How to Change App Icons Without Shortcuts on iOS 14

Trying to figure out how to alter app icons on iOS 14 without using Shortcuts?

iOS 14 introduced a slew of new features for Apple consumers to experiment with. The App Library was launched as a means to store our unneeded applications, and widgets have never been more customisable.

The ability to alter app icons with the Shortcut trick, on the other hand, revolutionized home screens forever for the creative side of the Apple community. Users may build a custom icon that would start a certain program using shortcuts. Unique preview pictures were also prepared for these custom icons, which effectively served as an additional program icon.

This new feature was well-received by Twitter users all across the world. But, despite the enthusiasm, the Shortcuts had one problem. They would launch the Shortcut app for a fraction of a second before launching the desired app. We’ll teach you how to alter app icons on iOS 14 without using shortcuts in this article!

Let’s get this party started.

1. Download and install Icon Themer.
2. Select Reduce Motion from the drop-down menu.

1. Download and install Icon Themer.

We prefer to give credit where credit is due at Saint. Only because of Reddit user u/nyuszika7h, who created a Reddit thread to solve the Shortcut issue, does this approach exist.

This plug-in, also known as a Shortcut profile, works wonderfully by preventing the Shortcuts app from launching anytime you start an app. We have terrible news for you if you have already modified all of your applications to use the ‘Open App’ shortcut.

You’ll have to repopulate and recreate all the icons you’ve already created because you’ll be utilising a different shortcut profile. But don’t be concerned! The stages following may appear to be lengthy, but this is just because they are detailed. You should be able to mass-produce your shortcuts in no time if you get the hang of it!

Allowing ‘Untrusted Shortcuts’ in your options is a good place to start. This allows the third-party app to make changes to your iPhone and create shortcuts.

Allowing untrusted shortcuts is as simple as this:

• To begin, open your Settings app and go to Shortcuts.
• Once there, hit Allow Untrusted Shortcuts to enable it.

• If you don’t see this option, it’s likely that you haven’t set up any shortcuts. As a dummy, open the Shortcuts app and create a random shortcut. Rep Steps 1 and 2 when you’ve finished doing it. After that, you should be able to view the choice.

Great! You should now be able to install third-party shortcuts now that we’ve finished. Let’s get Icon Themer installed so we can get rid of that pesky Shortcut latency. Here’s how to go about it:

• To begin, go to Routinehub and download the shortcut you’ll need for this procedure. Simply open the link and select Get Shortcut from the drop-down menu.When a message appears asking if you wish to add the shortcut or not, tap Add Untrusted Shortcut. You have the option of customising the shortcut further or simply skipping Setup.
• Open the Shortcuts app after you’ve done that. Icon Themer should now be your new shortcut. To continue, tap the shortcut.
• Now, look for and choose the programme you wish to use. This may be done by searching for the appropriate software in the search box above and pressing on it. Icon Themer should ask for permission; simply touch OK.

• After that, you’ll have the option of searching for programmes in the App Store or using System apps. Choose System programmes if the application you’re building a shortcut to is already installed. If you must install the app, you may do so by choosing Search in Program Store, which will instantly install the app and create a shortcut for it. The Custom app option generates a shortcut on your home screen that launches your default browser and accesses a website.
• After that, you’ll be prompted to select an icon. You can pick between Photos and Files. Choose one and keep going until you have the photo icon you desire. You may be prompted for additional permission depending on the app. To continue, simply hit OK.

• Following that, you should be prompted to provide the icon’s name. You have the option of keeping the default name or changing it to anything else. You may simply leave this blank if you want to go for a more simple look.
• As a last prompt, an Url scheme may appear; simply ignore it and hit Done to proceed.
• Finally, a popup should appear, informing you of the number of icons you have thus far. You have the option of adding another icon, which will generate a new shortcut, or you may select to have your shortcut already created.

You’ll be able to effortlessly create several shortcuts this way. Icon Themer, unlike other approaches, automates several operations that would otherwise take a long time to complete manually.

It’s much more rewarding to be able to create many shortcuts before eventually putting them all together.

Finally, here’s how to generate and install the shortcuts you just created:

• Icon Themer will then download a customised profile depending on the changes you’ve made. You’ll have to give it permission to download because it’s a third-party programme. To continue the process and download your personalised shortcut, tap Allow.
• You should be routed to an Install Profile window after the profile has finished downloading. Simply press the Install button in the top-right corner of your screen. For permissions, you’ll need to enter your passcode.

• We’re almost there! You should now be routed to a Warning box, which you should proceed to install the profile on your iPhone.
• Finally, the shortcut you created for the programme should now appear on your home screen.

Congratulations! To see the pleasant shortcut in action, tap on the freshly created shortcut on your home screen. These procedures may appear lengthy at first, but once you’ve become used to them, you’ll be able to do them swiftly and efficiently.

Similar ways may be found on YouTube, but the benefit of these processes is that they already automate a lot of your tasks. Icon Themer is an iPhone shortcut that creates and downloads another shortcut.

This new shortcut will open your programme by processing it through Safari and forcing it to open in the installed app instead. Have you ever noticed when a prompt reads ‘Open on YouTube?’ That is exactly what this shortcut accomplishes. It opens the programme you’re looking for by executing an HTML code through Safari.

2. Select Reduce Motion from the drop-down menu.

This is, in essence, a band-aid for a gunshot wound. Unfortunately, the Shortcuts app will remain available, but the transition will be smoother. The animation is what takes up a lot of time when using the standard ‘Open App’ shortcut to open programmes.

These animations will make your experience feel much smoother, but they may cause a tiny delay before each programme fully opens. By enabling ‘Reduce Motion,’ these animations will be reduced, which are largely ornamental anyhow.

Here’s how to make ‘Reduce Motion’ work for you:

1. Go ahead and open your Settings app and select Accessibility from the drop-down menu.
2. Navigate to Motion now. A list of visual effects choices that are now active on your iPhone should appear.
3. Finally, to lessen the animation generated by your iPhone, simply touch on Reduce Motion or enable it.

Now, if you only use the standard ‘Access App’ shortcuts you’ve previously created, the time it takes to open your apps should be much reduced.

Now that you’ve reached the conclusion of the tutorial, perhaps we’ve been able to assist you in changing your app icons on iOS 14 without using Shortcuts. Please feel free to leave a comment below if you have any concerns about the procedures described above.