How to change the app icon on Xiaomi Redmi 9

Xiaomi Redmi 9 smartphone owners often face the desire to personalize their device beyond the standard design offered by the manufacturer. MIUI shell, which is based on the Android operating system, provides ample opportunities for customization, but many users do not know where exactly the tools are hiding. Changing the appearance of program shortcuts is the easiest way to make the interface unique and recognizable, reflecting your personal style.

There are several proven methods to achieve this, ranging from built-in theme store features to custom launchers, each with its own features, advantages and potential limitations that you need to know before you start the system modification process. In this article, we will take a look at all the options available so you can choose the most suitable for your model.

It's important to understand that deep customization can require careful handling of permissions and access rights. Installing third-party components incorrectly sometimes causes a desktop to run in an unstable manner, so follow the instructions consistently. We'll look at both secure, standard methods and more advanced techniques for power users.

Staff capabilities of the MIUI shell and the Tem store

The safest and easiest way to change the look of shortcuts on Redmi 9 is to use the built-in Themes app. Xiaomi has a huge catalog of designs where you can find thousands of icons without violating warranty obligations and without risking the stability of the system.

Inside the store, you'll need to go to the Profile tab (usually the person icon in the lower right corner), and then select the Topics. Here, in the search bar, you can type in queries like "iOS icons," "Neon," "Minimal" or "Flat" to find the appropriate style. Once you install the theme, the system will suggest applying all the changes or selecting only certain components, such as only icons, leaving wallpaper and fonts unchanged.

However, it is worth considering that many quality themes in the store are paid or require a Mi Account account with a specific region. If you chose the “Russia” region when you initially set up the phone, some of the store’s features may be limited or unavailable, in which case users often have to change the region in the phone settings to “India” or “Singapore” to get full access to the directory.

⚠️ Note: When changing region in phone settings (Settings) → Advanced settings → Region) may change the set of pre-installed applications and there will be advertising in system utilities, specific to the selected country.

Once you apply the theme, the changes take effect immediately, and if you don't like the result, you can always go back to your profile and click "Reset the theme" or choose another one, which is ideal for those who want to quickly update their visual style without installing additional software.

Using third-party launchers for full customization

If standard MIUI capabilities seem limited, the best solution is to install an alternative shell known as launcher, which completely replaces the desktop, control panel and app menu, giving access to millions of icon packages from the Google Play Store. Xiaomi Redmi 9 is great for solutions such as Nova Launcher, Microsoft Launcher or Lawnchair.

The process of installing a third-party launcher requires special permissions. After downloading the application from the Play Market store, the first time you start, Android will ask permission to display over other windows and access storage. Without these rights, the launcher will not be able to display widgets correctly or change shortcuts. You will also need to install it as the default app for the home screen.

One of the main features of using third-party launchers based on Android is the ability to install individual icon packages (Icon Packs), you can download the package in the style of iOS, Material Design or pixel graphics and apply it only to selected applications without changing the rest of the interface, this gives flexibility that is not available in the standard shell.

• 🎨 Nova Launcher is the most popular choice, allowing you to change the size of the grid, animation and shape of each shortcut individually.
• 📂 Microsoft Launcher – integrates well with Windows services and offers a beautiful news feed, but can consume more battery life.
• 🚀 Lawnchair is a lightweight and fast launcher that visually copies the style of pure Android (Pixel), perfect for the performance of Redmi 9.
• 🔒 Smart Launcher – automatically sorts applications into categories, which is convenient for those who like order in the menu.

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Before installing a new launcher, take a screenshot of the location of your widgets, since when changing the shell, they will have to be reconfigured.

It’s worth noting that some heavy launchers may consume more RAM, which on a budget device with 3 or 4 GB of RAM can lead to more frequent closure of background applications.

Manual replacement of icons through the creation of labels

For users who want to change the icon of just one particular app without installing entire themes or launchers, there is a method of creating shortcuts. This method does not require root rights and works on any version of Android, including firmware for Redmi 9. The essence of the method is to create a new shortcut on the desktop that leads to the application, but has an arbitrary image.

To implement this method, you'll need to download any shortcut application from the Play Market, like Shortcut Maker or X Icon Changer. These snails allow you to select any image from a gallery or download a ready-made set and assign it to any installed application, which creates a new shortcut that lies on top of the original.

The process is this: you open the utility, select the target application (like WhatsApp), then select the image for the new icon and confirm the creation. A new shortcut will appear on the desktop, and the old shortcut can be removed or moved to the folder so that there is no confusion.

It’s important to understand the technical nuance: a manually created shortcut often doesn’t support displaying notification “badges” (a red circle with a number of unread messages), which is because the system notification counter is tied to the original application package, not to the copy shortcut you created.

Set up the grid and size of interface elements

When icons are changed, they often don’t fit perfectly into the existing desktop grid. The MIUI shell on Redmi 9 allows you to flexibly adjust the number of rows and columns, as well as the size of fonts, which directly affects the perception of new graphic elements.

To access these settings, you need to pinch the empty space on your desktop with your finger for 1-2 seconds until the edit menu appears. In the lower corner of the screen, select Settings (the gear icon). Here you will find sliders or a selection of options for Grid (for example, 4x6, 5x6, 6x6). Increasing the number of cells will make the icons visually smaller, which can be useful for complex detailed designs.

Also available on this menu is the Enlarged Text option, which changes the size of the captions under the icons. If you have a dark theme with black icons, make sure the color of the captions contrasts with the background of the wallpaper, otherwise they may become unreadable. MIUI automatically adapts the color of the text, but manual control never hurts.

• 📐 Grid. 5x6 — Optimal balance for the screen 6.53 inches Redmi 9, allowing you to place many elements without loss of readability.
• 🔍 Increased mode – useful for visually impaired users, makes icons larger, but reduces the usable screen area.
• 🔄 Screen Rotation – Check how new icons look in landscape mode, some launchers may incorrectly scale the graphics.

Don’t forget that changing the pixel density (DPI) through the engineering menu is a separate and more risky procedure that is not recommended for ordinary users.

Compatibility issues and visual artifacts

When installing third-party themes or icons on Xiaomi Redmi 9, users often find that some apps are left with standard, “native” icons, because the theme developer has not rendered graphics for all the existing applications in the world, but only for the most popular ones.

To fix this, many modern launchers and some advanced themes have a “Mix” or “Icon Request” feature that allows you to automatically replace missing icons with similar in style or apply a single template to all applications at once. In the standard Xiaomi Themes app, such a feature may not be available, so you have to put up with a “patchwork” design or look for more complete themes.

Another common problem is the appearance of a white or black substrate around the icon, especially if you apply round iOS-style icons to a rectangular grid MIUI. The themes settings often have an item called “Icon Shape” or “Mask”, which allows you to force all shortcuts to a single geometric shape (circle, square, rounded square), hiding inconsistencies.

⚠️ Warning: If the task manager icon has disappeared after installing the theme or the swipe control panel has stopped working, try restarting the launcher through the phone settings (Settings) → Annexes → All applications → System launcher → Stop it).

Also, it is worth considering that some banking applications or corporate clients may block the operation of modified launchers for security purposes, in which case the system may suggest temporarily returning to the standard interface for the transaction.

Optimizing productivity after customization

Installing a large number of animated icons or “live” themes can negatively affect the autonomy of the Redmi 9. the Processor MediaTek Helio G80 installed in this model, quite productive, but the constant rendering of complex graphics on the desktop increases the load on the GPU and consumes battery power faster than usual.

If you notice that the phone has become more discharged or the interface has begun to slow down when you scroll through the pages, it makes sense to abandon dynamic wallpaper and animated icons in favor of static images. Static graphics consumes almost no CPU resources in standby mode of the desktop.

In addition, some third-party launchers may conflict with proprietary MIUI memory optimization, which will cause the system to more often “kill” background processes, including the launcher itself. This can lead to resetting the location of icons or rebooting the desktop.

To do this, go to Settings → Battery and Performance, find your launcher in the list, and select No Limits mode. This will prevent the system from forcibly closing the application, ensuring stable operation of the custom interface. However, remember that this can slightly increase the background energy consumption.

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Static icons and wallpaper consume significantly less battery power compared to animated themes, which is critical for budget smartphones.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)