How to Make Your App Icons Aesthetic

Aesthetic app icons used to mean one thing: hours in the Shortcuts app, swapping every icon for a custom image. That’s still an option, but iOS 18 added a much faster route, and most people get 90% of the look with about two minutes of effort. Here are the three real methods, ranked from easiest to most involved, so you can pick the one that fits your patience.

Method 1: Tinted and dark icons (iOS 18 and later)

This is the built-in feature, and for most people it’s the answer. It recolors every icon on your phone in one move, with no per-app fiddling and no launch delay.

1. Long-press an empty spot on the Home Screen until everything jiggles.
2. Tap Edit in the top corner, then Customize.
3. You’ll see four modes: Automatic, Dark, Light, and Tinted.

What each one does:

• Dark swaps in the darker icon variant app developers ship, and dims the background. Excellent on OLED and at night.
• Tinted recolors every icon to a single hue you choose with two sliders — one for color, one for brightness. This is the big aesthetic lever.
• Automatic switches between light and dark with the system.

For a cohesive look, pick Tinted and choose a hue that lives in your wallpaper. Drag the lower slider up if the icons look gray — that slider controls saturation, and too little turns everything to ash.

Why tinted beats custom icons for most people

Custom Shortcuts icons each open the Shortcuts app for a split second before launching the real app. Tinted icons launch instantly because they’re a system-level recolor, not a wrapper. Unless you want specific illustrated icons, tinted mode is the better daily driver.

Method 2: Custom icon art with Shortcuts (any iOS 16+)

When you want a particular style — say, hand-drawn icons or a matched icon pack — Shortcuts is still the way, and it works all the way back to iOS 16.

1. Save your icon images to Photos or Files first. (The editor is handy for making simple, consistent icon tiles in one palette.)
2. Open the Shortcuts app and tap + to create a new shortcut.
3. Add the Open App action and select the app you’re replacing.
4. Tap the shortcut’s menu (top of the screen), choose Add to Home Screen.
5. Tap the icon thumbnail, choose Choose Photo or Choose File, and pick your custom image. Rename it, then tap Add.
6. Move the original app off your first page into the App Library so only the custom version shows.

Repeat per app. It’s slower, but it’s the only way to get truly bespoke artwork.

Keep the launch delay in check

Each Shortcuts-based icon shows a brief banner before opening the real app. To minimize the annoyance, only convert the apps you open less often, and leave high-traffic apps (messages, camera) as native tinted icons.

Method 3: A cleaner grid (works on every iOS)

Here’s the underrated truth: layout makes icons look aesthetic more than recoloring does. A tidy grid with breathing room reads as intentional even with stock icons.

• Hide the clutter. Move rarely used apps into the App Library so your first page holds only favorites. Long-press an icon, tap Remove from Home Screen (it stays in the Library).
• Use empty space. On iOS 18+ you can place icons lower on the grid, leaving the top of your wallpaper visible. That negative space does real work.
• Group with widgets. A single large widget can replace a cluster of icons and anchor the page.

Tie the icons to everything else

Icons rarely look great in isolation — they look great as part of a theme. Match the tint to your wallpaper’s dominant color, recolor a widget or two to the same family, and tint the lock screen clock to a shade that’s already in the image. For the full layering approach across wallpaper, widgets, and icons, see how to make your iPhone aesthetic. If you want a background that flatters whatever tint you’ve chosen, the /styles collections are sorted by mood and color so you can grab a matching wallpaper fast.

Common mistakes

• Over-tinting on a busy wallpaper. A loud background plus colored icons is chaos. Pair tinted icons with a calmer image.
• Converting every app via Shortcuts. The cumulative launch delay gets irritating fast. Convert selectively.
• Ignoring brightness. Light icons on a light wallpaper disappear. Match the icon mode’s lightness to the background.

FAQ

Does tinting an icon change the app? No. It’s a visual recolor only; the app, its data, and its badges are untouched.

Why do my Shortcuts icons flash before opening? That’s expected — Shortcuts briefly opens to run the Open App action. Tinted icons (iOS 18+) avoid this entirely.

Can I make icons aesthetic on iOS 16 or 17? Yes, via custom Shortcuts icons and a cleaner grid. System-wide tinting requires iOS 18.

Related reading

• How to Match Your Wallpaper to App Icons
• How to Customize Your iPhone Lock Screen Like a Designer

Pick a wallpaper, choose a tint, and theme the whole grid in minutes. Get Wallpaper Hub on the App Store