Easily change your app icon dynamically in Expo SDK 52!
✨ Android icon change without app restart! ✨ Seamless icon updates while the app stays running ✨ Improved stability and performance
✅ Reset icon to default ✅ Support for round icons ✅ Different icons for iOS and Android ✅ Dynamic icon variants for iOS (light, dark, tinted) ✅ iOS icon update with or without alert popup ✅ Simple API to get and set the app icon
npx expo install @howincodes/expo-dynamic-app-iconAdd the plugin to your app.json:
"plugins": [
[
"@howincodes/expo-dynamic-app-icon",
{
"defaultLight": {
"ios": "./assets/ios_icon_light.png",
"android": {
"foregroundImage": "./assets/android_icon_light_fg.png",
"backgroundColor": "#FFFFFF"
}
},
"defaultDark": {
"ios": "./assets/ios_icon_dark.png",
"android": {
"foregroundImage": "./assets/android_icon_dark_fg.png",
"backgroundColor": "#121212"
}
},
"legacyRed": {
"ios": "./assets/ios_icon_red.png",
"android": "./assets/android_icon_red_legacy.png" // Legacy string format still supported
},
"dynamicTheme": {
"ios": {
"light": "./assets/ios_icon_themed_light.png",
"dark": "./assets/ios_icon_themed_dark.png",
"tinted": "./assets/ios_icon_themed_tinted.png"
}
// Android can also use the adaptive format here if desired
}
}
]
]Note on Android Adaptive Icons:
For Android, you can now provide an object with foregroundImage (path to your foreground asset) and backgroundColor (hex string) to generate proper adaptive icons. If you provide a direct string path, it will be treated as a legacy icon.
Run the following command:
expo prebuildThen, check if the following lines have been added to AndroidManifest.xml. The android:icon and android:roundIcon attributes will point to different resources based on your configuration:
For Adaptive Icons (example: defaultDark):
<activity-alias
android:name="expo.modules.dynamicappicon.example.MainActivitydefaultDark"
android:enabled="false"
android:exported="true"
android:icon="@mipmap/ic_launcher_adaptive_defaultdark"
android:roundIcon="@mipmap/ic_launcher_adaptive_defaultdark"
android:targetActivity=".MainActivity">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN"/>
<category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER"/>
</intent-filter>
</activity-alias>For Legacy Icons (example: legacyRed):
<activity-alias
android:name="expo.modules.dynamicappicon.example.MainActivitylegacyRed"
android:enabled="false"
android:exported="true"
android:icon="@mipmap/legacyred"
android:roundIcon="@mipmap/legacyred_round"
android:targetActivity=".MainActivity">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN"/>
<category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER"/>
</intent-filter>
</activity-alias>import { setAppIcon } from "@howincodes/expo-dynamic-app-icon";
/**
* Change app icon to 'red'
*/
setAppIcon("red");
/**
* Reset to default icon
*/
setAppIcon(null);setAppIcon(
name: IconName | null,
isInBackground?: boolean
)| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
name |
IconName | null |
null |
The icon name to switch to. Pass null to reset to the default icon. |
isInBackground |
boolean |
true |
- true: Icon changes silently in the background (no alert on iOS).- false: Immediate change, with system alert on iOS. |
"DEFAULT"if reset to the original icon.- The new icon name on success.
falseif an error occurs.
import { getAppIcon } from "@howincodes/expo-dynamic-app-icon";
// Get the current app icon name
const icon = getAppIcon();
console.log(icon); // "red" (or "DEFAULT" if not changed)-
Android limitations: Android does not support icon changes while the app is running in the foreground. To work around this, the icon is changed when the app enters the Pause state (background).
-
⚠️ Pause state can also trigger during events like permission dialogs. To avoid unwanted icon changes, a 5-second delay is added to ensure the app is truly in the background. -
To disable the delay and apply the icon change immediately (with the risk of it running during permission dialogs or other pause events), set:
setAppIcon("red", false);
- On iOS,
isInBackground: falsetriggers the system alert immediately. - On Android, it applies the icon change right away without waiting.
- On iOS,
A huge shoutout to outsung for the original package! 🎉
If you find this useful, consider buying him a coffee:
This package is maintained by HowinCloud – delivering powerful cloud-based solutions for modern app development.
🔥 Enjoy building dynamic and customizable apps with Expo! 🚀