Sometimes, an app’s icon conscionable doesn’t look correct connected your homescreen. For example, let’s opportunity — conscionable for the liking of statement — that the icon for a societal networking app was switched from a beautiful 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 charismatic 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 really you do it:
- Before you begin, it’s a bully thought to find an icon for your caller shortcut. There are a bunch of icon sources online (Flaticon, for example), aliases if you’re creator and / aliases ambitious, you tin create your own. Whether you usage personification else’s aliases your own, it’s easiest to prevention the image 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 will beryllium named thing for illustration “New Shortcut 1.” If you’d alternatively person your ain name, pat connected the arrow adjacent to it and prime Rename.
Screenshot: Apple
Screenshot: Apple
- Once you’ve sewage your shortcut named, you will beryllium directed conscionable beneath it to “add actions from beneath to create a shortcut.”
- Below the caller sanction is simply a database of each the various things that you tin do pinch Shortcuts. While it would beryllium worthy it to walk immoderate clip present and effort retired immoderate customizations, correct now, what we want to do is alteration your app icon.
- The Open app action whitethorn beryllium the first successful the list. If you don’t spot it, type “Open app” successful the hunt barroom and past pat connected the fastener that will show up.
- Tap connected the connection App that appears (rather faintly) adjacent to the connection Open in the hunt bar.
Screenshot: Apple
Screenshot: Apple
- You’ll spot a database of your phone’s apps; prime the 1 you want to customize. The sanction of the app will now 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.
Screenshot: Apple
Screenshot: Apple
- You’ll now spot a preview of the icon (which will beryllium a standard, uninteresting icon that Shortcuts automatically adds). Don’t interest — we’re going to make it better.
- You’ll spot 2 sample icons nether the preview: 1 indicating a photograph and the different a wide icon pinch 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, aliases do a hunt for an due symbol.
- If, connected the different hand, you want to switch it pinch your own, prime the photograph icon. You’ll person the prime of either choosing a photo, taking a photo, aliases choosing a file. Assuming you’ve already saved an image successful Photo, pat connected Choose Photo and prime the photograph you want to use.
- If you’ve chosen an existing photo, a highlighted area will bespeak what portion of the photograph will look arsenic an icon; you tin move the photograph astir and alteration its size until you’re happy pinch it. Tap Choose successful the lower-right corner.
Screenshot: Apple
Screenshot: Apple
- Now, you’ll spot your caller icon. If you haven’t added a sanction for your caller shortcut, you tin still do it present by typing the sanction nether the icon.
- All ready? Tap Add successful the precocious correct corner.
- You should spot your caller customized icon connected your homescreen. Congrats!
Screenshot: Apple
Screenshot: Apple
You tin besides hide the original app icon truthful you’ll conscionable person the caller 1 visible. (You don’t want 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 want to hide.
- On the pop-up menu, pat Remove from Home Screen. The original icon won’t beryllium deleted, conscionable hidden; you tin ever find it successful the App Library.
Update, October 10th, 2024: This article was primitively published connected June 13th, 2021; it has been updated to accommodate changes successful iOS.