Changing app icons on Android is easy, but not intuitive. You’ll usually delve into third-party apps and launchers to maximize your Android phone’s customization potential. We show you how to change app icons on every Android device. These steps also work on all high-end Android tablets, so if you own a phone and a tablet from two manufacturers, you can make them look the same. Tidy up your apps after customizing icons to keep your phone looking sleek and organized.
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Things to know about changing app icons on your Android phone
The stock launcher on most Android smartphones and tablets doesn’t support icon packs or changing app icons, including Google’s Pixel launcher. You will use a third-party launcher to change the appearance of app icons on your phone. If your phone’s stock launcher supports changing app icons, it may not support third-party icon packs from the Google Play Store.
There is a way to change app icons on the stock launcher of an unsupported Android phone, but it requires more patience than other methods. This time-consuming process involves manually changing the icon of each app, which we do not recommend for most users.
How to change app icons on your Samsung phone
Samsung’s One UI theme manager lets you change app icons and customize your phone’s home screen to your liking. The One UI theme manager only supports changing the icons of first-party apps, which leads to an inconsistent experience for your third-party apps.
To change app icons on your Samsung Galaxy device, follow these steps:
1. Open settings menu on your Samsung Galaxy phone.
2. Scroll down and select Themes.
3.Touch Icons tab at the bottom. The Highlighted section shows application icon packs selected by Samsung, whereas Top shows you the most popular icon packs.
4. Tap the app icon pack you want to try and tap download files button. Many of these icon packs are not free. Scroll through the Featured section to find the place named The best free icons or Must-have free icons.
5. Choose Top card, open it all Drop Down Menu, and select Free to get a list of free icon packs.
6. Tap apply button to install the application icon pack.
Most icon packs from the Galaxy Themes Store require you to purchase them. At the same time, you can give each premium icon pack a test run before you buy it by selecting it Download the trial button.
You must use the One UI Home launcher to access icon packs from the Galaxy Themes Store, including those you have purchased. They don’t work with third-party launchers, so keep that in mind when purchasing icon packs.
Use the Good Lock module to apply third-party icon packs from the Google Play Store to all apps on your Samsung device. Follow our guide on how to use custom icon packs on Samsung One UI to learn more. If your phone is running One UI 6 or later, you have better customization options. This process requires additional setup steps, but you can use a third-party launcher with built-in icon pack support.
How to theme app icons on Google Pixel phones and Pixel tablets
Google Pixel launcher does not support custom app icon packs. Instead, it has themed icons. With this feature, the launcher themes all icons based on the background colors used by the system’s dynamic theming engine.
To apply themed icons to your Google Pixel phone, see the following:
1. Open settings application
2. Scroll down and tap Background and style.
3. Turn on Theme icons option by flipping the switch to on position. All app shortcuts that support icon theming are updated on your home screen.
You can also change Wallpaper colors uses a dynamic theme engine to change the appearance of theme icons. There are multiple Basic colors options if you want something more specific.
These themed icons are considered a beta feature, which means it’s still a work in progress. These themed icons only appear on the home screen. They retain their original appearance when you open the app drawer.
How to change app icons on any Android phone
The default phone launcher on most Android devices does not support changing the default icons. You can use Shortcut Maker to change individual app icons on your phone for both first-party and third-party apps in the same way. It is a popular alternative method that allows you to adjust the app icons on the home screen.
Before proceeding with the steps below, download the desired icon pack from the Google Play Store. This saves you time and allows you to apply your favorite icon pack right away.
To use Shortcut Maker to create custom app icons, see the following:
1. Download Shortcut Maker on your Android device.
2. Touch I understand continue.
3. Choose applications.
4. Select the application whose icon you want to change.
5. Tap Icon section from the settings menu that opens. The available icons for that app from the different icon packs installed on your phone appear below Available icons section.
6. Choose the one you like.
7. Customize the app icon style and theme from Style and Thematic cards.
8. Touch Tick in the upper right corner to confirm your choice.
9. Tap Make a shortcut button to add a new app icon to the home screen. Depending on your Android device, you may need to tap to confirm this action To add from the dialog box.
Although Shortcut Maker changes the app icon on your Android phone, there are better solutions than this. You cannot apply icon packs with it. If you want to change the icons of multiple apps, you have to do it manually, one by one.
Shortcut Maker creates a new app shortcut with the app icon, and its changes are limited to that shortcut. This means you’ll still see the original app shortcut with the original logo in your phone’s app drawer, leading to another inconsistent experience.
Use third-party launchers to easily apply icon packs
Consider using a third-party launcher with built-in icon theme support to avoid the extra work of other methods. The best launchers for Android support custom icon packs, allowing you to easily theme your device. Combined with the best icon packs in the Google Play Store, you can change the look of app icons on your phone with a few simple taps. Unlike the stock launcher on most Android phones, third-party launchers can change the icons of first- and third-party apps.
The steps to change app icons vary depending on the custom launcher you’re using. But the general guidelines remain the same. Download the icon pack from the Google Play Store that you want to apply and check the launcher settings menu. After that, select the custom icons option and activate the icon pack.
How to change app icons in Nova launcher
1. Long press an empty area of the Nova Launcher home screen.
2. Touch settings.
3. Choose Look and feel.
4. Touch Icon style.
5. Choose Icon theme.
6. Select the icon pack you want to apply. This automatically changes all app icons on your phone.
7. Go to Icon style menu to find additional options that adjust the style and shape of app icons.
8. Go to the Nova home screen to see the changes.
If you want to change the app icon on the Nova home screen, follow these steps:
1. Long press the app icon you want to change.
2. Touch Edit start button.
3. Tap the application icon.
4. Select the icon pack from which you want to apply the icon.
5. Select the icon you want to apply.
6. When you’re ready, tap Done to complete.
7. The app icon has been updated with your new look.
Changing individual app icons in Nova Launcher is handy when mixing and using two or three icon packs together. It gives you a seamless and customizable theme unique to your device, allowing you to create numerous possibilities.
The steps to apply icon packs or change individual app icons are mostly the same across all third-party launchers, so it’s not unique to Nova Launcher. We use Nova Launcher because it’s a popular third-party home screen launcher in the Google Play Store.
Adding custom app icons makes your Android experience more enjoyable, and we recommend changing your customization settings every few months to take advantage of new customization features. For example, Android 14 introduced lock screen customization, which adds small but noticeable ways to make your lock screen unique.