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How to Change the Color of Your Apps on Android

Customize your Android's color palette

By Tim Fisher Tim Fisher Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability Emporia State University Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the VP and General Manager of Lifewire. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on September 6, 2022 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Android Switching from iOS

What to Know

Turn on Themed icons and pick a solid or wallpaper-based color.Access those options here: Settings > Wallpaper & style.A third-party app with icon packs provides the greatest flexibility. This article details your options for changing the color and icons of your Android apps.
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How Do I Change the Color of My Apps on My Phone

By default, app icons on some Android phones, like the Pixel, are essentially unchangeable, both the color and the actual icon. Spotify, for example, is green and black, and there's no easy way to change that. There are, however, some cases where the app lets you modify the icon from a selection of options. Or, the app has closer ties to your phone's settings than other apps, so if you change the color setting on your phone, the app color and icon style will change, too. If all else fails, third-party apps can take care of the whole process for you through icon packs. You can modify the app's icon color and entire icon graphic that way. Here are the Google-approved options for changing the color of an app icon: These steps were made using Android 12 and 13. Specific steps may differ based on the operating system version you're running, but the basic process will be the same.

Use Themed Icons

One way to quickly change app icon colors is to use Themed icons. But there's a catch: Not every icon will change—only Google-provided ones like Chrome, YouTube, Camera, Phone, Messages, Play Store, Gmail, etc. Go to Settings > Wallpaper & style > Themed icons to turn this on.
The icon style you end up with depends on the colors used in your wallpaper (see below) and if the Dark theme is on.

Turn on Wallpaper Colors

Themed icons work as-is, so you can turn it on and forget about it. Or, to work in a bit of customization, you can manipulate the app colors through two sets of color options: Wallpaper colors and Basic colors. For example, if you want those Google apps to be purple, you can pick that color from Settings > Wallpaper & style > Basic colors. If you want the app icon colors to be balanced against the wallpaper, open Settings > Wallpaper & style > Wallpaper colors and pick one of those color combinations (the combos you see there change depending on the wallpaper you're using).
Those color styles also apply to folder backgrounds, the lock screen, and other places. They change the color of Google's app icons because they've included their apps as part of the set to which the color setting applies. They may expand the option to third-party developers in the future so that your other apps will change color too.

How Do You Change App Icons on Android

Changing app colors is also possible by simply changing the whole app icon. The only built-in method for doing that is to follow the directions above. The color palette you pick, the wallpaper you're using, and whether the dark theme and themed icons options are on influence how some of your apps appear. But what if you want to pick a different app icon, maybe one for a non-Google app? There aren't icon packs in the phone's settings that you can cycle through, nor is there an approved way to swap out one icon for one of your choosing. However, the app developer will include an app icon customization option in the app's settings in some rare cases. One example is the DuckDuckGo browser. A screen called App Icon is in that app's settings, which has several options. It doesn't matter what your wallpaper color is or what other toggle you enabled in your phone's settings; this app's icon is determined by what you decide in its settings.
If the app you're trying to change the icon color for doesn't have that level of customization, consider using a third-party tool. You might need a different Android launcher than the one that came with your phone for that to work. How to Change App Icons on Android FAQ How do I change the color of apps on a Samsung phone? To change the color of your apps on a Samsung phone, tap and hold an empty area of the home screen and then tap Wallpaper and style. Tap Color Palette, and then choose the color you want. Tap Set as Color Palette. The color palette changes will affect stock apps and icons. How do I change the color of my iPhone apps? To change the color of apps on iOS 14, you'll use the Shortcuts app to alter your apps' appearance. In this case, you're not directly changing the app's color; rather, this is a workaround that creates a "button" that can be different colors. To do this, launch the Shortcuts app and tap Add (plus sign); in the New Shortcut screen, tap Add Action. Search for and select Open App, and then, on the New Shortcut page, tap Choose. Locate the app whose appearance you want to change. Back on the New Shortcut page, you'll see the app name; tap More (three dots), change the app's name, tap its icon, select Color, and choose a new color. Use other customization options here to further change its appearance. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Change Theme Colors in Google Slides How to Change a Login Picture on Mac How to Change the Color of Text Bubbles on Android How Do I Change the Wallpaper on My Computer or Phone? How to Change the Color of Apps on iOS 14 How to Change the Instagram Icon in iOS and Android How to Change the Color of Your Apps on Samsung How to Change the Desktop Background in Windows 11 How to Customize an iPhone's Home Screen How to Change the Color of Your Name on Twitch The 8 Best Icons for Android How to Change App Icons on Android Android 13: News, Release Date, and Features How to Change the Taskbar Color in Windows 10 How to Set Your iPad's Background Wallpaper How to Change Folder Color on Mac Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies