This iOS 18 change lets you open any app from your Lock Screen, here's how it has completely changed the way I use my phone

(Image credit: Future / Apple)

The Action button was the feature I was most looking forward to on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. But almost a year since I first got my hands on the best iPhone, I can’t remember the last time I stretched my hand to activate the shortcut tool.

In iOS 18, however, Lock Screen customization tools allow you to use most of the Action button’s functionality from the bottom of your screen and it has fundamentally changed the way I use my device. You see I spend far too much time on Reddit and checking sports scores and now I can do both from my Lock Screen. In iOS 18 I get to quickly access those applications without stretching for the Action button or unlocking my device.

When iOS 18’s first beta launched I wrote about the benefits of removing the Flashlight from the Lock Screen so you no longer embarrassingly activate the bright light by mistake — at the time some functionality like launching any app was not working. A few months later, Lock Screen customization works properly on the iOS 18 public beta, allowing you to set any app you want to launch with the press of a button. Here’s how to do it.

Launch any app from your Lock Screen in iOS 18

To launch any app from your iPhone’s Lock Screen you first need to download iOS 18 beta. The latest software will officially launch in September alongside the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro but if you’re itching to test it out like myself the current build is fairly stable. I don’t advise using beta software on your primary advice, however, so proceed with caution.

Long press on your Lock Screen to bring up customization options
Tap the - next to one of the two Lock Screen launchers in the bottom left or right
Tap + then select Open App
Choose the app you want to launch from your Lock Screen
Tap Done

Now whenever you long press on the icon on your Lock Screen it’ll launch your selected app. There are definitely more productive ways to use this new feature than launching the Apollo app like I have, but I have an unhealthy obsession with Reddit, ok?

Considering I haven’t used the Action button in months because of its awkward placement, this new Lock Screen customization option looks like it’ll quickly replace my 15 Pro Max’s extra button altogether. Hopefully in the new iPhones releasing later this year Apple chooses to make the Action button easier to reach.

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John-Anthony Disotto is the How To Editor of iMore, ensuring you can get the most from your Apple products and helping fix things when your technology isn’t behaving itself. Living in Scotland, where he worked for Apple as a technician focused on iOS and iPhone repairs at the Genius Bar, John-Anthony has used the Apple ecosystem for over a decade and prides himself in his ability to complete his Apple Watch activity rings. John-Anthony has previously worked in editorial for collectable TCG websites and graduated from The University of Strathclyde where he won the Scottish Student Journalism Award for Website of the Year as Editor-in-Chief of his university paper. He is also an avid film geek, having previously written film reviews and received the Edinburgh International Film Festival Student Critics award in 2019. John-Anthony also loves to tinker with other non-Apple technology and enjoys playing around with game emulation and Linux on his Steam Deck.

In his spare time, John-Anthony can be found watching any sport under the sun from football to darts, taking the term “Lego house” far too literally as he runs out of space to display any more plastic bricks, or chilling on the couch with his French Bulldog, Kermit.