How to Customize App Icons in iOS 26

With iOS 26, Apple has introduced a significant overhaul to the Home Screen, giving you powerful new tools to change the look of your app icons. Gone are the days of a one‑size‑fits‑all grid. Now you can apply system‑wide themes that alter the color, transparency, and style of your icons for a truly personalized feel.

Learning how to customize app icons in iOS 26 lets you create a unique aesthetic that matches your wallpaper and personal style.

This new “Liquid Glass” design allows you to quickly switch between distinct looks, from a sleek dark mode to a vibrant tint that matches your iPhone’s case. It’s a simple way to refresh your device’s interface without the cumbersome workarounds required in previous iOS versions. Think of it as giving your iPhone a new coat of paint in just a few taps.

Why Customizing Your App Icons Matters

A personalized Home Screen can make your iPhone feel more organized and less distracting. By applying a uniform style like a dark or tinted theme, you reduce the visual noise from dozens of brightly colored, competing app icons. This creates a calmer, more focused user experience.

Real‑world scenarios where this is useful include setting a dark theme at night to reduce eye strain or using the “Clear” look to better showcase a favorite wallpaper. Without these customizations, you’re stuck with the default appearance, which may not suit your preferences or needs. These new tools offer both aesthetic control and practical benefits.

How to Customize Your App Icons

In iOS 26, you can change the appearance of your app icons directly from the Home Screen. The following methods cover the new built‑in options that apply a consistent style across all of your apps and widgets.

Method 1: Applying a Light or Dark Theme

This is the most straightforward way to change your icon appearance. The Dark option gives your app icons and widgets a dark, almost‑black background, which is easier on the eyes at night and can help conserve battery life on OLED screens.

1. Press and hold on an empty area of your Home Screen until your apps begin to jiggle.
2. Tap Edit in the top‑left corner of the screen.
3. Select Customize from the menu that appears. A panel will slide up from the bottom with customization options.
4. Tap Dark at the top of the panel. You will see an instant preview of the change on your Home Screen.
5. Below the main options, choose between Always (to keep Dark mode on permanently) or Auto (to switch between light and dark icons based on your system’s Light or Dark Mode setting).
6. Tap Done in the top‑right corner to save your changes.

Method 2: Using the “Clear” Translucent Style

The “Clear” option gives your icons a semi‑transparent, frosted‑glass look that allows your wallpaper to show through. This is perfect for users who want to prioritize their background image and create a layered, modern aesthetic.

1. Press and hold on an empty area of your Home Screen until your apps jiggle.
2. Tap Edit in the top‑left corner.
3. Select Customize.
4. In the customization panel, tap Clear.
5. At the bottom of the panel, you can further refine the look: Light, Dark, or Auto.
6. Tap Done to apply the clear style.

Method 3: Adding a Custom Color With “Tinted” Mode

The “Tinted” option allows you to apply a system‑wide color to your app icons and widgets. This is the most creative option, letting you perfectly match your icons to your wallpaper, iPhone color, or even your MagSafe case.

1. Press and hold on an empty area of your Home Screen to enter jiggle mode.
2. Tap Edit in the top‑left corner, then choose Customize.
3. Tap Tinted in the customization panel.
4. Use the color slider to select your desired hue. A second slider controls the saturation or intensity.
5. For a perfect match, tap the eyedropper icon and drag it over your wallpaper to sample a specific color.
6. Choose Light, Dark, or Auto at the bottom to control how the tint is applied.
7. Tap Done to save your new tinted theme.

What Gets Customized?

When you use these new iOS 26 features, the changes are applied system‑wide.

• Included: All first‑party Apple app icons (Safari, Messages, Mail, etc.), most third‑party app icons, Home Screen widgets, folder backgrounds.
• Not Included: The app interfaces themselves (the theme only applies to the Home Screen icon) and a few third‑party apps that may retain their original design.

How to Verify Your Changes

Confirming your new icon style is simple. After tapping Done, you will be returned to your Home Screen.

1. Swipe through all your Home Screen pages to see how the new style looks across all your apps and folders.
2. Check your widgets to ensure they have also adopted the new theme.
3. If you selected the Auto option for any style, check your icons once during the day (in Light Mode) and once at night (in Dark Mode) to see the transition.

Additional Tips and Precautions

• Make Icons Bigger: In the same Customize panel, tap the icon showing small and large squares to enlarge your app icons and remove their text labels for a cleaner, minimalist look.
• Wallpaper Matters: The “Clear” and “Tinted” styles work best with wallpapers that have interesting colors or textures. A busy wallpaper might make “Clear” icons difficult to see.
• Combine with Focus: Pair different icon themes with different Focus modes. For example, you can have a standard look for your main Home Screen but a muted Dark theme for your How to set up a Focus Mode pages.
• MagSafe Case Matching: If you have an official Apple MagSafe case, the “Tinted” option can automatically suggest a color that matches it.

If the new styles don’t appear as expected, a quick reset all settings on iPhone can clear any lingering configuration issues. Should problems persist, a factory reset your iPhone will return the device to a clean state, after which you can re‑apply your preferred icon theme. For a step‑by‑step guide on what to do after resetting, see what to do after each reset.