How to change icons to Xiaomi: from standard themes to customization

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face the desire to personalize their device, making it unique and recognizable. The standard interface of MIUI or the new HyperOS is certainly functional, but its visual part may seem to many users standard or even boring. Changing the appearance of applications is the easiest and most effective way to transform the gadget without resorting to complex technical manipulations.

The process of replacing graphic elements on Android shells from the Chinese manufacturer is quite flexible and allows you to implement many scenarios. You can replace the entire set of characters at once by choosing a ready-made theme in the official store, or go the more difficult way and change the appearance of each individual application manually. In this material, we will analyze all the available methods, from the simplest to the most advanced.

It's worth noting that the depth of customization depends on the version of the operating system and the region for which the smartphone is released. Global firmware versions sometimes have restrictions on installing themes from third-party regions, but there are proven methods to bypass these locks. Let's look at how to completely change the visual style of your screen.

Use of the built-in Themes application

The most obvious and safest way to change the visual design is to use the Themes app, which is pre-installed on every device in the brand, and it provides access to a huge database of custom and official designs, where the graphics of the apps are automatically changed when you activate the package you select, so you don't have to search for individual files or use a computer.

To get started, open the app and go to Profile (the little man icon in the corner) and then select Settings. It is critical to change the region to India or Indonesia. It is in these regions that the catalog is the most extensive and contains designs with a full set of modified icons, while in the Russian or European segment the choice is often limited only to wallpaper and system sounds.

⚠️ Warning: After changing region, the list of downloaded themes may disappear from the Downloads section, but they will remain in the purchase history. Before switching, make sure you remember the name of your favorite theme to find it again in the new region.

When you change region, go back to the main directory and search. Type in English keywords like iOS style, Minimal, Neon or Black. When choosing a theme, pay attention to the preview: if you see that the desktop icons have changed, then the package contains the set of graphics you need. If only the wallpaper has changed, and the icons remain the same, then this design does not affect this part of the interface.

Compatibility is important. Some themes only change system applications like Phone, Messages and Camera, leaving third-party software like WhatsApp or Telegram unchanged. The theme description often indicates the number of apps supported, but the easiest way to simply apply the theme and check the result visually. If you don't like the result, you can always go back to the standard design through the profile.

Manual replacement of icons for individual applications

If you like your current theme but want to replace the icon for just one particular application, the regular shell tools will allow you to do so without installing third-party software.This feature is especially useful when one element is knocked out of the overall style, for example, a bright green messenger logo on a dark minimalist background.

To implement your plan, go to your smartphone Settings, scroll down to Always on Screen and Lock, or immediately find the Topics section in the main settings menu. Inside this menu, select the icon option. You will see a list of all the apps installed on the device that can replace the graphic symbol.

Click on any app on the list, and the system will offer you several alternative design options from the already downloaded themes. You can choose any of the suggested styles. However, here is the caveat: if the phone does not have themes with the appropriate variations, the choice will be extremely scarce. Therefore, it is recommended to download in advance 2-3 Popular themes with different styles, without even applying them fully.

Note that this method does not work for all applications: Xiaomi system programs are changeable almost always, while heavy third-party applications such as bank clients or navigators can ignore system commands to change graphics, in which case their icon will remain standard, and you will have to look for workarounds through the creation of shortcuts.

Change the shape of icons through the menu Always on Display

Special attention should be paid to the function of changing the shape of icons, which appeared in newer versions of MIUI and is actively developing in HyperOS. This setting allows you to round the corners of all square icons, turning them into circles or ovals, which is often required by users who move from other operating systems or want to achieve visual unity.

You can find this setting by going to Settings → Always on screen and lock → Icon style. Here you will be offered a few geometric options: standard square, strongly rounded, completely round or even drop-shaped shapes. The changes apply instantly to the entire desktop and do not require rebooting the device.

It's important to understand that this feature changes the container that the app's image fits into, and the image inside stays the same. If the app logo is originally square and has no transparent fields, the angles of the image will be cropped when you choose a round shape, which may not look aesthetically pleasing, so it works best with modern applications that have responsive graphics.

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To maximize the effect, combine the shape change of icons with the theme setting, where the icons initially have transparent fields, and this will prevent the trimming of important logo elements.

Using third-party launchers for full customization

When the shell is not enough, third-party launchers come to the rescue, special shell applications that completely replace the desktop, app menu and control panel of your smartphone. The most popular and stable solutions today are Nova Launcher, Smart Launcher and Microsoft Launcher.

Once you install the launcher and assign it to the default, you get access to hundreds of thousands of icons from all over the Internet. The mechanism is simple: you download the icon file (usually in.png format), go to the launcher settings, select the "Change icon" item for a particular application, and specify the downloaded file. This allows you to create a completely unique design that no one else has.

However, this method has its own peculiarities: Third-party launcher consumes more RAM resources, which can lead to faster battery drain or closing of background applications on models with a small amount of RAM. In addition, the animations of opening applications can become less smooth, since they are not optimized for a specific version of MIUI as well as the native launcher.

⚠️ Note: When installing a third-party launcher, some Xiaomi system features, such as control gestures or Universal Search, may not work correctly or be available. Always check compatibility before completely replacing the interface.

For advanced users, there's the option of creating custom icon packages. You can use graphics editors on a PC or tablet to redraw any icons in a single style, and then apply them through the launcher settings. It takes time and artistic skills, but the result is worth it if you want to get a truly personalized device.

Display problems and methods of their solution

Users often face technical challenges in customization, the most common being the “grid” of icons after a phone reboot or system update, when Xiaomi’s security system forcibly returns standard settings to ensure the stability of the interface, and black squares may appear instead of app images.

If the icons turn black or transparent after installing the theme, try clearing the theme app cache. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps, find the Topic list, click Memory and select Clear Cache. Don't confuse it with clearing the data, as in the latter case you will lose all downloaded designs.

Another common problem is the unsynchronization of signatures: If you installed an application from a third-party source (not from Google Play), the system may not allow the replacement of its icon through the standard menu, since the digital signature of the application is different from the system, in which case only using a third-party launcher or creating a shortcut on the desktop with a new picture helps.

In some cases, the problem is the resolution of the screen or the scale of the interface. If you change the font size or scale of elements in the Display settings, some themes may not display correctly because their graphics have not been adapted to non-standard sizes. Return the scale to the value of "Default" (usually M or Standard) to check if the artifact disappears.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

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Changing icons to Xiaomi is a safe process that does not require superuser rights, but the main thing is to use proven sources of themes and remember that you can quickly roll back to factory settings at any time.