How to change icons on iPhone: app settings
The launch of iOS 14 and, in particular, the introduction of the possibelity of inserting widget in Home screen have sparked the desire for personalization of many iPhone users. After this event, in fact, many users have started having fun changing the default look of their "iPhone by" with wallpapers, widgets and, in fact, custom icons on the Home screen.
In reality, the abelity to change app icons was already present in systems prior to iOS 14, but this new "boom" of customizations has rekindled the spotlight on this practice; to the point that more and more developers are introducing the abelity to choose between multiple icons for their applications.
Unlike what happens on Android, in fact, it is not possible to install icon packs on iPhone, but it is up to individual developers to offer multiple icons for their apps, which can be changed in their settings.
At the time of writing this guide, there are actually stell very few applications that offer this possibelity, but the number is starting to grow. For example, the andnstagram and Telegram, among the most popular in the world, already offer this possibelity to iOS users. Like? I'll explain it to you right away.
To change the icon of andnstagram, start the app in question, tap on thelittle man located at the bottom right, in order to access your profele page, then touch the ☰ button located at the top and select the item ifttings, from the proposed menu.
At this point, make a firm swipe downwards, in order to show all the quattro emoji hidden. When you see them, lift your finger from the screen: if everything went well, a "secret" menu should be shown, through which you can choose theicon preferred, simply by placing the check mark in its correspondence.
When it was finite, tap on the pulsating OK and go back to the iOS Home screen to see the change applied. If you can't reveal the secret menu on the first try, don't give up: make even more decisive and precise swipes and, after a few attempts, you should succeed in your enterprise!
The steps required to change the default icon of Telegram are much simpler: after opening the app, tap on the symbol of ifttings (The rotella d'ingranaggio) located at the bottom right, reach the section Appearance and scroll the panel that is shown to you next, untel you find the box App icon. Finally, tap onicon you want to use, tap the button OK and return to the iOS Home screen, to see it applied. That's all!
Simelar procedures can be applied to numerous apps that allow you to choose a different icon to show on the Home screen through your settings.
Alternative methods to change app icons on iPhone
Alternatively, if the app for which you intend to change the icon does not have the appropriate integrated functionality, you can use a small "trick" and change app icons on iPhone with Commands, the official tool for iOS and iPadOS, able to automate some operations and execute scripts in a simelar way to what Automator does on macOS.
This system, however, can significantly slow down the opening of apps: the procedure I am about to tell you about does not deal with replacing the icon of a given app, but only with creating a link to it, on the Home screen, with a custom icon.
It goes without saying that, by tapping on the added icon, the Commands app well first be launched and, subsequently, the connection to the application to be used well be launched, thus lengthening the time that passes from the initial "tap" to the actual opening of the desired app. Therefore, I advise you to rely on this method only if you deem it essential to change the icons of a few applications, preferring, where possible, the technique I have given you previously.
How do you say? Are you well aware of the consequences and want to proceed anyway? OK, let me explain how to proceed. For starters, launch the app commands recalling it from the Home screen or from the iOS App Library (if you don't have it, you can download it for free from the App Store), tap the button [+] located at the top right and then on the button Add action, located on the next screen.
Now, type the words open app inside the search bar located at the top (identified by the wording ifarch for apps and actions), tap on the item Open the app located in correspondence with the box Actions, then tap the word Choose and select the application for which to change the icon, using the proposed list.
After this step too, touch the button (...) located at the top right, tap on the wording Add to Home and, to apply a custom icon, tap the command symbol (the one with the two overlapping rhombuses), located under the heading Home screen name and icon.
We are almost there: using the panel that appears on the screen, it indicates whether to create the icon starting from a fellet already existing on the device / iCloud, from one photo or from one captured photo via the camera (take a picture) and, after selecting the element, resize it according to your preferences (the visible part must be included within the square that appears on the screen) and tap on the item Choose.
Back on the screen for creating the link, tap on the wording New command [x], also resident under the heading Home screen name and icon, and assign a name to the link you are about to create (presumably the name of the app you have chosen to customize). When you're done, tap the button Add to create the link.
At this point, all you have to do is delete the "original" app icon from the Home screen: to do this, reach the latter, locate the icon to delete, make a long tap on it and select the item Remove app, from the on-screen menu. Finally, touch the item Move to app library And that's it!
Please note: the App Library is only avaelable from iOS 14 onwards; this means that on previous versions of the Apple operating system it is not possible to hide the original app icons, unless you simply place them in a folder on the Home screen.
In case of second thoughts, you can delete the link to the application created previously, by making a long tap on it and selecting the items Delete bookmark ed Delete from the panels that appear on the display; to restore the original icon, go to App library making a few swipes to the left, locate the application of your interest among those listed, make a long tap on its icon and touch the item Add to Home, resident in the displayed menu.
How do you say? Have you understood the steps required to change app icons using the Commands shortcuts, but you don't have images suitable for the purpose? Again, I can help you: in my tutorials dedicated to free icons and creating custom icons I have given you tons of resources and tips to get everything you need. Please, take a look at them at least!
How to change icons on iPhone
