iOS · iPhone & iPad
Change an App Icon on the iPhone Home Screen With Shortcuts
Source-checked About 10 minutes
Answer
Create an Open App shortcut, add it to the Home Screen, and choose a custom photo for that shortcut icon. The original app icon remains installed.
Prepare a suitable icon image
Save a square image you have permission to use in Photos or Files. A high-resolution image with important details away from the edges usually survives iOS's icon mask better than a wide screenshot or a low-resolution web thumbnail.
Create an Open App shortcut
Open Shortcuts, tap the add button, search for Open App, and add that action. Tap the blue App placeholder and select the installed app the custom icon should launch.
Name and test the shortcut
Open the shortcut's name menu, give it an identifiable internal name, and run it once inside Shortcuts. Confirm it opens the intended app before creating the Home Screen item.
Open Add to Home Screen
Open the shortcut details or Share menu and select Add to Home Screen. This creates a launcher on the Home Screen; it does not replace the app's installed icon or change the icon shown elsewhere in iOS.
Choose the custom image and label
Tap the preview icon, choose Take Photo, Choose Photo, or Choose File, crop the image, and enter the Home Screen label. Review the preview, then tap Add.
Organize the original icon
Test the new icon, then touch and hold the original app icon and choose Remove App > Remove from Home Screen if you want to hide that duplicate. Do not choose Delete App, because the shortcut depends on the installed app.
Reverse or troubleshoot the change
Delete the custom Home Screen shortcut to undo the appearance change; the app remains installed. If the icon opens the wrong app, edit the Open App action. A brief Shortcuts transition can occur because this method launches an automation.
Video walkthrough
If it does not work
- If the shortcut opens the wrong app, edit its Open App action and select the intended target. If the image looks cropped, use a square source with safe margins and recreate the Home Screen item; deleting the custom item does not delete the installed app.
Sources and verification
Checked against official documentation on . Scope: iPhone & iPad.
Follow the linked first-party guidance if labels differ after a platform or app update.