How to Use Custom Icons on iOS for Free

Don't buy expensive icon packs

I bet you’ve heard it, but if you haven’t, here’s the short version: You can set custom app icons on your iPhone or iPad with the Shortcuts app from Apple. It’s a very nice workaround to make your home screen look the way you want it to look. Don’t get me wrong: It’s not close to what Android offers in terms of customization, but it’s a nice start. Let’s have a look!

Image by author, background photo from Unsplash

Requirements

As mentioned above, you need the Apple Shortcuts app. But don’t worry, it’s a free download on the App Store, and no hassle to use.

Secondly, you need the Apple Files app to download icons or image files that you want to use on your home screen. This app is probably already installed on your device. If not, it’s also a free download from the App Store.

Thirdly, you need at least iOS 14. I’d prefer iOS 14.3 as this makes the workaround much more pleasant to use.

Get some icons

Where do you get icons? Well, you can actually use any image files (jpg, png) if you wish. You…