Skip to main content

How to change app icon colors in iOS 18

how to change app icon colors in ios 18 customization hero
Bryan M. Wolfe / Digital Trends

Apple has released iOS 18 to the masses, with the biggest feature of the update being Apple Intelligence. But the update also includes new customization tools, such as the long-awaited ability to change the appearance of icons on the home screen.

Recommended Videos

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

5 minutes

What You Need

  • Your iPhone

  • iOS 18

Home screen customization isn't entirely new to the iPhone, though iOS 18 builds upon it in pretty exciting ways — including the ability to change the color of your app icons. It adds a level of personalization not previously available on the iPhone, and it's a lot of fun to play with. Here's how it works.

How to change app icon colors in iOS 18

There are two ways you can adjust the appearance of icons in iOS 18. First, you can enable the icons to automatically adjust their appearance based on the time of day. Additionally, you can add colorful tints to the icons to match your style or mood.

Step 1: To enter Edit mode in iOS 18, press and hold on an empty area on your iPhone home screen until the icons begin to jiggle.

Step 2: Next, choose the Edit icon from the top-left corner.

Step 3: Choose Customize from the Edit menu.

Customization tools in iOS 18 on an iPhone 15.
Bryan M. Wolfe / Digital Trends

Step 4: To adjust the colors of the icons to match the time of day, tap Automatic.

Step 5: You can also select Dark so the icons are dark all the time, or Light so they remain lightly colored 24/7.

Customization of iPhone home screen on iOS 18.
Bryan M. Wolfe / Digital Trends

Step 6: There's also a Tinted option located next to Automatic, Dark, and Light. Tap on it to adjust the tint color for your app icons. You can use a slider to select the specific color and another one to adjust the intensity of the tint.

iOS 18 customization tools - changing the icon colors.
Bryan M. Wolfe / Digital Trends

Step 7: You can also use the eyedropper icon to adjust the colors of your iPhone icons to match a color on the existing background.

iOS 18 customization tools, changing icon color based on background.
Bryan M. Wolfe / Digital Trends

Step 8: One additional way to customize your iPhone home screen in iOS 18 is by making the icons larger. You can do this by once again going into the new edit mode. From here, toggle Large. As you can see, by doing so the icons on the home screen get larger and the words beneath them are removed. Select Small to return the icons to their regular size.

Changing iPhone icon size on iOS 18.
Bryan M. Wolfe / Digital Trends

And that's it! iOS 18's app icon customization tools may not be as exhaustive as what you'll find on an Android phone, but it does add another fun element to home screen customization. And now, you know how it works.

Bryan M. Wolfe
Bryan M. Wolfe has over a decade of experience as a technology writer. He writes about mobile.
How to sign up for Apple Intelligence features in iOS 18.1
Apple Intelligence on iPhone 15 Pro.

One of the biggest features in iOS 18 is Apple Intelligence. However, while the iPhone 16 line launched with iOS 18 out of the box, Apple Intelligence wasn’t ready quite yet. Now, the latest iOS 18.1 update finally brings those AI goodies to your compatible iPhone.

Of course, you may have updated and tried to use those Apple Intelligence features, but can’t seem to get them to work. That’s because you have to sign up for them before they’re available to you.

Read more
Google may make it easier to share files between Android and iPhone
Android 14 logo on the Moto G Stylus 5G (2024).

Wish it was easier to share files between Android and iPhone? Android Authority says a file-sharing service designed for Android devices may eventually become available on Apple products.

During the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January, Google announced its collaboration with Samsung to introduce a new feature called Quick Share, which aims to simplify file sharing. This feature offers a unified solution for sharing files across Android devices, Chromebooks, and Windows systems, making the process seamless within these ecosystems. Think of it like AirDrop but for Android.

Read more
How to use Apple Intelligence Writing Tools on your iPhone
Writing Tools on iPhone 15 Pro.

Apple has finally joined the AI game with Apple Intelligence features in iOS 18.1, which are now available to everyone with a compatible phone. You can finally start using all of these cool new AI features, such as Writing Tools, smarter Siri, Clean Up in Photos, and more.

Read more