How to Change Icons on Android

Last Updated: November 25, 2021 Tested

There are many ways to customize the app icons on your Android's home screen. Samsung Galaxy phones, for example, allow you to install all kinds of icon packs from the Galaxy Store and assign those icons to apps. But what if you don't have a Samsung Galaxy? We'll show you how to change the style of your app icons on any Android using an app called Awesome Icons, and how to download free icons for your favorite apps.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Changing Icons to Photos

1
Download Awesome Icons from the Play Store
. This free app lets you create new icons for any app on your Android. These icons will not appear in the app store, but you can use them on your home screen(s).
- Tap the Search bar at the top of the screen.
- Type awesome icons.
- Tap Awesome icons (it has a black icon with a white arrow).
- Tap INSTALL.
2
Open Awesome Icons. It’s the black icon with a white curved arrow in the app drawer. If you’re still in the Play Store, you can launch the app by tapping the green OPEN button.

Advertisement
3
Scroll down to the app you want to assign a new icon. You’ll see two different icons to the right of the app’s current icon—a camera and a photo/gallery icon.
4
Tap the photo/gallery icon. It’s the square with a blue, green, and white portrait inside. This opens your Gallery.
- If it’s your first time using the app, tap ALLOW to give it permission to access your photos.
- If you want to snap a new photo to use as an icon, tap the camera icon instead, then snap a photo.
5
Tap the image you want to use as an icon. This opens the image in a cropping editor.
- If you took a new photo, you’ll also see the cropping editor.
6
Select the part of the image you want to use as the icon. To do this, drag the corners of the square to select the part of the photo you wish to use. You can also drag the around to reposition the selection.
7
Tap Crop. It’s at the top-right corner of the screen. After the crop is complete, you’ll see the “Create shortcut” screen.
8
Tap OK. It’s at the bottom-right corner of the screen. A new shortcut for this app is now added to your home screen.
9
Delete the other shortcut from your home screen. To do this, tap and hold the icon, then drag it to “Remove,” which is usually at the top or bottom of the screen.
10
Drag the new icon to the desired position on the home screen. The new icon is ready to use.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Using Icon Packs

1
Download Awesome Icons from the Play Store
.
- Tap the Search bar at the top of the screen.
- Type awesome icons.
- Tap Awesome icons (it has a black icon with a white arrow).
- Tap INSTALL.
2
Open Awesome Icons. It’s the black icon with a white curved arrow in the app drawer. If you’re still in the Play Store, you can launch the app by tapping the green OPEN button.
3
Tap ☰. It’s at the top-left corner of the screen.
4
Tap Get more icons. A list of free icon packs will appear.
5
Browse for an icon pack. Scroll down to see several free options, or tap Search the market to find others available for download.
6
Tap an icon pack. This opens the icon pack’s download page in the Play Store.
7
Tap Install. The icon pack will now download to your Android. Once the download is complete, it will be available for use in Awesome Icons.
8
Return to Awesome Icons. You can do this by tapping the button at the bottom-right corner of the screen (bottom-left if you’re using a Samsung) that displays your open apps, then tap Awesome Icons. Alternatively, tap the app in the app drawer.
9
Tap ☰. It’s at the top-left corner of Awesome Icons.
10
Tap Icon packs.
11
Tap ⁝. It’s at the top-right corner of the screen.
12
Tap Refresh. You should now see the icon pack you downloaded.
13
Tap the back button. This brings you back to the list of applications on your Android.
14
Scroll down to an app you want to change. You should now see at least 4 icons beneath the app’s name—the original icon, the one from the downloaded icon pack (if it has an icon for that app), a camera, and a photo/gallery icon.
15
Tap the icon you want to use. If the icon pack(s) you downloaded has an alternate icon for the app, tap it now. This opens the “Create shortcut” screen.
16
Tap OK. It’s at the bottom-right corner of the screen. This creates a new shortcut for the selected app on your home screen.
17
Delete the other shortcut from your home screen. To do this, tap and hold the icon, then drag it to “Remove,” which is usually at the top or bottom of the screen.
18
Drag the new icon to the desired position on the home screen. Your new icon is ready to use.