How To Customize Your iPhone’s App Icons

Have you ever wished to personalize your iPhone with your own unique style and flair? Yes, you may change the wallpaper on your home screen. But if you truly want to make your phone your own, make your own app icons.

Using Apple’s built-in Shortcuts program, it’s possible. You won’t be altering the apps’ original icons; instead, you’ll be establishing distinct Shortcuts that lead to the app. It’s a long and arduous process, but you’ll end up with a fully customized iPhone home screen.

Here’s how it’s done:

1st, locate and open the Shortcuts app. It comes pre-installed; if it doesn’t appear on your home screen right away, slide left until you reach the App Library, then type “Shortcuts” into the top search field.

2 Open the app and tap the “+” sign in the upper-right corner, followed by “Add Action.”

3 Shortcuts has a lot of fascinating things to test out. But for the time being, all we want to do is change the app icons. In the search field, type “open app” and then press the “Open App” option.

4 Select “Choose” from the drop-down menu. You’ll be transported back to the New Shortcut screen after selecting an app from the list.

5 In the upper-right corner, select the three dots. You’ve arrived at the Details page. Tap “Add to Home Screen” and give your shortcut a name.

6 A preview of the icon will now appear (which will be a standard, uninteresting icon that Shortcuts automatically adds). Don’t worry, we’ll make things right. In the top-right corner, click Add.

7 It’s now time to look for a replacement icon. There are a slew of icon resources online (Flaticon, for example), or you may make your own if you’re artistic and/or ambitious. Save the image to Photos, whether it’s someone else’s or your own.

8 Return to the Shortcuts preview area now. (If you go to the Details area and press on “Add to Home Screen,” you can find it again.) Under “Home Screen Name and Icon,” tap the icon. You’ll be given the option of taking a photo, selecting a photo, or selecting a file. If you’ve already saved a photo in Photo, press “Choose Photo” and select the image you wish to use.

9 A highlighted region on the following screen indicates which part of the photo will display as an icon; you can drag the photo about until you’re satisfied with the region shown. In the lower-right corner, tap “Choose.”

10 You should now see your new icon. Add a new item.

11 Your new personalized symbol should appear on your home screen. Congrats!

12 It’s possible that two new icons will appear on your home screen: one with the first boring icon and the other with your amazing new icon. If that’s the case, simply press and hold the unwanted icon, then pick “Delete bookmark.” Remember that this (and the other bookmark/shortcut you generated) is a copy of the original.

13You can also choose to hide the original app icon, leaving only the new one visible. (Of course, you don’t want to delete it totally; that would remove the program.)

14Select “Edit Home Screen” from the long-press menu on the original app icon.

15Place your finger on the negative sign. Tap “Remove from Home Screen” on the pop-up menu. The original icon will not be erased; instead, it will be buried and can be found in the App Library at any time.

One thing to keep in mind: whenever you use your new icon to access the app, you’ll see a small drop-down notification that tells you what the original app is named and reminds you that it’s a shortcut. The drop-down will only be shown for a second or two, so it shouldn’t be a big deal.