Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone owners often face the desire to make the device interface unique, moving away from the standard visual style of MIUI or HyperOS. Personalization is a powerful tool to turn a mass device into a personal gadget that reflects the user’s taste. One of the most effective ways to change the perception of the system is to replace standard app icons with your own images from the gallery.
Customization may seem complicated at first glance, but modern versions of shells and the availability of specialized applications make this much easier. Deep customization is available even without obtaining superuser rights (Root), which makes the procedure safe for beginners. You only need a little free time and the desire to experiment with the appearance of your device.
In this article, we will discuss all available methods for replacing graphical interface elements. We will look at the standard features of the system, the functionality of the Theme application, as well as powerful third-party tools like Shortcut Maker. You will learn how to create your own icon sets and implement them into the system without the risk of data loss or breach of warranty.
Personalization capabilities in MIUI and HyperOS
Xiaomi’s shell offers basic yet functional tools to change the look. The standard approach doesn’t allow you to simply take any photo from a gallery and assign it to an icon of a particular application through normal settings, but the system provides a built-in Theme Store. This directory contains thousands of ready-made solutions that change not only icons, but also fonts, lock screen and system sounds.
To access this functionality, you need to find a pre-installed Themes app on your desktop. Inside the directory, you can use search on "Icons" or "Icons" to find packages that change only graphic elements. It is important to note that many quality themes are paid or require a Mi Account with a certain level of activity.
⚠️ Warning: When installing themes from third-party sources or unofficial stores, always check the permissions that the theme requests.
Once the theme is loaded, the system will suggest that you use it either fully or selectively, and you can only select icons, leaving the wallpaper and style of the system windows unchanged, and this allows you to combine elements of different styles to create a hybrid interface, but if you want to use your photos, you can't do without third-party software.
Use of the Application Themes for the installation of custom sets
While there is no direct upload of photos from the gallery to the system store, there is a workaround through creating your own theme on the PC and installing it, but this requires complex preparation of.mtz files. A simpler option for users who want variety is to search for theme designers or open source themes in the 4PDA or XDA community.
If you do decide to use the official method, the algorithm of actions is as follows: first open the Themes app and go to the profile (human icon), here you can see the history of downloads and applied designs. To find specific styles, use keywords in the search bar of the home screen.
- 🎨 Open the Topics app and go to the Profile tab".
- 🔍 Search for “Custom Icons” or “White Icons” to find minimalist sets.
- ⬇️ Download your favorite package and click the "Apply" button".
- ⚙️ Select the option "Set up the theme" and leave a tick only on the item "Icons".
Remember, the standard MIUI launcher has limitations on the number of items displayed simultaneously on the screen. When installing heavy graphic themes with high resolution, you may experience slight lag when you scroll through the pages. Background optimization usually solves this problem within minutes of applying the changes.
Shortcut Maker Method: Complete freedom of choice
The most flexible way to put any image from a gallery in the place of a standard icon is by using specialized shortcut creators, the leader in this niche is the Shortcut Maker application. It does not require super-user rights and works on top of the standard launcher, creating new shortcuts that visually replace the old ones.
Once you install an application from Google Play or F-Droid, you need to give it permission to access media and create shortcuts on the desktop. The interface is intuitive: you choose the target application that you want to rename or redraw, and you set new parameters.
To replace the icon in your photo, follow the following steps: in the main menu, select Apps, find the desired program (for example, Telegram or Camera). Click on the current icon image to open the editor. Here select the option Gallery or Photos and upload a pre-prepared image. Shortcut Maker will automatically crop the photo to the desired format, but you can adjust the framing area manually.
☑️ Preparation for labelling
After selecting an image and changing the shortcut name if necessary, click the Create Shortcut button. The system will request confirmation to place a new widget on the desktop. You agree, and the new shortcut will appear next to the old one. The old icon can be removed in the standard way (long press → Delete), and the new one can be moved to its place.
⚠️ Note: Apps created through Shortcut Maker may not display badges, as they are shortcuts rather than full-fledged ones. APK-It's a big nuance for messengers.
Alternative launchers as a solution to the problem
If the built-in MIUI launcher seems too limited, a great alternative would be to install a third-party launcher, such as Nova Launcher, Lawnchair or Smart Launcher, which provides native support for changing icons for each application separately, without the need to create new shortcuts.
Once you have the alternative launcher installed and assigned it as the default, the process of changing the icon takes seconds. It takes long enough to click on the app icon, select Edit, then click on the icon image and select Images or Gallery. You can choose any photo, take a picture with the camera or use the built-in icon packages.
The advantage of this method is deep integration: notification counters, folders and widgets work correctly, and the animations of opening applications remain smooth.In addition, many launchers support importing icon sets from the Play Market, which allows you to instantly change the style of hundreds of applications at once.
| Parameter | MIUI's staff launcher | Shortcut Maker | Third-party launcher (Nova) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Changing the icon in the photo | No (only topics) | Yeah (through a label) | Yes (indirectly) |
| Operation of notification counters | Yes. | No (usually) | Yes. |
| Difficulty setting up | Low. | Medium | Medium/High |
| Impact on the battery | Minimum | Minimum | Depends on the launcher. |
Why can't MIUI gestures work with another launcher?
Creating a single style and preparing graphics
To make the interface look professional, rather than a patchwork, it is necessary to approach the preparation of images creatively. Chaotic set of photos of different styles, colors and proportions will spoil the impression of even the most powerful smartphone. Visual harmony is achieved by using a single color scheme or style (for example, only black and white photos or only neon).
Before downloading images to the phone, it is better to process in a graphics editor. The optimal format is PNG with a transparent background, although launchers can work with JPG. The image size should be square, preferably with a resolution of at least 512x512 pixels, so that on screens with high pixel density (Retina, AMOLED) icons look clear.
- 🖼️ Use apps like Canva or PicsArt to create templates.
- 🎨 Choose the colors of the icons under the color of the wallpaper of the desktop for the integrity of the picture.
- 📐 Keep padding inside the icon square so it doesn’t merge with the edges.
There is a practice of creating "thematic" desktops, such as one screen dedicated to working with minimalistic black and gray icons, and the second, a game-like one - bright, neon images from your favorite game, which allows you to structure the space and improve the productivity of the device.
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Save the original icon files in a separate “Icon Pack Source” folder. If you want to reinstall the app or change the launcher, you won’t have to search for the original images again.
Possible problems and ways to solve them
Users may face a number of technical difficulties in customization. The most common problem is the inability to create a shortcut. This is often due to the fact that the launcher does not have permission to create shortcuts. The solution lies in the settings: go to Settings → Applications → All Applications → (Your Launcher) → Other permissions and activate the Creation of shortcuts on the home screen.
Another common complaint is that icons fly off after a reboot or system update. This is typical of the Shortcut Maker method if the application has been updated to Google Play. In this case, the shortcut may stop pointing to the executable file. The only solution in this case is to recreate the shortcut, since the system links are updated when the new version of APK is installed.
⚠️ Note: Do not delete the Shortcut Maker or third-party launcher if you want to save shortcuts created. In some cases, deleting the creator program leads to the disappearance of all widgets created through it.
You can also see all-apps icons being desynchronized if you use a third-party launcher, desktop icons being your own and menu icons being standard, and this is an Android security limitation that prevents third-party programs from modifying the system menu without deep firmware interference.
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Using third-party launchers gives maximum control over the appearance, but may require time to fine-tune gestures and animations to the habits of the MIUI user.