Makeovr Web app lets iPhone users create blank spaces on home screen
If you've ever found yourself despairing over Apple's insistence that home screen icons be lined up neatly in rows, but can't -- or won't -- turn to jailbreak tweaks, a relatively new Web app called Makeovr has come to your rescue.
Makeovr provides a quick way to create "invisible icons" -- icons that will occupy slots on your home screen, but which appear to blend into the background. Using this technique, you can position regular app icons or folders in a slot of your choice.
It works by taking advantage of an iOS feature that dates back to the first-generation iPhone: the ability to add Web pages to the home screen as pseudo-apps. This was, of course, Apple's initial strategy for third-party apps on the platform but was quickly superseded by the iOS SDK and App Store.
Apple gives web developers the ability to define custom icons for use in the event that their site or Web app is added to an iOS home screen. Makeovr creates a number of custom icons based on a specific wallpaper, and lets users select individual icons based on which portions of their screen they'd like to be "blank."
You can choose from one of Makeovr's ready-made themes, including an excellent Mario offering, or upload a screenshot of your own background to create bespoke blanking panels. To get started, visit makeovr.io from an iPhone 5, 5s, 6, or 6 Plus.
For those who want an entirely blank first page of their home screen, Apple began catering to minimalists with this option starting in iOS 8.
Makeovr provides a quick way to create "invisible icons" -- icons that will occupy slots on your home screen, but which appear to blend into the background. Using this technique, you can position regular app icons or folders in a slot of your choice.
It works by taking advantage of an iOS feature that dates back to the first-generation iPhone: the ability to add Web pages to the home screen as pseudo-apps. This was, of course, Apple's initial strategy for third-party apps on the platform but was quickly superseded by the iOS SDK and App Store.
Apple gives web developers the ability to define custom icons for use in the event that their site or Web app is added to an iOS home screen. Makeovr creates a number of custom icons based on a specific wallpaper, and lets users select individual icons based on which portions of their screen they'd like to be "blank."
You can choose from one of Makeovr's ready-made themes, including an excellent Mario offering, or upload a screenshot of your own background to create bespoke blanking panels. To get started, visit makeovr.io from an iPhone 5, 5s, 6, or 6 Plus.
For those who want an entirely blank first page of their home screen, Apple began catering to minimalists with this option starting in iOS 8.
Comments
Have to agree. Of things that irritate me from time to time about Apple what some see as inflexible I don't bother about. I'd rather have a bit of inflexibility but an ecosystem that 'just works'.
I just wish that you could make custom icons for folders so they would be easier to recognize.
I think this is about customization and freedom more than minimalism. I love it.
Now I can make my iOS device look as crappy as possible !!!
It can help with the bigger phones too as it can create a blank row at the top so that all apps are reachable. A web link is the only way they could do it as Apple wouldn't allow an app in the App Store with a blank name and icon. The only other type they could make would be a web app, which has to be a website of some sort, it makes sense to link it to their own. Apple could allow creating whitespace blocks by tap-holding on a blank area of the home screen, which could then be moved, resized and deleted.
Apple could eventually switch to the Watch-style homescreen without the pages of apps. That would work better if the screen tracked your hand in 3D, panned over to where your thumb or finger was heading before tapping and zoomed in where you were about to press. It can zoom out when you grab an icon to relocate it to position it quickly.
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The more apps that people get, the less efficient the paging is because they never implemented a multiple page jump. It's a little harder to recognize apps in a big grid like that but you can fit more than 2x the amount of icons in each screen with the Watch layout.
If they had the zooming, they could also make the dock part more like OS X where the dots are smaller and zoom up as you hover over them. They could perhaps allow multiple actions this way too so you'd tap-hold, the bubbles would scale up and down a bit vs wobbling and then instead of showing crosses, you'd tap the icons to select them and there would be options at the bottom of the screen to delete selected, group them together (which would arrange the chosen icons together in the order selected), merge them into a folder so you're not dragging individual icons all the time.
It would still make sense in that style to have a way of grouping apps into separated clouds with spacing or some kind. Perhaps groups of apps can have optional single icon separation around the group and maybe circle each icon with a colored stroke to make the group more visible. Zooming out would always have to show a large scale overview (likely all apps at the extreme) but it can behave a bit like how their Photos app works.
It can help with the bigger phones too as it can create a blank row at the top so that all apps are reachable. A web link is the only way they could do it as Apple wouldn't allow an app in the App Store with a blank name and icon. The only other type they could make would be a web app, which has to be a website of some sort, it makes sense to link it to their own. Apple could allow creating whitespace blocks by tap-holding on a blank area of the home screen, which could then be moved, resized and deleted.
Apple could eventually switch to the Watch-style homescreen without the pages of apps. That would work better if the screen tracked your hand in 3D, panned over to where your thumb or finger was heading before tapping and zoomed in where you were about to press. It can zoom out when you grab an icon to relocate it to position it quickly.
The more apps that people get, the less efficient the paging is because they never implemented a multiple page jump. It's a little harder to recognize apps in a big grid like that but you can fit more than 2x the amount of icons in each screen with the Watch layout.
If they had the zooming, they could also make the dock part more like OS X where the dots are smaller and zoom up as you hover over them. They could perhaps allow multiple actions this way too so you'd tap-hold, the bubbles would scale up and down a bit vs wobbling and then instead of showing crosses, you'd tap the icons to select them and there would be options at the bottom of the screen to delete selected, group them together (which would arrange the chosen icons together in the order selected), merge them into a folder so you're not dragging individual icons all the time.
It would still make sense in that style to have a way of grouping apps into separated clouds with spacing or some kind. Perhaps groups of apps can have optional single icon separation around the group and maybe circle each icon with a colored stroke to make the group more visible. Zooming out would always have to show a large scale overview (likely all apps at the extreme) but it can behave a bit like how their Photos app works.
I have a 6 Plus, and I personally still don't want a row of basically invisible buttons that launch something. But to each his own.
I mean I totally understand the concerns about the growing number of apps people need to manage, but this is not the way I'd like to manage them.
I wish Apple would allow placement of icons anywhere.
Given how many apps are typically on one's phone, the current user interface is not very efficient.
In addition to better folder recognition, I would love a responsive filter that would reveal only the apps of a selected category.
I suppose WWDC will reveal whether or not Apple has any intentions of adding customization in iOS 9.
Only the last sentence is for the minimalists.
Sure right.
Still love that feature