How to change app icons on your iPhone

With the app library that was added with the iOS 14 update, there has been a surge in the popularity of home screen customization. As the library allows you to effectively de-clutter your home screen, many also seized the opportunity to customize their app icons. If you, too, want to give your iPhone a personal touch that way, simply follow out step-by-step guide.

Shortcuts: The easy way to change app icons on iPhone

Open the “Shortcuts” app.
Select the library tab (the icon shows four squares forming a larger square).
Tap the plus icon in the upper right corner to create a new shortcut.
Search and select the actions the shortcut should perform.
To make sure everything works as intended, test your shortcut by pressing the play button (upper middle of the screen).
You can name your shortcut by tapping on the symbol with the two toggle switches in the upper right. If you want to keep things simple, just type in the name of the app you’re creating the shortcut for.
Confirm by tapping “Done“
To customize your shortcut, find it in the library tab. Access the Settings by tapping on the symbol in the upper right corner of the shortcut (three dots in a gray circle).
Tap once more on the settings icon in the upper right corner of the current screen.
Tap on the icon to select a different one. You can select a glyph and the background color of the app icon individually.
To display the shortcut on the home screen, tap “Add to Home Screen“. Confirm by selecting “Add” in the upper right-hand corner.
The shortcut will now be displayed on your home screen like a regular app.
But: The original app will also still be there. To move it, tap and hold the app icon. In the appearing popup, select “Remove App”, then choose “Move to App Library”

How to set pictures as app icons under iOS14

You can also set a picture as your app icon.

You can choose a photo for your app icon by selecting “Choose Photo“ when customizing the shortcut icon.
Select the photo you want to use as the app icon and adjust it to your liking by zooming in or out. When you’re done select “Choose“.
To display the shortcut on the home screen, proceed as described above. Tap “Add to Home Screen“ and confirm by selecting “Add” in the upper right-hand corner.

Sandra Sporer

My name is Sandra Sporer. I’m a 27-year-old English Literature student with an interest in gaming, art, books (of course), cinema and history. My love for writing sparked my interest in journalism and I completed a one-year-internship at my local newspaper right after school. From 2018 onward I have been writing articles for CHIP, Focus, How2ForU and other websites.