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The Verge Guide to the iPhone
Sometimes an app’s icon just doesn’t look right on your homescreen. For example, let’s say — just for the sake of argument — that the icon for a social networking app was switched from a pretty blue bird to a rather stark “X.” Could you change that icon?
The answer is yes — it’s doable using Apple’s built-in Shortcuts app. You actually won’t be replacing the app’s official icon. Rather, you’ll be creating a separate shortcut that leads to the app. It’s a tedious and time-consuming process, but in the end, you can have a fully customized iPhone homescreen.
Here’s how you do it:
- Before you begin, it’s a good idea to find an icon for your new shortcut. There are a bunch of icon sources online (Flaticon, for example), or if you’re artistic and / or ambitious, you can create your own. Whether you use someone else’s or your own, it’s easiest to save the image to Photos.
- Okay, let’s begin. Find and tap on the Shortcuts app. It’s pre-installed; if you can’t see it immediately on your homescreen, swipe left until you’re at the App Library and start typing “Shortcuts” into the top search bar.
- Once you’re in the app, tap on the plus sign in the upper-right corner.
- On the top of the screen, you’ll see that your new shortcut will be named something like “New Shortcut 1.” If you’d rather have your own name, tap on the arrow next to it and select Rename.
- Once you’ve got your shortcut named, tap on the Add Action button below the name.
- You’ll find yourself on a page that, at first glance, may seem a bit confusing. Basically, you’re looking at all the various things that you can do with Shortcuts. While it would be worth it to spend some time here and try out some customizations, right now, what we want to do is change your app icon.
- Type Open app in the search bar and then tap on the Open App link that will show up.
- Tap on the word App that appears (rather faintly) next to the word Open in the search bar.
- You’ll see a list of your phone’s apps; pick the one you want to customize. The name of the app will now be next to the word Open.
- If you are using iOS 16, tap Done in the upper-right corner. You’ll be taken back to your shortcut page. (If you’re using the iOS 17 public beta, you can go directly to the next step.)
- Select the information icon (an “i” in a circle) at the bottom of the screen.
- Tap Add to Home Screen.
- You’ll now see a preview of the icon (which will be a standard, uninteresting icon that Shortcuts automatically adds). Don’t worry — we’re going to make it better.
- Tap on the icon under Home Screen Name and Icon. You’ll have the choice of either taking a photo, choosing a photo, or choosing a file. Assuming you’ve already saved an image in Photo, tap on Choose Photo and select the photo you want to use.
- If you’ve chosen an existing photo, a highlighted area will indicate what part of the photo will appear as an icon; you can move the photo around until you’re happy with the section indicated. Tap Choose in the lower-right corner.
- Now, you’ll see your new icon. If you haven’t added a name for your new shortcut, you can still do it here by typing the name next to the icon.
- All ready? Tap Add in the upper right corner.
- You should see your new customized icon on your homescreen. Congrats!
You can also hide the original app icon so you’ll just have the new one visible. (You don’t want to delete it completely, of course; that would delete the app.)
- Long-press on your wallpaper until all your icons start wiggling. Tap on the minus sign of the app you want to hide.
- On the pop-up menu, tap Remove from Home Screen. The original icon won’t be deleted, just hidden; you can always find it in the App Library.
One note: when you use your new icon to go to the app, you will occasionally get a small drop-down notice that tells you what the original app is called and reminds you of the fact that it is a shortcut. But the drop-down will only last for a second or two, so it shouldn’t be much of a bother.
Update July 31st, 2023, 3:02PM ET: This article was originally published on June 13th, 2021; it has been updated to accommodate changes in iOS 16 and the iOS 17 public beta.
As an expert in iPhone customization and the use of Apple's Shortcuts app, I can confidently provide you with information on the concepts used in the article "Part of The Verge Guide to the iPhone."
The article discusses how to change the icon of an app on your iPhone's homescreen using the Shortcuts app. It starts by addressing the scenario where an app's icon doesn't look appealing and provides a solution to customize it.
To begin the process, you need to have an icon for your new shortcut. You can find icons online or create your own. Once you have the icon, open the Shortcuts app, which is pre-installed on your iPhone. If you can't find it on your homescreen, swipe left until you reach the App Library and search for "Shortcuts."
Inside the Shortcuts app, tap the plus sign in the upper-right corner to create a new shortcut. You can rename the shortcut by tapping on the arrow next to its default name. After naming the shortcut, tap on the "Add Action" button below the name.
You will then be presented with a page that displays various actions you can perform with Shortcuts. To change the app icon, type "Open app" in the search bar and tap on the "Open App" link that appears. Next, tap on the word "App" that appears next to the word "Open" in the search bar.
A list of your phone's apps will be displayed, and you can select the app whose icon you want to customize. Once you've chosen the app, tap "Done" if you're using iOS 16 or select the information icon (an "i" in a circle) at the bottom of the screen if you're using the iOS 17 public beta.
Tap on "Add to Home Screen" and you'll see a preview of the default icon that Shortcuts automatically adds. To replace it, tap on the icon under "Home Screen Name and Icon." You can then choose a photo from your saved images or take a new photo. Adjust the photo if necessary and tap "Choose" to set it as the new icon.
If you haven't named your shortcut yet, you can do so at this stage by typing the name next to the icon. Finally, tap "Add" in the upper-right corner to add the customized icon to your homescreen.
To hide the original app icon, long-press on your wallpaper until all your icons start wiggling. Tap on the minus sign ("-") of the app you want to hide, and in the pop-up menu, select "Remove from Home Screen." The original icon will be hidden but can still be accessed in the App Library.
It's important to note that when using the new icon to open the app, a brief drop-down notice may appear, reminding you that it is a shortcut and displaying the original app's name. However, this notice disappears quickly and shouldn't cause much inconvenience.
Please keep in mind that the article was last updated on July 31st, 2023, and may not reflect any recent changes in iOS versions.
