Is the ability to “theme” your home screen something Apple needs to prioritize or is it just a fad?

[Vanilla35]

Serious question, if one is launching an app through shortcuts, doesn’t that slow the app opening speed? And, on iPad, can you still launch an app for side by side view or the slide over feature?

Would be curious to know this as well.

 

[Lauren Olivia]

It’s only a fad for us nerds, for everyone else this is the tip of the iceberg. Especially young people, young women specifically,this is a sea change in how people view their iPhone, I think we forget the normies in our tech bubbles. This generation is all about building and defining their brand, and that absolutely extends to your digital identity and customizing your phone.

Hop into a social discord full of 18-34 year old women and look back at how often they’re showing off their lock screens, girls running Etsy shops to make custom wallpapers. This was all before iOS 14! I absolutely think there’s a good chance this will be prioritized, slowly, going forward.

For instance, Memojis weren’t made for our dads or our History teacher in mind either, but Apple clearly is all in on them and consistently building it out, and they’ve yet to monetize them. I’ve already seen designers make thousdands of dollars selling their icon sets for iOS already, just in the week or so since release. It’ll be interesting to see how that pans on long term.

But I think the floodgates are open and the money is already stacking, it’s only a matter of time before Apple tries to figure out how to get their hands on it.

 

[bushman4]

It’s called bells and whistles. prople like toys. Whether or not it’s a fad time will tell

 

[Bazza1]

Since when?
In the past couple of OS’s we have had interactive widgets. Not a lot, but they are there.

Well, there's the badges for some icons, and there are the widgets that run in the screen to the left of the Home Screen (whatever that's called) that do refresh - and one might assume that the new iOS Weather widget for the Home Screen does (though no guidance as to how often), and their Photo one cycles thru your photo library, but they certainly don't seem to be encouraging 3rd Party ones to have active connections. This, I appreciate, may be a battery issue (to which Apple is deservedly sensitive) or has privacy concerns, but that should be up to the user to decide as to whether they are willing on taking hits on those.
I mean, if Apple was truly concerned over battery or privacy issues, they would have banished the Facebook app years ago... 😉

 

[dk001]

Well, there's the badges for some icons, and there are the widgets that run in the screen to the left of the Home Screen (whatever that's called) that do refresh - and one might assume that the new iOS Weather widget for the Home Screen does (though no guidance as to how often), and their Photo one cycles thru your photo library, but they certainly don't seem to be encouraging 3rd Party ones to have active connections. This, I appreciate, may be a battery issue (to which Apple is deservedly sensitive) or has privacy concerns, but that should be up to the user to decide as to whether they are willing on taking hits on those.
I mean, if Apple was truly concerned over battery or privacy issues, they would have banished the Facebook app years ago... 😉

So far the widget for my home security works and is still interactive even under 14.2 beta. Hope it stays that way.
Personally I wish Apple would take off they child locks. So much could be done to allow personalizing.
Don’t personally use FB but it has always been my other half’s biggest battery complaint