Apple unveils iOS 18, adding more Home Screen customization, a dark mode that tints app icons, a revamped Control Center, scheduled send for Messages, and more

9to5Mac 2024-06-12 Chance Miller

Context & Ripple Effects

iOS 18’s Home Screen changes formalize a previously reported push for freer app placement, making personalization a more explicit part of Apple’s core interface direction.

The update extends a sequence of interface revisions: iOS 13’s system-wide Dark Mode and iOS 14’s compact system interactions each altered how users encounter apps and system controls.

First-order effects

iPhone users gain more control over the visual arrangement of apps and the appearance of app icons, alongside new Control Center and Messages workflows.
App developers have less certainty that their icons will be seen in their default color treatment when users apply icon tinting.

Second-order effects

Design teams may place greater emphasis on icon silhouettes and contrast that remain recognizable across user-selected layouts and color treatments.
Scheduled sending narrows a workflow gap with messaging products that already treat delayed delivery as a standard convenience feature.

Third-order effects

If Apple keeps opening core interface surfaces to user configuration, iOS differentiation may shift further from a fixed visual language toward system-managed personalization.
The pattern preserves Apple’s role as the designer of the underlying interaction framework while allowing more variation at the user-facing layer.

The trend: Mobile operating systems are moving toward more personalizable default interfaces without giving up centralized control of the system experience.

Discussion

@benedictevans Benedict Evans on threads
Apple has a tendency to leave an app untouched for 5 years and then take a big jump forward (and then ignore it again). Looks like they just did that to Mail.
@_patters Jason Patterson on threads
With this in place Apple can omit the buttons entirely and use a squeezable Charmin-steel frame on iPhone 16
@sdw Sebastiaan de With on threads
Apple was like 'yeah let's do Venmo but make it absolutely sick'
@kylefrost Kyle Frost on threads
Apple 2023: @alltrails is app of the year. Apple 2024: We built trail maps directly into the Maps app 😏
@bzamayo Benjamin Mayo on threads
The long-rumoured custom routes feature for Apple Maps is in iOS 18 ... but only for walking and hiking, not driving
@stroughtonsmith … Steve Troughton-Smith on mastodon
The new icon modes in iOS 18 are also really doing it for me: dark mode icons and large no-label icons make the OS feel fresh — [image]
@strnmn Moritz Sternemann on x
🔦 Welcome to the new flashlight experience on iPhone! It feels incredible to see my intern project in people's hands in the #iOS18 developer beta. Super thankful for the endless feedback and support from everyone involved! Quick demo of the UI and beam width control here: [image]
@ostynhyss @ostynhyss on x
the action button animation for the flashlight in iOS 18 is absurd [video]
@mkbhd Marques Brownlee on x
Up until this moment, everyone's homescreens looked the same. Now they've given you the ability to ruin your homescreens... and you absolutely will. Welcome 😅
@sentry @sentry on x
It's giving me Microsoft [image]
@ayushswrites Ayush S on x
the thing that made Apple so successful, and what Steve Jobs deeply understood, is that the masses have terrible taste and therefore must be strictly guard-railed from making their own aesthetic and design choices [image]
@r3h8t @r3h8t on x
if anyone ever sends me one of these it's an instant block [image]
@sekachov Alexey on x
okay, jokes aside. this is bad. this is so bad. this is the android level of bad. the capital B type of bad. it's like good, but really, really bad. [image]
@uwukko @uwukko on x
welcome back windows phone
@aleksliving Aleks on x
actually can't believe that apple is shipping tinted icons... not a vibe [image]
@imsh4yy Shayan on x
Is it just me, or has Apple lost its aesthetics plot? - Tinted home screen icons. - The ugly Siri icon. - The ‘I just learned CSS’ Siri halo gradient. [image]
@ikeadrift Benjamin on x
[image]
@ronamadeo Ron Amadeo on x
Is it just me or does Apple's icon theming look like a 2011 Android Rom from XDA? [image]
@concept_central Shea on x
I'm sorry but these icons just do not look good [image]
@ceauxrt @ceauxrt on x
[image]
@lauriewired @lauriewired on x
the new iOS themes look like a random Cydia tweak you installed on your jailbroken iPhone when you were 12 only to remove it 2 weeks later [image]
@sdw Sebastiaan de With on x
Apple was like 'yeah let's do Venmo but make it absolutely sick' [video]
@gartenberg Michael Gartenberg on x
How it started “iOS 18 is just amazing” How's it going “iOS 18 without the AI stuff is just moving apps around which gets boring real fast”
@sdw Sebastiaan de With on x
This is so Apple. Ridiculous. I love it.
@gregsarafian Greg Sarafian on x
design details in iOS 18 - display bezels expand to indicate when a button is being pressed [video]
@halidecamera @halidecamera on x
Even better than we thought, Halide and Kino might even work while your iPhone is locked. thank you Apple! [image]
@rjeytech @rjeytech on x
Ok iOS 18 is overrated asf without Apple Intelligence... Quickly got bored of this. [image]
@sondesix Alvin on x
I can finally keep my sussy photos and videos safe by enabling this on iOS 18. [image]
@rsgnl Joe Rossignol on x
Looks like iOS 18's dark tint for app icons can extend to next-generation CarPlay [image]
@growing_daniel Daniel on x
insane like I can't believe a company with the design legacy of Apple would release this, yes, sure
@iupdate Sam Kohl on x
iOS 18 is goated [image]
@shantinix @shantinix on x
This year I led the engineering effort to build recording, transcription and summarization in Notes, and worked with the Phone/FaceTime teams to extend that to calls. It's been a labor of love for me and the many others involved. Can't wait to see what people do with these tools!…
@zachsilberberg Zach Silberberg on x
before i die im going to schedule a bunch of texts to people i hate so my imessage ghost can haunt them for years
@parismartineau Paris Martineau on x
tapeacall is shaking
@nikitabier Nikita Bier on x
Real talk: probably fine. A lot of work was expended on ranking contacts and cleaning out businesses & irrelevant contacts. So it may even be better to know who the closest connections are.
@nikitabier Nikita Bier on x
["Control how you share contacts with apps"] It's the end of the world.
@stevemoser Steve Moser on x
Sorry folks, looks like my posting of iOS diffs has come to an end as Apple has changed the OS image (IPSW) format to Apple Encrypted Archive. 🪦 Any info on opening these up would be appreciated. (h/t @zollotech for the image and @aaronp613 for the info on the change). [image]
@notyourboycam Cam on x
no more “ima send it to you”....bitch tap my phone rn! [Image of Tap to Cash]
@petersterne Peter Sterne on x
It is impossible to overstate how much this will improve journalists' lives. https://www.theverge.com/... [image]
@mkbhd Marques Brownlee on x
I know they just added RCS, but if I send a Genmoji to a friend with an Android phone it's gonna show up as a jpg, isn't it ☠️
@benbajarin Ben Bajarin on x
Genmoji's are going to be a hit. This one thing may cause people to upgrade sooner lol. In all seriousness that is the mainstreaming of Gen AI right there.
@maxwinebach Max Weinbach on x
How do you feel about this Android fans? Apple basically brought all the big and most requested customization features to iPhone
@maxwinebach Max Weinbach on x
You can now lock apps and it requires Face ID, TouchID or password and you won't see notifications or data from those apps
@benbajarin Ben Bajarin on x
Deeper customization comes to iOS. Here comes the “Android has had these features for years crowd.”
@alex @alex on x
they brought word art to ios ahahah i love it
@richlightshed @richlightshed on x
Interesting that @snap mentioned as app to replace the iphone camera button on your iOS home screen at #wwdc Could image lots of teens and young adults making this shift $SNAP [image]
@elonmusk Elon Musk on x
@MKBHD Um ok
@sdw Sebastiaan de With on x
Custom icon colors. I never thought I'd see the day. [image]
@film_girl Christina Warren on x
Ok this new color shit is hot. I cannot wait to make my iPhone Home Screen rose gold #wwdc24 #wwdc
@joannastern Joanna Stern on x
YES! In iOS 18 you can move app icons anywhere you want on homescreen. No more strict grid! And you can change color of app icons. Deeper control Center customization, too. [image]
@mkbhd Marques Brownlee on x
The crowd cheers as they demonstrate the NEW ability to put icons anywhere you want on your home screen 😅 [image]
@munster_gene Gene Munster on x
iOS18: • Customized screens. This is a more flexible approach to how the consumer interacts with the iPhone, which is noteworthy because historically Apple has limited this customization to keep the experience simple. My take: iPhone owners will love this Android approach to
@mkbhd Marques Brownlee on x
Some new iOS 18 Features - The ability to put icons anywhere on the homescreen grid - Theme engine to add a single tint color to all icons and widgets - Redesigned control center with multiple pages and third party app support - You can finally change the flashlight and camera
@mkbhd Marques Brownlee on x
Next up: “iOS 18 is a big release that has more ways to customize your iPhone” .... ok tell me more
@maxwinebach Max Weinbach on x
App developers can build control center controls too Can't wait for one for my Tesla frunk and A/C
@maxwinebach Max Weinbach on x
Oh that new UI for control center looks great, multiple groups of controls with cards for media, home, and more. Looks super useful here
@durvidimel David ImeI on x
RC YES [image]
@sdw Sebastiaan de With on x
This is wild. [image]
@minimaxir Max Woolf on x
tap to cash tap to cash TAP TO CASH
@mkbhd Marques Brownlee on x
Ok Craig finally said it. RCS Messaging support. A nice little afterthought 😅
@alex @alex on x
brosef i dont care about my windows vista-ass ios widgets
@maxwinebach Max Weinbach on x
Select and place icons anywhere, what everyone's been asking for dark mode app icons, and you can even change the background color and tint. Similar to Material You!
@eric_seufert Eric Seufert on x
Tap to cash addresses a core Venmo use case.
@mgsiegler M.G. Siegler on x
Can't wait to make the Hot Dog Stand theme for iOS. #WWDC24
@durvidimel David ImeI on x
Like 3 claps when Craig announced arranging apps where you want
@durvidimel David ImeI on x
I think every celebrity that has ever celebritied was in that Apple TV+ ad

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