Edit app appearance on iPhone: press and hold the Home Screen, tap Edit > Customize. Control Center and Photos have separate editing tools.
When you want to edit apps on iPhone, you’re usually looking at three distinct tasks: changing how app icons look on the Home Screen, rearranging the controls in Control Center, or touching up photos and videos. Each works differently, and Apple gives you official tools for all three. This guide covers exactly where to go and what to tap for each task.
Edit Apps on iPhone: The Three Official Ways Explained
You don’t need third‑party apps to edit app‑related elements on an iPhone. The built‑in options are spread across the Home Screen, Control Center, and the Photos app. Below is a full breakdown.
How to Edit App Icons on the Home Screen
To change the look of app icons and widgets, start from the Home Screen itself. Press and hold an empty area of the screen until the apps begin to jiggle, then tap Edit in the top‑left corner, and choose Customize.
- Icon appearance: Choose from Auto, Dark, Light, or Tinted. Tinted lets you match icons to a color from your wallpaper.
- Larger icons: Toggle the option to make icons bigger without labels underneath.
- Rearrange apps: While apps are jiggling, drag any icon to a new spot.
The changes apply immediately. Tap anywhere off the icons to exit jiggle mode. This works on iPhones running iOS 17 or later.
How to Customize Control Center
Editing Control Center lets you add, remove, and rearrange the shortcuts you use most. The opening gesture depends on your iPhone model.
- iPhone with Face ID: Swipe down from the top‑right corner.
- iPhone with a Home button: Swipe up from the bottom edge.
Once open, tap the + button at the top left to enter edit mode (or add controls). To remove a control, tap the minus icon in its upper‑left corner. Drag any control to a new position to rearrange it. To resize a control, drag the handle at its lower right. To create a new section, drag a control off the bottom of the page. When you’re done, swipe up from the bottom center to close Control Center and save.
Editing Photos and Videos in the Photos App
The Photos app gives you powerful tools for adjusting light, color, filters, and more. Edits are non‑destructive until you choose to save them.
- Open a photo or video and tap Edit.
- For manual adjustments, tap Adjust, then swipe left under the photo to see settings like Exposure, Brilliance, and Highlights. Tap a setting and drag the slider to fine‑tune.
- To apply a filter, tap the filter button (three overlapping circles), choose one like Vivid or Dramatic, and adjust the slider for effect strength.
- If the photo was taken with a Photographic Style, tap Styles to adjust tone, color, and intensity.
- To compare your edit with the original, tap the compare button (two overlapping squares).
- Tap Done to save, or Cancel then Discard Changes to undo everything.
You can also copy edits from one photo and paste them onto others. Open the edited photo, tap Copy Edits, then select other items and tap Paste Edits. To match Photos edit appearance with system theme, go to Appearance and choose System.
Comparison of Editing Options on iPhone
The table below summarizes the specific tasks you can do in each area, along with quick access steps.
| Editing Task | Available In | How to Access |
|---|---|---|
| Change icon appearance (auto/dark/light/tinted) | Home Screen | Press & hold blank area > Edit > Customize |
| Make icons larger without labels | Home Screen | Same path as above, toggle option |
| Rearrange app icons | Home Screen | Press & hold icon, then drag |
| Add a control to Control Center | Control Center | Swipe down/up, tap +, then tap control |
| Remove a control from Control Center | Control Center | Tap – on control, then tap upper‑left corner |
| Rearrange controls in Control Center | Control Center | Drag control to new position |
| Resize a control in Control Center | Control Center | Drag handle at lower right |
| Adjust exposure/brilliance/highlights in Photos | Photos | Edit > Adjust, tap setting, drag slider |
| Apply filters to a photo/video | Photos | Edit > filter button, choose filter |
| Copy and paste photo edits | Photos | Tap Copy Edits on edited photo, then Paste Edits |
Apple’s official guide covers the Home Screen customization steps in detail. Apple’s Home Screen customization guide explains the appearance options for iOS.
Putting It All Together
Here’s the quick recap for the three main “edit apps” actions:
- Change Home Screen icon appearance: Hold a blank area of the Home Screen, tap Edit > Customize, then choose an icon look and size.
- Customize Control Center: Open Control Center, tap the +, then add, remove, or rearrange controls and sections.
- Edit photos and videos: Open Photos, tap Edit, then use Adjust, Filters, or Styles to perfect the shot.
No third‑party apps needed. Each of these tools is built into iOS and works right out of the box.
References & Sources
- Apple Support. “Make your iPhone your own.” Official Home Screen customization procedures for iPhone.
- Apple Support. “Use and customize Control Center on iPhone.” Control Center editing steps for Face ID and Home button models.
- Apple Support. “Edit photos and videos on iPhone.” Photos editing features including adjustments, filters, and styles.