Owners of Redmi and POCO smartphones often face the desire to personalize their gadget by making it look unique. The standard MIUI interface set or the new HyperOS can seem boring, and the monotony of gray or standard color icons quickly get bored. Fortunately, Xiaomi’s shell Android system provides powerful customization tools that allow you to change not only the wallpaper but also the color range of applications.
Changing icon colors is not just an aesthetic whim, but also a way to improve visual navigation. Bright or monochrome icons help you find your apps faster in a crowded menu. In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can find them, from official themes to advanced methods using third-party launchers that will allow you to completely transform your desktop.
There are several levels of intervention, from a safe theme change to a full launcher replacement, and it's important to understand that standard tools can only change the style of the icons that make up the theme, but not repaint each application individually without using special tools. Let's look at how to achieve the desired result.
Official MIUI and HyperOS Theme Store
The easiest and safest way to change the look of the interface is to use the built-in Themes app, a standard tool preinstalled on all Xiaomi devices, and here you will find thousands of ready-made solutions, where the color of the icons is selected by professional designers to create a harmonious picture.
To find the right theme, open the app and go to the Themes tab. In the search bar, you can type in queries like "Color icons," "Neon," "Pastel" or "Black" to find a color stylization. After selecting a theme, click "Download" and then "Apply." The system will suggest selecting components to install: make sure that (check) is opposite to "Icons."
Some themes can only change system applications, leaving third-party programs (such as Telegram or WhatsApp) as standard. To solve this problem, the theme settings often have the option of Mix icons or the ability to manually select a style for each application within the theme menu.
- 🎨 Thousands of Free Designs in the Catalogue.
- ⚡ Quick installation with one press.
- 🔄 The ability to return the standard view at any time.
Manually adjusting icon style in the system
Newer versions of MIUI 14 and HyperOS have a more flexible look and feel without having to download heavy themes, so you can change the shape and, in some cases, the color accent of the icons right in the settings, which allows you to keep the interface light with only minor adjustments.
Go to Settings → Wallpaper and Personalization → Badges. Here you will see a set of preset shapes. Although direct color change for each icon is limited here, the choice of “Material You” style (if available in your area) allows the system to automatically match the icon colors to the dominant color of your wallpaper.
Also available on this menu is the Mixed Icons feature, which allows you to apply the theme style only to system applications, and for third-party users to use standard or vice versa, which is useful if you want to change the color of folders and settings, but are used to the original look of messengers.
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Use live wallpaper with a predominance of one color so that the Material You function automatically adjusts the shades of icons for your screen.
Use of third-party launchers
If you think the built-in capabilities are limited, third-party launchers come to the rescue, and these are desktop replacement apps that take full control of the interface, and the most popular ones are Nova Launcher, Microsoft Launcher, and Lawnchair.
After installing a launcher (like Nova Launcher), you will need to download a separate icon pack from the Google Play Store. There are packages of almost any color, from White Line to Cyber Green. Once you install the icon pack, go to the launcher settings, Appearance or Icon Style, and select the downloaded set.
The main advantage of this method is the ability to change the color of each icon individually, you can make WhatsApp red and Telegram blue, regardless of their real logo, but it is worth remembering that third-party launchers can consume more battery life than a standard shell.
⚠️ Note: On some new Xiaomi models with HyperOS, installing third-party launchers may cause animation or gesture conflicts. Make sure the launcher settings include the option “Use Xiaomi Animation System” if available.
Application of icons for individual applications
Often, there is a situation where the general theme is liked, but one particular application is knocked out of the color system. MIUI has a built-in tool to replace the icons of individual programs without installing third-party software, which allows you to point-to-point the color gamut of the desktop.
Press your finger on the icon of the app you want to change, and select Edit (pencil icon) or go to the topic menu, the icons section. In the list, find the app you want and click on it. A gallery of alternative icons available in the current theme will open. If the standard theme doesn't offer options, this method won't work, and you'll have to change the the theme entirely.
For advanced users, you can create your own shortcuts. Themes app can create a shortcut with any picture from the gallery. You can download the logo of the desired color (for example, a black YouTube logo), save it as an image and assign it through the shortcut creation function.
☑️ Check before changing the launcher
Comparison of personalization methods
The choice of method depends on your goals: whether you want to just refresh the view or are willing to spend time on deep tuning. Below is a table that will help you compare the main ways to change the color of icons by key parameters.
| Method | Difficulty | Color flexibility | Impact on the battery |
|---|---|---|---|
| The shop that | Low. | Medium (depending on the topic) | Minimum |
| Third-party launcher | Medium | High (full control) | Medium/High |
| Manual label replacement | Tall. | Maximum | Minimum |
| Material You (Android 12+) | Low. | Automated (pastel tones) | Minimum |
As you can see from the table, the theme store is the middle ground for most users, it doesn't require technical knowledge or it doesn't load the processor, but for those who are the perfect visual, the combination of launcher and icon packs will give the best result.
What to do if the icons do not change?
Frequent problems and their solution
During customization, users may encounter artifacts: icons may become blurred, resize or disappear altogether. Most often this is due to incompatibility of screen resolution and icon pack. In the launcher settings or theme, try changing the size of the desktop grid (for example, from 5x6 to 4x5).
Another common problem is that standard Android icons instead of stylized ones after the system update, when the updated version of MIUI resets the personalization settings, you need to re-apply the theme or re-select the icon package in the launcher settings.
If you use Google Discover (the tape to the left of the main screen), changing the launcher may turn it off. To return the feed, go to the launcher settings, look for the "Google Discover" or "News Feed" section, and activate the switch. In some cases, you need to install a separate launcher plugin.
⚠️ Note: Do not download themes and icon packages from unverified sources outside the official store or Google Play. Malware may masquerade as personalization files, gaining access to your data.
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The optimal balance between beauty and stability is achieved by using official themes from the MIUI catalog, which have been tested for viruses and compatibility.