Apple has never officially let users change iOS app icons. However, thanks to the Shortcuts app, anyone can create a home screen shortcut with a custom icon that opens a specific app. This process comes with the downside of showing a huge banner every time the user taps the icon, but iPhone 14 Pro and Dynamic Island makes using custom app icons much more seamless.
Custom app icons on iPhone 14 Pro
As noted by Parker Ortolani, home screen shortcuts with custom icons no longer show a large banner at the top of the screen, at least on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. That’s because, on these models, iOS now shows a small animation on Dynamic Island to confirm that the shortcut has been successfully executed.
Previously, the banner also caused a delay in the time it took for the user to interact with the app. This delay has now also been removed. Unfortunately, the change is only valid for iPhone 14 Pro users. Those with other iPhone and iPad models still have to deal with the banner when opening a home screen shortcut with custom icon.
Since iOS 14.3, home screen shortcuts no longer open the Shortcuts app before launching the app you set. This alone has made the option compelling for many users despite the banner on the screen. Of course, “changing” app icons in iOS still requires a lot of effort compared to Android.
Even so, there are a lot of iPhone and iPad users who create completely unique home screens with custom icons. Combined with the home screen widgets, also introduced with iOS 14 in 2020, users have found many creative ways to change their home screens.
How to change app icons in iOS
If you want to customize your home screen with different icons, be sure to read our special guide on how to change icon apps running iOS 14 and later. It’s worth noting that you can find multiple icon packs for iOS apps available on the web.
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