color blindness or certain color preferences. Along with a grayscale choice, there are other alternatives for the various forms of color blindness (Tritanopia, Deuteranopia, and Protanopia).
Control center
By enabling you to quickly access commonly used tools and functions with a swipe, you may significantly increase productivity by customizing the Control Center on your iPhone. You may improve the efficiency and intuitiveness of using your iPhone by customizing the shortcuts and arranging the controls according to your needs.
– Personalize shortcuts
The Control Center offers numerous shortcuts to important iPhone features, such as the flashlight, Wi-Fi settings, and airplane mode. Nevertheless, you may go beyond the fundamentals by providing shortcuts for additional functions that fit your lifestyle.
- Screen recording: You can effortlessly record your screen, which is great for capturing live apps games or tutorials.
- Dark Mode: Change the mode from light to dark without going through the settings.
- Low-Power Mode: When you’re on the road and need to extend usage, this mode is perfect for saving battery life with a single tap.
- Notes and Camera: Take quick notes or take pictures without having to unlock your phone.