How to customize your iPhone’s app icons

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Sometimes, an app’s icon conscionable doesn’t look close connected your homescreen. For example, let’s accidental — conscionable for the involvement of statement — that the icon for a societal networking app was switched from a beauteous bluish vertebrate to a alternatively stark “X.” Could you alteration that icon?

The reply is yes — it’s doable utilizing Apple’s built-in Shortcuts app. You really won’t beryllium replacing the app’s authoritative icon. Rather, you’ll beryllium creating a abstracted shortcut that leads to the app. It’s a tedious and time-consuming process, but successful the end, you tin person a afloat customized iPhone homescreen.

Here’s however you bash it:

Before you begin, it’s a bully thought to find an icon for your caller shortcut. There are a clump of icon sources online (Flaticon, for example), oregon if you’re creator and / oregon ambitious, you tin make your own. Whether you usage idiosyncratic else’s oregon your own, it’s easiest to prevention the representation to Photos.
Okay, let’s begin. Find and pat connected the Shortcuts app. It’s preinstalled; if you can’t spot it instantly connected your homescreen, swipe near until you’re astatine the App Library and commencement typing “Shortcuts” into the apical hunt bar.
Once you’re successful the app, pat connected the plus sign successful the upper-right corner.
On the apical of the screen, you’ll spot that your caller shortcut volition beryllium named thing similar “New Shortcut 1.” If you’d alternatively person your ain name, pat connected the arrow adjacent to it and prime Rename.

On iPhone display, acceptable of buttons with shortcuts.

Shortcuts tin assistance you make caller bookmarks for your apps.

Screenshot: Apple

Drop-down paper for renaming shortcut name

You tin sanction your shortcut immoderate you wish.

Screenshot: Apple

Once you’ve got your shortcut named, you volition beryllium directed conscionable beneath it to “add actions from beneath to make a shortcut.”
Below the caller sanction is simply a database of each the assorted things that you tin bash with Shortcuts. While it would beryllium worthy it to walk immoderate clip present and effort retired immoderate customizations, close now, what we privation to bash is alteration your app icon.
The Open app enactment whitethorn beryllium the archetypal successful the list. If you don’t spot it, benignant “Open app” successful the hunt barroom and past pat connected the fastener that volition amusement up.
Tap connected the connection App that appears (rather faintly) adjacent to the connection Open in the hunt bar.

List of actions you tin attached to a caller icon.

The Open app enactment whitethorn beryllium the archetypal successful the list.

Screenshot: Apple

iPhone surface with “Open App” astatine top.

Tap connected the airy bluish App connection to get a database of your apps.

Screenshot: Apple

You’ll spot a database of your phone’s apps; prime the 1 you privation to customize. The sanction of the app volition present beryllium adjacent to the connection Open.
Select the accusation icon (an “i” successful a circle) astatine the bottommost of the screen.
Tap Add to Home Screen.

Icon called Trst123 with database of features below.

Once you’ve chosen your app, pat “Add to Home Screen.”

Screenshot: Apple

Home Screen astatine apical of show with generic icon showing with colored circles and assorted icons below.

You tin tweak the generic icon that iOS supplies.

Screenshot: Apple

You’ll present spot a preview of the icon (which volition beryllium a standard, uninteresting icon that Shortcuts automatically adds). Don’t interest — we’re going to marque it better.
You’ll spot 2 illustration icons nether the preview: 1 indicating a photograph and the different a wide icon with immoderate colors underneath. If you prime the latter, you’ll find, beneath it, respective colors and, beneath that, a ample assortment of symbols you tin usage for the caller icon. Just scroll down to spot them all, oregon bash a hunt for an due symbol.
If, connected the different hand, you privation to regenerate it with your own, prime the photograph icon. You’ll person the prime of either choosing a photo, taking a photo, oregon choosing a file. Assuming you’ve already saved an representation successful Photo, pat connected Choose Photo and prime the photograph you privation to use.
If you’ve chosen an existing photo, a highlighted country volition bespeak what portion of the photograph volition look arsenic an icon; you tin determination the photograph astir and alteration its size until you’re blessed with it. Tap Choose successful the lower-right corner.

Screen showing Choose Photo, Take Photo, and Choose File.

You tin besides usage your ain photograph for your icon.

Screenshot: Apple

Photo of artifact Dalek.

You tin set your photograph to suit your icon.

Screenshot: Apple

Now, you’ll spot your caller icon. If you haven’t added a sanction for your caller shortcut, you tin inactive bash it present by typing the sanction nether the icon.
All ready? Tap Add successful the precocious close corner.
You should spot your caller customized icon connected your homescreen. Congrats!

Icon showing Dalek astatine apical near of iPhone screen.

A caller icon connected your iPhone screen.

Screenshot: Apple

iPhone surface showing pop-up allows you to delete an app oregon removing the icon from the location screen.

You tin region the archetypal icon from the location screen.

Screenshot: Apple

You tin besides fell the archetypal app icon truthful you’ll conscionable person the caller 1 visible. (You don’t privation to delete it completely, of course; that would delete the app.)

Long-press connected your wallpaper until each your icons commencement wiggling. Tap connected the minus motion of the app you privation to hide.
On the pop-up menu, pat Remove from Home Screen. The archetypal icon won’t beryllium deleted, conscionable hidden; you tin ever find it successful the App Library.

Update, October 10th, 2024: This nonfiction was primitively published connected June 13th, 2021; it has been updated to accommodate changes successful iOS.

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