All articles tagged with #home screen
Apple’s iOS 27 introduces a new extra-large widget size that stretches the Home Screen to a 4×6 grid, with 11 core Apple apps currently supporting these widgets in beta 1, enabling more content to be visible at a glance and likely expanding further in future updates.
Android 17 adds a hidden home-screen option on Pixel devices to hide app names for a cleaner, minimal look. To enable it, long-press the home screen, choose Wallpaper & style, go to Icons, then Names, and toggle Show app names off (names still appear in the app drawer).
Roku now lets eligible devices manually switch to the company’s redesigned home screen via Settings > Home Screen > Home Screen Update, enabling early opt-in before the automatic rollout. The switch is one-way and cannot be undone, though users can customize the new UI to resemble the old layout. The update brings features like Top Picks for You, a customizable Quick Access area, Destinations hubs, a unified view of subscriptions, improved search, and a collapsible side menu, along with new widgets such as Your Daily Scoop and Roku City. Availability is staggered by device and account, with some users seeing a “coming soon” indicator; international expansion is anticipated. Those who wait will receive the update automatically as the rollout progresses, and users are advised to ensure a stable internet connection and latest software before updating.”,
Roku’s biggest OS update in a decade adds a large, permanent ad space on the home screen’s right side that stays visible as you navigate the menu. Ads can promote shows or be unrelated, and the mix of paid vs programmed ads isn’t fixed. The redesign also trims the left navigation, adds a Destinations hub and AI-driven Quick Access and Top Picks, and is rolling out automatically in the US. Roku says the change should boost monetization through ads or subscriptions, though some users dislike ads dominating the screen.
Roku rolled out a major, personalization-driven overhaul of its home screen, promising a faster path to content with features like Top Picks for You, a Quick Access hub for frequently used apps, streamlined menus, genre-based destinations (For You, Subscriptions), a unified search with suggestions, and new shortcuts plus a Roku City tile; rollout begins May 27 on U.S. Roku TVs and devices with international expansion to follow.
Roku is launching its first big Home Screen refresh in over ten years, offering a more personalized, faster experience with features like Quick Access to apps, an expanded Top Picks for You, new Destinations hubs, cross-subscription browsing, expanded search, and handy shortcuts (Save List, Continued Watching). The update centers entertainment, with Your Daily Scoop and a Roku City tile, and rolls out today on US Roku TVs and devices, with international expansion to follow; Roku cites broad subscriber familiarity and CEO Anthony Wood’s call to a simpler, more powerful interface.
Roku is overhauling its homescreen after more than a decade, adding personalized recommendations, more prominent app placements, a “top picks for you” section, a large marquee ad, genre-based destinations tied to usage and subscriptions, and an interactive Roku City, with updates designed to boost engagement and ad revenue while preserving Roku’s simple, user-friendly feel and adapting to how households use the device.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports iOS 27 will add Undo and Redo buttons to the iPhone Home Screen customization menu to make reversing or redoing layout changes easier; the feature arrives alongside other rumored iOS 27 updates like a dedicated Siri app and Apple Intelligence, with beta testing starting in June and a September release.
Apple's iOS 18 update, expected to be announced at WWDC in June, may introduce a highly customizable home screen for iPhones, allowing users to change app icon colors and arrange them freely. The update will also feature AI-powered enhancements, including new emoji capabilities.
Google is set to introduce new features and improvements to the Pixel Launcher in the upcoming Android 15 update, including a faster swipe-to-home animation, enhanced widget recommendations with categorized options, a convenient "+ Add" button in the widget selector, and a more accessible menu for app shortcuts in the recents screen. These changes aim to enhance the app launching experience on Pixel devices, although it's uncertain if they will be available on other Android devices.
Apple is set to introduce a long-awaited feature in iOS 18 that will allow users to freely rearrange app icons on their home screens, a capability that Android has had for 15 years. This update is expected to be one of the biggest in Apple's history, and it may also include the addition of Google's Gemini AI model and RCS texting support, bringing higher-resolution photo and video messaging, audio messaging, typing indicators, and read receipts between Android phones and iPhones.
Sources familiar with the matter report that iOS 18 will allow iPhone users to have more control over the arrangement of Home Screen app icons, including the ability to create blank spaces, rows, and columns between icons. This update, expected to be announced at WWDC in June, will provide more official and convenient personalization options for the Home Screen, potentially resulting in the biggest revamp in several years. Other rumored features for iOS 18 include new generative AI functionality for Siri and multiple apps, RCS support in the Messages app, design changes, and more.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman suggests that iOS 18 will bring a "more customizable" Home Screen to iPhone, building on the customizable features introduced in iOS 14 and 16. The upcoming update is anticipated to be a significant overhaul, with Apple's AI advancements driving major changes to the operating system. The WWDC 2024 Developer Conference in June is expected to unveil the new features, with a public beta program likely to follow in July or August and the final release anticipated in September alongside the iPhone 16 line.
VisionOS 1.0 does not support pinning web apps to the home screen, posing a challenge for users accessing services like Netflix and YouTube that lack dedicated Vision Pro apps. This limitation, along with the inability to rearrange home screen icons, may impact user experience. The hope is that Apple will address these issues in future updates, such as visionOS 2.0.
Samsung has unveiled a redesigned home screen for its FAST streaming service, Samsung TV Plus, which has seen a 60 percent increase in global viewing time over the past year. The updated UI aims to enhance the user experience and improve navigation on the platform.