iOS 18 and the customization conundrum

Apple revealed iOS 18 and even more customization options during WWDC, and I have a lot of thoughts. I figured this would be a great opportunity to share how I feel about Apple's approach to device customization and how it fundamentally differs from Android.

It's interesting that Apple and Android have incredibly customizable interfaces, and the promotional images for this customization are incredibly bland and soulless. I'd love to use my own screenshots, but I'll save that for after the public beta so Apple doesn't get cranky.

iOS vs Android

First, let's talk about Android. It is infinitely customizable in ways Apple will never even think about touching. Being able to replace the entire look and feel of animations, windows, and more with skins and launchers is an incredible power. So no, I won't make the argument that iOS is more customizable than Android, at least not without a caveat.

iOS is much more customizable and personal than Android if you consider only the base operating system and what's included on-device. I know that sounds like I'm intentionally trying to give iOS an advantage in the comparison, but I make the distinction for a good reason. For iPhone, because all of its customization options are inherent to the operating system, none of them will have the ability to break or destabilize the device. That is not the case with launchers and other tools on Android.

Looking at what you can do with Material You and the other minimal tools included in Android, there's not much to see. There are some interesting widget options, and you can place icons anywhere with no regard for a grid, but there's not much else going on. Even the color-matched icons feel boring with their monochromatic style.

I think that Apple's approach is the better one. It started closed and locked in so every iPhone looked identical. It was boring and the focus of the Android vs iPhone wars of the 2010s. Even I was caught up in the rhetoric, stating that I switched to Apple because I wanted to use my device instead of playing with it. I look back now and see that it was a silly argument, but I believed it nonetheless.

Proactive personalization

Now, here we are a decade later, and I'm spending time arranging icons and widgets in various locations on my device, but it's an iPhone. However, the key difference is my iPhone is still unmistakably an iPhone while becoming a very personalized device. It's not just a pretty UI, for iOS, it's useful in many ways.

iOS users can customize their Home Screen, Lock Screen, and Control Center to fit their needs. It can be taken even further thanks to customizable interfaces in various apps like Photos. But the real differentiator is Focus Modes and Filters. That tool, combined with everything else makes iPhone customization infinitely more useful.

Apple's approach to proactive and personal computing is unmatched in this way. When I'm in my Personal Focus, my friends and family can reach me and cause notifications to appear on my lock screen, but if someone from work messaged me, they'd be triaged into a summary I'll view later. Of course, they can break through and notify me anyway if needed, but I like that there's an option.

Shift to my Work Focus, and everything changes. My Lock Screen is now a wallpaper made by Basic Apple Guy with the AppleInsider logo, my Home Screen has widgets like Timery, and Safari has moved to the work Profile, too. It's all instant and the perfect example of how Apple's customization efforts from the past few years excel.

Right now, you cannot tie the new custom Control Center or filtered icons to Focus Modes. The new Photos app doesn't have Focus Filters for controlling which content appears in the app. But that could be added in the future, and I'm excited about the potential.

I use all of the available Focus Modes. Sleep minimizes distractions, while Fitness gives me a view of my activity. All the modes serve a purpose and transform my device into whatever it needs to be at that moment. And that's true customization.

Customization wish list

Apple has provided a lot of tools to customize the iPhone and iPad, but they aren't universally supported across Apple's apps. The biggest glaring omission is Focus Filter support. Sure, I can make Mail show specific inboxes or toggle my Apple Music algorithm, but most of Apple's apps don't offer any filters.

Let me choose how the Sidebar appears in different apps based on Focus, like in Files. Or just let me choose to filter out specific folders based on Focus. Eliminate clutter in various locations like Reminders and Photos.

Let's take it even further. What if I could hide apps in the App Library based on Focus. Make social media apps disappear in Sleep Focus? Hide games in Work Focus.

The feature is new, so I'm certain it will arrive later, but the dark mode icons and filters need to be applied per focus as well.

And while some apps look downright bad in the filtered mode, I expect this will be an amazing option after developers have time to adapt. Apple has provided developers ways to update their icons to apply filters in interesting ways so they don't become flat low-contrast buttons.

My customization unicorn isn't based on looks. I'm still waiting for Apple to give me the option to filter and blacklist music from the algorithm. It breaks everything having sleep music and video game covers in my recommendations and algorithmic playlists.

Beyond more contextual customization options, my realistic wishlist isn't long. Apple has given us a lot of options, more than I'd even hoped for, like with the Lock Screen Camera and Flashlight buttons. But what else is there?

I have a friend who won't switch from Android simply because he loves having a video wallpaper on his lock screen. That's an interesting one Apple could approach, though I'm not sure I'd use one.

I'd love to hear what customization options you want on iOS. What is left for Apple to do after interactive widgets, custom control centers, and all the other options? Reply to this Mastodon post and let me know. And share your favorite Home Screens and Lock Screens! I'll share screenshots and more after iOS 18 is in public beta.