How to Place App Icons on Outer Perimeter in iOS 18

With the release of iOS 18, Apple removed the rigid top-to-bottom, left-to-right grid constraint that defined the iPhone Home Screen for years. Users can now place app icons and widgets anywhere on the grid layout, leaving blank spaces wherever they choose. This article explains how the new system functions and provides simple steps to arrange your app icons along the outer edges of your display to frame your wallpaper or enhance one-handed reachability.

The New Grid System

In previous iOS versions, placing an app icon at the bottom or sides required filling all previous slots with other apps or third-party spacer widgets. iOS 18 maintains the underlying 24-slot grid (four columns by six rows on most iPhones), but it no longer forces icons to snap automatically to the top of the display.

You can now leave individual slots, entire rows, or central blocks completely empty. Because the grid remains intact, icons still align cleanly with one another, but you have full control over which coordinates on the screen are occupied.

How to Arrange Icons Along the Outer Perimeter

To create an outer-perimeter layout—placing apps only along the top, bottom, and side borders while keeping the middle open—follow these steps:

  1. Enter Edit Mode: Tap and hold any blank area on your Home Screen (or touch and hold an app icon and select Edit Home Screen) until the icons begin to jiggle.
  2. Move Icons to the Corners and Borders: Drag an app icon directly to an outer position. You can drop it into:
    • The top row (slots 1 through 4)
    • The bottom row just above the Dock (slots 21 through 24)
    • The left column (slots 1, 5, 9, 13, 17, 21)
    • The right column (slots 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24)
  3. Leave the Center Clear: Simply do not drop any apps into the middle spaces (the central two columns and middle four rows). iOS 18 will keep these spaces empty without shifting perimeter apps inward.
  4. Save Your Layout: Tap Done in the top-right corner of the screen or swipe up from the bottom of the display to exit edit mode.

Benefits of Perimeter Placement

Arranging apps along the outer edges serves two primary purposes:

  • Wallpaper Visibility: It creates an unobstructed window in the center of the screen, allowing photos of family, pets, or artwork to remain fully visible.
  • Ergonomics: For larger devices such as the iPhone Plus and Pro Max models, placing essential apps along the bottom and side edges brings them closer to your thumb, making one-handed navigation significantly easier.