iOS 18 App Icon Size When Labels Are Disabled

With the release of iOS 18, Apple introduced deeper Home Screen customization, including the ability to hide text labels beneath apps and widgets. When app labels are removed, iOS 18 automatically enlarges the app icons to fill the space previously occupied by the text. This guide explains how this icon scaling works, what visual changes occur on the grid, and how to toggle the setting on your iPhone.

How Icon Scaling Works Without Labels

In iOS 18, the removal of app labels is directly tied to icon sizing rather than an independent toggle. Instead of providing an option that solely hides text while keeping icons the original size, Apple linked label visibility to a size toggle: Small and Large.

  • Small: Displays icons at their traditional dimensions with text names visible underneath.
  • Large: Increases the physical dimensions of the app icons and widgets while completely removing all text labels.

When you switch to the Large setting, the icons scale up proportionally. Because the text underneath is hidden, the enlarged icons occupy the empty vertical space, resulting in a cleaner, edge-to-edge aesthetic.

Impact on the Home Screen Grid

Despite the increase in icon size, the fundamental Home Screen grid does not change:

  • The grid remains in the standard four-column layout.
  • The gap between individual icons decreases because the icons occupy more surface area.
  • Widgets also scale up slightly and drop their title labels, matching the streamlined appearance of the surrounding apps.
  • Notification badges remain visible and scale proportionally in the top-right corner of the enlarged icons.

Currently, iOS 18 does not support a native configuration that keeps small icons while hiding text labels, nor can you retain text labels when using the large icon size.

How to Enable Large Icons and Remove Labels

To enlarge your icons and hide app labels in iOS 18, follow these steps:

  1. Long-press any empty space on your Home Screen until the apps begin to jiggle.
  2. Tap the Edit button in the top-left corner of the screen.
  3. Select Customize from the drop-down menu.
  4. In the customization tray at the bottom of the screen, tap the Large button.
  5. Tap anywhere outside the customization sheet to confirm the change.