My iPhone Home Screen Setup and the Apps I Use

I get a lot of questions about my iPhone setup, especially my lock screen, home screen, and the apps I actually use day to day.

So I thought I’d put everything in one place and explain how I have things set up — and why.

This post is based on a video I shared recently.

The idea was borrowed from my friend Josh, but the setup itself is just how I like to use my phone.

The main goal for my lock screen and home screen setup is simple – less noise, fewer distractions, and a phone that stays out of the way unless I actually need it.

Why I Turn Off Almost All Notifications

Before getting into the screens themselves, this is probably the most important part of my setup.

I have almost all notifications turned off.

Messages, WhatsApp, iMessage — all disabled unless they’re coming from someone I’ve specifically favourited.

I don’t like my phone constantly pulling my attention away, even if I’m not someone who gets distracted easily.

The buzzing, vibrations, and constant interruptions just aren’t worth it.

This is especially the case when I’m shooting videos for my YouTube channel.

The last thing I need is some random notification pinging while im recording.

If you feel like your phone has too much control over your attention, this is the first thing I’d recommend changing.

It makes a bigger difference than any app or widget ever will.

The Case I’m Using

I also keep getting asked about the case I’ve been using recently.

I’m using the Nomad Lunar Gray case.

The materials are great quality (as with all Nomad gear), and I think it matches the silver iPhone 17 Pro really well.

I do switch cases occasionally, including leather ones, but this one feels clean and minimal.

My Lock Screen Setup

My lock screen is intentionally minimal.

I’m using one of my own wallpapers and keeping the information light.

At a glance, I can see the time, date, and weather.

That’s it.

I don’t want my lock screen filled with notifications or widgets.

I do keep a few practical widgets there.

Being able to quickly see the weather, and the temperature highs and lows for the day, is genuinely useful – especially living in Dubai.

I also have my Tesla battery status and the torch.

One slightly different choice is having the Kino app on my lock screen.

Kino is the app I use when I want to record LOG video.

I don’t need the default camera app there because I can always swipe straight into it.

It makes more sense for me to keep my favourite video app one tap away instead.

The newer iPhones also have the camera control button, so you could just press that to quickly access your camera.

My Main Home Screen Layout

Something that still surprises people is that you don’t have to stick to Apple’s default home screen layout.

You can move app icons anywhere you want.

I keep my main apps centred and placed in the lower half of the screen so they’re easy to reach with my thumb.

It’s a small detail, but it makes using the phone feel much more comfortable.

One of the apps I use most is Arc.

I’ve chosen it over Safari mainly because of the interface.

It feels clean and minimal, with very little getting in the way when browsing.

Switching between tabs is quick, and overall it just feels smoother on iOS.

The downside is that it doesn’t really sync with anything, and I don’t even use Arc on my Mac, but purely as a mobile browser, it works really well.

I’ve also recently switched fully to ClickUp with my team.

We were previously using Slack.

If you work with a team or manage projects regularly, ClickUp is genuinely excellent.

For AI, Claude is what I use most at the moment, although I still use ChatGPT as well.

I just find myself reaching for Claude more often these days.

Alongside that, I keep the usual essentials on this screen too, like the camera, phone, and messages.

Widgets at the Top of My Home Screen

At the top of my main home screen, I’m using Widgetsmith.

I have a widget showing different time zones because I work with people all over the world, and being able to see that information instantly is really useful.

I also use Widgetsmith for my calendar instead of Apple’s default calendar.

The main reason is visual.

I like how it looks, and I like being able to customise the colours and fonts so everything matches the rest of my phone.

That level of consistency makes the whole setup more minimal.

Smart Home, WHOOP, and the Second Screen

On the next screen, things get a bit more nerdy.

At the top, I have smart home widgets showing temperatures and sensor data for different rooms in my house.

I have pretty much everything automated, from lights to thermostats, and I genuinely enjoy home automation.

It’s one of those things that feels unnecessary until you’ve lived with it for a while.

I also have my Tesla widget and my UniFi setup on this screen.

I don’t really need the UniFi widget there, but I like how it looks, so it stays.

I also keep my WHOOP widget on this screen.

I sometimes get comments asking why I’m wearing two watches, but I’m not.

I wear a WHOOP most of the time, and I use an Apple Watch mainly at home or when I’m at the gym.

Having the WHOOP widget there lets me quickly see my recovery, strain, and calories throughout the day without opening the app.

The Workout App That Changed My Routine

One app that’s had a big impact for me recently is Push.

It tracks what workouts I’ve done before, what weights I used, whether I completed the reps, and whether I should increase the weight or reps next time.

I train four days a week, and the app cycles through workouts so it never feels like I’m doing the exact same thing over and over.

If I plateau, it adjusts things automatically.

The entire workout plan was generated by the app after I answered a questionnaire about my goals, and it’s been working really well.

It is a paid app, but it’s easily worth it compared to the cost of a personal trainer.

Utility Apps and Everyday Tools

I also have a folder of utility apps that I use regularly.

One that I didn’t expect to use as much as I do is the XE currency app.

Because I work with different currencies and travel quite a bit, being able to type in a number once and instantly see conversions across multiple currencies is incredibly useful.

It saves time and removes friction, which is exactly what I want from an app.

Music and Why I Still Use Spotify

For music, Spotify is still my app of choice.

I’ve been using it for more than ten years, and at this point the algorithm knows my taste extremely well.

Features like Discover Weekly and the DJ function consistently recommend music I wouldn’t have found otherwise.

I know Apple Music has improved a lot, but for me, Spotify still feels like the best overall experience.

That’s It

That’s my current iPhone lock screen and home screen setup.

It’s not about having more apps or more features.

It’s about being minimal, reducing distractions, and making the phone work for you rather than against you.

If you have any app suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments.

I’m always looking for new things to try.