Android lets you make all kinds of awesome customizations so you can personalize your phone. While some of these tweaks require lots of in-depth work, others are low-hanging fruit and only take a few taps. Custom icons fall into this second camp. In just a few minutes, you can swap the default app icons on your phone for something way cooler.
How to Set Custom Icons for Apps on Android
- First, you’ll need to install a compatible Android launcher. Unfortunately, the default launchers on many phones, like Pixel Launcher and Samsung’s launcher, don’t support custom icons. (We’ve taken a look at the best Android launchers if you’re not sure what to use. For this example, we’ll use Nova Launcher.)
- After you’ve installed a launcher, set it as your default so you don’t accidentally return to your old one. (When you tap the Home button on your phone, you should see an option to do so.)
- Next you’ll need to install one or more custom icon packs from Google Play. You can also import icons manually, but this is a lot slower. (Take a look at some great icon packs for an idea of what’s available. Moonshine is a solid one to try.)
- To apply your icon pack, head into the options for your launcher. In Nova Launcher, go to Nova Settings > Look & feel > Icon theme. (Here you’ll see a list of all installed icon packs. Select one to automatically apply the appropriate icons for all apps.)
Chances are that a given icon pack won’t have custom icons for every app on your phone. If you like, you can long-press on an icon and select Edit, then tap the app’s icon, to select an icon for it. Many icon packs, like Moonshine, also have a section in the app for requesting new icons.
