How to change the icons of our Android mobile

Nothing is more gratifying for an Android user than being able to modify, at will, numerous elements that compose it, for example, application icons. Changing the icon of an application is very easy and best of all, it won't cost you a penny extra. The only thing you will need is a third-party application called 'launcher', which you can download legally and for free from the GooglePlay application store. Do you want to give a new touch to your mobile phone without having to root and lose the warranty? Well, don't stop reading.

What is a launcher?

A launcher is an application 'launcher'. It is the first thing we see when we unlock our mobile and, with it, we can open the applications and access them. Each brand can have its personalized launcher or adapt pure Android like the Android One terminals. Each launcher has its own configurations and particularities, there are paid ones, free ones, more or less configurable... but, after all, it deserves It is worth taking a look at more than one, if the one that comes from the factory does not convince you.

Which one should I download to change the icons?

One of the best launchers that we can buy in the Google Play app store is the already famous Nova Launcher. This launcher contains paid features, that is, you will have to unlock them with real money. Icon change fortunately belongs to the free features, so forget about unnecessary expenses.You can download Nova Launcher from the Google Play store at no cost or . Once installed, we open it and the mobile will ask us if we want to use this launcher as default. We say yes. Then we will tell you how to choose between launchers, in case you want to use another or go back to using the one we had from the factory on our mobile phone.

What to do to change the icons of our mobile?

First of all, to change the icons of the shortcuts of our applications we will have to go to the Google Play Store and download one of the icon packs that we find in it. They are free, although every week you can find dozens of offers in the Play Store. To search for the packages we only have to enter the Play Store and put 'icons', 0 'icon pack' or 'icon packs'.Choose the one you like best and download it on your phone. We have chosen for this tutorial the icon pack 'H2O Free Icon Pack', colorful, with a linear and rounded design, based on the Hydrogen OS ROM. This icon pack is free and has a weight of 32 MB.

Download an icon pack from the Play Store

Once the icon pack has been downloaded we are going to go to the configuration section of Nova Launcher. We can access the launcher configuration in several ways. The easiest is to long-press on the home screen for several seconds. An additional window with icons will open at the bottom, having to press 'Settings'. In this way we will enter the guts of the launcher and we will be able to configure numerous elements of the same.

Within the Nova Launcher settings we will have to enter the 'Appearance' section. Here we will be able to add the package of custom icons that we downloaded in the previous step.

Add the new icons to your phone

Within the 'Appearance' section we have several options to choose from. The one that interests us is the first of all, 'Theme for icons'. Here you can find all the icon packs that you download and install. If you enter, you will be able to see them in a new additional window. Click on the icon pack you want to install on your phone, in this case, on H2O Icon Pack

At that very moment, the new icons will have been added and you can already see them on your phone's home screen. If you want to try more icon packs, you will only have to repeat the actions, that is, download an icon pack, enter the launcher settings and select them in the 'Appearance' section.It's that simple.

Another way to install icon packs

We may install icon packs that you download from the Google Play store in a different way. Once you have downloaded and installed the icon pack, we proceed to open it. Within the icon application settings we have to go to a section where we can read 'Apply',which is nothing but 'Apply' in English. Once inside the application screen, the list of launchers that we have installed on our phone will appear. We just have to press where 'Nova Launcher' appears and that's it. The icons will be applied automatically.

How to change a single application icon

What if we want to change only one application icon and not all the ones we have on our mobile? What if we especially like an icon of a particular theme and we want to combine it with the rest , which are icons of other themes? Well, it is also the sea of ​​​​easy to achieve it.All we have to do is, with Nova Launcher installed, hold down the icon we want to change for a few seconds. A small pop-up window will open in which we will have to select the top icon in the shape of a pencil, which corresponds to the editing shortcut icon.

Now, click on the icon that appears on the small screen direct access edition, which will take us to a new screen where we will have to choose the theme that includes the new icon to place. Now, we look for the icon that we want (or we place the suggested one, which is usually at the top) and click on it. Then, we confirm the action in 'done' and we will have the new icon placed.