Changing the Launcher Icon of an Android App Using Android Studio

Introduction

Customizing your app’s launcher icon is a crucial step in branding and making it stand out on users’ home screens. Android provides flexible ways to set custom icons that suit different device resolutions and screen densities, ensuring they look crisp across all devices.

This tutorial will guide you through changing the launcher icon of an Android app using Android Studio. We’ll explore both legacy and adaptive icons, which are used for backward compatibility and modern designs on newer Android versions (API 26+), respectively.

Understanding Launcher Icons

Legacy Icons

• Legacy icons are simple PNG files.
• They are placed in various density-specific folders like mipmap-hdpi, mipmap-mdpi, etc., to support different screen densities.

Adaptive Icons

• Introduced in Android O (API 26), adaptive icons allow more flexible and creative designs.
• These consist of a foreground and background layer that can adapt to different device UIs.

Changing the Launcher Icon

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Prepare Your Icon Image

• Resolution: Start by creating a PNG image with dimensions of 512×512 pixels. This large size ensures high-quality rendering across devices.
• Design Considerations: For adaptive icons, design both foreground and background layers as separate images.

Step 2: Using Android Studio’s Built-in Feature

1. Open Project View: In Android Studio, expand the project root folder to view all directories.

2. Create New Image Asset:

   • Right-click on the app module in your project.
   • Navigate through New > Image Asset.

3. Configure Icon Settings:

   • You will be presented with options for asset types:
     • "Launcher Icons (Legacy Only)": Choose this if you only want to support legacy icons.
     • "Launcher Icons (Adaptive and Legacy)": Select this option to generate both adaptive and legacy icons. This is recommended for supporting newer Android versions.

4. Select Asset Type:

   • Click on the Image button in the asset type row.

5. Choose Source Image:

   • Click on the 3-dot box next to the path box.
   • Drag your prepared PNG image into the source asset box.

6. Proceed and Finish:

   • Click Next. Note that existing launcher files will be overwritten.
   • Click Finish to apply changes.

Step 3: Verify Changes

• Check your project’s resource directories (res/mipmap-*) for newly generated icon sets.
• Ensure all necessary resolutions are present, such as -ldpi, -mdpi, -hdpi, -xhdpi, -xxhdpi, and -xxxhdpi.

Alternative Method: Using an External Tool

For those who prefer a visual tool:

1. Generate Icons Online:

   • Visit Android Asset Studio.
   • Upload your image or icon to generate a complete set of icons for different resolutions.

2. Download and Replace:

   • Download the generated zip file and extract it.
   • Replace existing icon files in <YourProjectPath>/app/src/main/res with these new sets.

Best Practices

• Consistency: Ensure your app’s icon design aligns with its branding across all visual elements.
• Adaptive Design: Use adaptive icons to future-proof your app for newer Android versions, providing a better user experience.
• Backup Originals: Before overwriting existing files, back up original launcher icons in case you need to revert changes.

Conclusion

Changing the launcher icon of an Android app is straightforward with tools provided by Android Studio. Whether opting for legacy or adaptive icons, ensure your designs are clear and recognizable at various resolutions. By following these steps, you can effectively update your app’s appearance on users’ devices.