Custom App Icons for Sideloaded Apps on iPhone

One of the most satisfying ways to personalise your iPhone is customising app icons. When you sideload apps through Scarlet iOS, those apps arrive with whatever icon was baked into the IPA file — sometimes polished, sometimes generic, sometimes visually inconsistent with your carefully curated home screen aesthetic. The good news is that you have multiple methods to replace those icons with custom designs, and none of them require jailbreaking.

This guide covers every approach to custom icons for sideloaded apps: using iOS Shortcuts (the most flexible method), understanding how icon sets are embedded in IPA files, and organising your home screen with mixed App Store and sideloaded apps in a cohesive visual style.

Method 1: iOS Shortcuts (Best for Flexibility)

The Shortcuts method is the most widely used approach for custom icons on iOS. It works for both App Store apps and sideloaded apps, requires no modification of the app itself, and allows you to use any image as an icon — photos, illustrations, downloaded icon packs, or AI-generated designs.

How to Create a Custom Icon Shortcut

Open the Shortcuts app. If you do not have it, download it from the App Store.
Tap the + button in the top right to create a new shortcut.
Tap “Add Action” and search for “Open App.” Select it from the results.
Tap the word “App” in the action block and select the sideloaded app you want to customise.
Tap the three-dot icon in the top right (the details button).
Tap “Add to Home Screen.”
Tap the icon image next to the name field. Choose “Choose Photo” to use an image from your library, or “Choose File” to use a downloaded icon.
Select your image. It will be cropped to a square, so prepare accordingly.
Enter the display name for the app under the icon.
Tap “Add.” The new icon appears on your home screen.

The Limitation: Launch Delay

Shortcuts-based icons have one notable limitation: tapping them opens the Shortcuts app briefly before bouncing to the actual target app. This one-second delay is usually imperceptible in practice but can be mildly irritating for frequently used apps. It is an iOS limitation that cannot currently be bypassed without deeper system access.

Sourcing Quality Custom Icon Images

The quality of your custom icons depends on the images you use. Here are the best sources for professional-looking results.

Dedicated iOS Icon Packs

Hundreds of iOS icon packs are available, ranging from free downloads on community sites to paid premium packs from designers. Popular styles include:

Minimal flat design (single colour icons with simple shapes)
Dark mode aesthetic (black backgrounds with coloured icons)
3D/glossy retro style (reminiscent of early iOS skeuomorphism)
Custom themed sets (space, nature, neon, pastel)

Icon packs typically come as ZIP files containing hundreds of PNG images at 1024×1024 resolution, which is the recommended size for iOS icons.

Creating Your Own Icons

If you want truly unique icons, apps like Canva, Adobe Express, or Procreate let you design custom icons directly on your iPhone. For the cleanest result:

Work at 1024×1024 pixels
Use a square canvas with rounded corners in your design (iOS clips icons to rounded rectangles)
Export as PNG for the best quality
Keep the design simple — complex designs lose detail at small sizes

AI-Generated Icons

AI image generation tools can create custom icons from text descriptions. Asking for “app icon, flat design, dark background, game controller, rounded square” produces usable results in seconds. The key is specifying “app icon” in your prompt to get appropriate scale and composition.

Organising Mixed App and Shortcut Icons

Once you start using custom icons, you end up with a mix of “real” app icons and Shortcut-based icons. iOS treats them identically for the purpose of home screen organisation, but there are a few things to manage.

Hiding the Original App Icon

After creating a custom icon Shortcut, you still have the original sideloaded app icon on your home screen, creating duplicates. To clean this up:

Long-press the original icon and tap “Remove App” to move it to the App Library. This does not delete the app — it remains installed and accessible from App Library (swipe left past all home screens).
The custom Shortcut icon you created remains on the home screen and still opens the app.

This gives you your custom icon without duplication, while the app itself remains fully installed and functional.

Method 2: Replacing Icons in the IPA File

For a more permanent solution that applies the icon directly to the app rather than using a Shortcut, you can modify the icon images inside the IPA file before installation. This eliminates the Shortcuts launch delay and embeds the custom icon in the app bundle itself.

The Technical Process

Rename the IPA file to .zip and extract it
Navigate to the Payload folder and into the .app directory
Find the icon image files (usually named AppIcon-XX@Xx.png in various sizes)
Replace these files with your custom icon images at matching sizes
Repackage the folder back into an IPA (rename to .ipa after zipping)
Install through Scarlet iOS

This process requires more technical steps and the result depends on the IPA structure, but it gives a native-feeling result with no launch delay. The icon persists until the app is reinstalled from a different IPA.

Widget-Compatible Icons

Custom icons created via Shortcuts cannot be used in home screen widgets — widgets are tied to the actual app, not the Shortcut. If a sideloaded app supports widgets (some productivity and utility apps do), those widgets will continue to display the original app icon. This is another scenario where the IPA modification method produces a more cohesive result.

Consistent Home Screen Aesthetics with Sideloaded Apps

The goal for many users who go through the icon customisation process is a visually coherent home screen where sideloaded apps blend seamlessly with App Store apps and Shortcuts-based launchers. A few principles make this easier:

Choose one icon style and apply it consistently (do not mix flat 2D icons with 3D glossy icons).
Use consistent background colours across your icon set.
Group apps by category on separate pages, each with a matching wallpaper.
Use Focus modes with custom wallpapers to create entirely different home screen layouts for different contexts (work, gaming, personal).

For creating context-aware home screens that automatically switch based on time or location, our guide on how to use Shortcuts with sideloaded apps covers Focus mode automation in detail.

Handling Icon Updates After Reinstallation

When Scarlet iOS reinstalls an app after certificate revocation, the original app icon reappears. Shortcut-based custom icons are unaffected by this because they are independent of the app itself — your Shortcut still points to the same app and your custom icon still displays. The original app icon returns alongside the Shortcut, but you can remove it to the App Library again in seconds.

If you used the IPA modification method, reinstalling from the unmodified IPA will revert to the original icon. You need to reinstall from your modified IPA to restore the custom icon.

For general maintenance of your sideloaded app library, see our guide on how to reinstall Scarlet iOS without losing data.

Make Your Home Screen Yours

Custom icons are one of the most rewarding forms of iPhone personalisation — and sideloaded apps deserve the same treatment as any other app on your device. Whether you use the Shortcuts method for quick results or IPA modification for a native feel, the end result is a home screen that reflects your personal style.

Start by installing the apps you want to customise through Scarlet iOS, then build the home screen you have always wanted.

Custom App Icons for Sideloaded Apps on iPhone