Apple should release customization ‘theme packs’ to keep its devices more fun

• What’s wrong with what Apple’s already doing?
• The stumbling blocks

Famously, during the launch of the first iPad, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs once claimed that “technology alone is not enough,” arguing that it was “technology married with the liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields the results that makes our hearts sing.” That was often taken as a bit pretentious on Jobs’ part, but the ultimate point was that technology shouldn’t be an insular thing. Devices are used by humans, and humans care about the artistic. They want pleasing form factors. They want nice fonts. They want to be able to draw, listen to music, and browse their photos, not just jam out spreadsheets and code in the most efficient way possible.

Apple has mostly carried on that principle, if not taken it to extremes when you consider devices like the iPhone Air. But for all of that, it seems to me that the company is missing out on an obvious way to exploit its philosophy that doesn’t involve spending a fortune on new categories or form factors, or even new apps and accessories: giving customers more ways to customize software on a more frequent basis. It’s a simple idea, but there’s plenty worth elaborating on.

What’s wrong with what Apple’s already doing?

Work to rule

I wouldn’t say Apple is doing anything wrong, per se. Its big September updates to iOS, macOS, and iPadOS inevitably include new wallpapers and customization options, for instance changing what you can do with widgets or your lockscreen. tvOS gets occasional screensaver additions, while watchOS gets a few new watchfaces, and updated “seasonal” color palettes. Apple is overdue for launching a third-party face gallery, but I digress.

My issue is the rest of the year. The company releases a tiny bit of Black History Month material in February, and similar Pride Month material in June…and then, virtually nothing. There’s rarely any material connected to Christmas, Eid, Hanukkah, Diwali, or other major religious holidays, and mostly secular events like July 4th and Halloween get short shrift, too. Even if you are deeply invested in things like black history and LGBT rights, you might be disappointed by what Apple puts out. The 2025 Black History pack consisted of a single Unity wallpaper in a few variations, and a single watchface limited to an imprecise analog dial with just two complications. Look, much of my family is black — but I need to know time down to the minute, and I’ve been spoiled by the Modular Ultra face, which allows up to seven complications.

If it wanted to, Apple could release new icon packs, new filters, and new fonts, allowing everyone to create a look that’s one-of-a-kind.

To be fair, a lot of people are fine with existing options, and prefer their own wallpapers anyway. I’m probably far too invested in custom wallpapers, in fact — my iPhone’s homescreen cycles through dozens of them every week, and I’m always on the hunt for more. I know a lot of other people are fine with a single picture of their partner, family, or pet.

There’s undoubtedly a group out there, though, that would get excited about new customizations dropping every month, or at least every few months. Everyone likes free stuff, and Apple has access to hundreds of professional artists, as well as the guts of its operating systems. It can pull off some unique visual flair. If it wanted to, it could release new icon packs, new filters, and new fonts, allowing everyone to create a look that’s one-of-a-kind. That would be a fine way to upend the flexibility its rivals are known for.

These changes wouldn’t necessarily persuade anyone to buy an iPhone or a Mac for the first time, but it would be another incentive to stay in the Apple ecosystem. People jumping ship to Android or Windows might miss their monthly hit, much in the same way that I’d miss my weekly hit from Spotify’s Release Radar if I jumped ship to Apple Music. When I phrase it that way, it’s difficult to understand why Apple isn’t already invested in a concept like theme packs.

The stumbling blocks

What’s holding Apple back, and some final thoughts

The most obvious explanation on paper is that Apple has limited resources. That might sound ludicrous to some of you, since I’m talking about a four-trillion dollar megacorporation, but the company does have many different product lines, all of which demand a huge amount of labor just support their existing software. The idea of splitting or expanding resources to make things a little prettier may be hard to justify, particularly with Apple Intelligence and Siri still languishing years behind Google Gemini. The idea of ramping up customization may not have even crossed the C-suite’s mind. Heck, it’s on the verge of reinvigorating its smart home lineup through products like a hub display.

It’s pretty clear, however, that Apple actually does have resources to spare. It spent billions of dollars on its Apple Car project, engaging in a poaching war with Tesla, only to cancel it unceremoniously as it wavered on what the ultimate goal was. The most we got out of it — if anything — may have been CarPlay Ultra and some improvements to Apple Maps. If it can afford that, it can afford to devote a few million dollars every year towards something more of its customers can take advantage of.

Someone who buys an Apple product doesn’t just consider it a portal into other products and services — they (rightfully) consider it their property and an extension of their personality.

Perhaps Apple is worried about maintaining a consistent aesthetic. It’s a commonly accepted reason why Apple took so long to let us tint icons a different shade, and why it still limits watchfaces. The more customizable things are, the higher the chance of clashing or even broken interface elements, which might turn some people off and affect word-of-mouth. Certainly, some users seemed to throw taste out the window when iOS 18 arrived.

It’s up to customers to decide what constitutes “taste,” though. Someone who buys an Apple product doesn’t just consider it a portal into other products and services — they (rightfully) consider it their property and an extension of their personality. Most people are also smart enough to recognize that if they tweak something, and it doesn’t look great, that might be their own fault. If I don’t like the look of a neon-green kitchen renovation, I’m going to blame my own decisions, not the company that sold me the brushes and paint cans.

Is there a chance Apple is going to take up the idea of more content releases and customization options, perhaps starting with iOS 27? It’s possible, but I doubt it. Rumors suggest that Apple’s big focus in 2026 will be creating an interface for the iPhone Fold, demanding not just a bigger and more flexible layout, but the addition of multi-window support and some other completely new functions. It’s not even clear that Apple will deliver on the Siri upgrades it first promised in 2024. I’m just hoping that op-eds like this will keep the importance of personalization on Apple’s radar by making a sound business case.