So, I'm well-aware that the reason icons can't be changed easily on the Android home screen is because the icon image is stored in the APK file, and editing that image is, essentially, near impossible.
However, I had an idea that could potentially fix that problem, and I'm just curious how realistic the solution is:
As most G1 users know, AnyCut is a great application that can allow a user to create a shortcut to any number of actions on the phone. These shortcuts are customizable by name, and, for the time being, have a limited number of icons, one for each shortcut type.
I also recall using an app several months ago to change the icons of bookmarks (Bookmark 2, I believe it was called). With this app, a user could choose exactly what their icons would look like on the home screen, except, of course, that these icons could only link to bookmarks.
By combining these two applications, wouldn't an icon changer be quite possible?
Using this same methodology, wouldn't it be possible to create "shortcuts" to applications on the home screen, and thus, allow the user to rename apps and change their icons, at least on the desktop? I know that the icons would not be changed in the pull-out drawer or elsewhere on the system, but wouldn't this be a temporary workaround, until a better solution is reached? I have quite a few programs with horrendous icons, and it really takes away from the aesthetic of the home screen.
Again, all I'm asking is if there's a way to place a shortcut to an APK on the desktop, and preferably to customize that shortcut's icon, not the actual apps.
It is possible to edit .apk's and change the icons. Just look at the forum for theams.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=450
soundwire said:
It is possible to edit .apk's and change the icons. Just look at the forum for theams.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=450
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I know that the icons can be edited in a theme, but can non-stock icons be edited as well?
And also, my concern with that is that it seems like a lot of work to update a theme everytime a new app appears on the market. I'm a little OCD, so if I were able to change all the icons on my home screen, I would want them all to be absolutely uniform (like the themes' icons are). However, if a new, super-useful app were to appear on the market, and I absolutely needed it on my home screen, it would seem much easier to simply add an image to my phone, and make a shortcut using that image, than to have to edit an APK, resign the entire package, and reflash the phone each time. While I know my way around the G1, and I'm comfortable with basic rooting, I am by no means a developer, and just like most G1 users, I would probably be more comfortable making shortcuts than updating firmware.
Do you understand where I'm coming from?
I too, would also like to know how to change "non-stock" app icons. Bump.
jayaustn said:
Well, I know that the icons can be edited in a theme, but can non-stock icons be edited as well?
And also, my concern with that is that it seems like a lot of work to update a theme everytime a new app appears on the market. I'm a little OCD, so if I were able to change all the icons on my home screen, I would want them all to be absolutely uniform (like the themes' icons are). However, if a new, super-useful app were to appear on the market, and I absolutely needed it on my home screen, it would seem much easier to simply add an image to my phone, and make a shortcut using that image, than to have to edit an APK, resign the entire package, and reflash the phone each time. While I know my way around the G1, and I'm comfortable with basic rooting, I am by no means a developer, and just like most G1 users, I would probably be more comfortable making shortcuts than updating firmware.
Do you understand where I'm coming from?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have yet to try this, but (provided you have root), you should be able to use adb to pull the apk for an app off your phone, edit it as described, and push it back to the same place. I will give this a go tomorrow, as I'm rather sleepy, and it's probably not a good thing to mess about with superuser stuff when I can't think straight.
If there's any flaws in my theory, I'd be happy to hear them.
RE: Changeing Icons!
I have a video on you tube on how to change icons. Here it is!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjnV_d9b22E
Hope you enjoy and your able to Change Your Icons.
Good Luck!
bms122223 said:
I have a video on you tube on how to change icons. Here it is!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjnV_d9b22E
Hope you enjoy and your able to Change Your Icons.
Good Luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Video doesnt show you how to change "non-stock" app icons, only icons for the original apps.
Well, I kind of figured out how to change the non-stock icons. But got stuck at the end...here's what I did...
1) Install/Open Astro.
2) Back up the app you want to change the icon for.
3) Grab that backup apk file off of your sdcard and put it on your computer.
4) Open it with Winrar.
5) Go to the proper folder and drag your new icon into the folder.
6) Close Winrar and move the apk back to your sdcard.
...this is where I get stuck, I know the icon changed because I can see it when I TRY to install the app. But the app doesnt want to install, it says "install unsuccesful". I'm guessing it needs to be signed?
I have used astro as well, I even signed the apk the same way I sign themes and no luck.
ultra spikey said:
Well, I kind of figured out how to change the non-stock icons. But got stuck at the end...here's what I did...
1) Install/Open Astro.
2) Back up the app you want to change the icon for.
3) Grab that backup apk file off of your sdcard and put it on your computer.
4) Open it with Winrar.
5) Go to the proper folder and drag your new icon into the folder.
6) Close Winrar and move the apk back to your sdcard.
...this is where I get stuck, I know the icon changed because I can see it when I TRY to install the app. But the app doesnt want to install, it says "install unsuccesful". I'm guessing it needs to be signed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're real close; once you replace the icon you need you need to delete META-INF folder then zip it back up, rename file extension to .apk and sign it with the test keys like the stock .apk. The META-INF is where the signature info is kept from the original author, you need to delete this so it doesn't conflict with the test keys.
Geo411m said:
You're real close; once you replace the icon you need you need to delete META-INF folder then zip it back up, rename file extension to .apk and sign it with the test keys like the stock .apk. The META-INF is where the signature info is kept from the original author, you need to delete this so it doesn't conflict with the test keys.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will that a try. So this also mean that if author updates .apk file we will not be able to install update? Similar to google RC30 updates, we have to wait for JF to modify it.
johnowa636 said:
I will that a try. So this also mean that if author updates .apk file we will not be able to install update? Similar to google RC30 updates, we have to wait for JF to modify it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed; this might be a problem.
I mean, opening up the APK files is definitely a start, but it seems the shortcut approach I mentioned earlier is just so much easier. Shortcuts would allow basic users to change icons effortlessly and without fear of ruining the app, and the process could be just as easy as Bookmark 2, if a developer took charge, no?
ultra spikey said:
Well, I kind of figured out how to change the non-stock icons. But got stuck at the end...here's what I did...
1) Install/Open Astro.
2) Back up the app you want to change the icon for.
3) Grab that backup apk file off of your sdcard and put it on your computer.
4) Open it with Winrar.
5) Go to the proper folder and drag your new icon into the folder.
6) Close Winrar and move the apk back to your sdcard.
...this is where I get stuck, I know the icon changed because I can see it when I TRY to install the app. But the app doesnt want to install, it says "install unsuccesful". I'm guessing it needs to be signed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i would like to verify that this method works to change non-stock apps without pushing files or inserting apps into updates. i used 7zip but i'd imagine winrar will work fine as well. just remember to delete the entire metainf folder, not just its contents. once you have your .apk, re-sign it using stericson's auto-sign utility and you'll be able to install the app through astro.
i should also note that i deleted all instance of the unmodified app from my sdcard. i uninstalled it and deleted the backup on my sd card. this may or may not be necessary, but i just wanted to take precautions.
I've given this method a try, and it seems simply too complicated for a moderate user like me. Wouldn't the shortcut method I mentioned be so much easier to quickly change home screen icons? Would any of the developers on this forum be interested in throwing such an app together? I'd gladly donate some money if a good app was able to take care of this problem.
what are you having trouble with, exactly? i'm far from an advanced user myself, but this is probably one of the easier things to do on the g1, probably second to flashing themes.
though i will say that there are a few apps that i can't change icons for. chomp and cubik have installed but force close when opened.
i have a feeling it's something to do with the signing the apk's, but like i said, i'm not an advanced user at all.
TruLuvNvrDies said:
what are you having trouble with, exactly? i'm far from an advanced user myself, but this is probably one of the easier things to do on the g1, probably second to flashing themes.
though i will say that there are a few apps that i can't change icons for. chomp and cubik have installed but force close when opened.
i have a feeling it's something to do with the signing the apk's, but like i said, i'm not an advanced user at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I opened up the APK using WinRAR, replaced the icon.png with my icon of choice, and then I'm stuck. I known I have to auto-sign the APK, but am not exactly sure how. I have Stericson's auto-signer tool, and used command 4 to manually enter the APK path, but once I do that I get a bunch of errors. If need be, I can copy down the exact error I get.
ultra spikey said:
Video doesnt show you how to change "non-stock" app icons, only icons for the original apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice video!
jayaustn said:
I opened up the APK using WinRAR, replaced the icon.png with my icon of choice, and then I'm stuck. I known I have to auto-sign the APK, but am not exactly sure how. I have Stericson's auto-signer tool, and used command 4 to manually enter the APK path, but once I do that I get a bunch of errors. If need be, I can copy down the exact error I get.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you probably need to delete the contents of the meta-inf folder. there should be three files in there, delete them all. if you extracted the contents of the .apk, zip them back up with an .apk extension. if you didn't extract them, you're at the last step, which is to re-sign the .apk. you don't actually need to manually re-sign the file through the console on stericson's re-signer. just right-click the .apk file and at the very top, there should be an option that says "resign .apk". click on that and your app will be re-signed and ready for an install attempt.
though, as i said before, this method is not 100%. of the 6 apps that i modified so far, i was only successful with 4 of them. even if you do all of the steps correctly, you might not have a working app at the end. the apps will install but will automatically force close when launched. i don't know what causes this, actually, and any suggestions would be appreciated.
I agree with the OP, while it is easy enough to edit the apks, resign them, copy them back onto your phone it would be far more elegant (IMHO) if you could have an application that allowed you to copy "Icon Packs" onto your SDCard, and then add links to applications on your home screen giving you a choice of icons from the aforementioned "Icon Pack".
Theme developers could then distribute the "Icon Pack" with the theme, and end users could easily add custom icons to your home screen from your phone without having to mess about on a PC.
liamw said:
I agree with the OP, while it is easy enough to edit the apks, resign them, copy them back onto your phone it would be far more elegant (IMHO) if you could have an application that allowed you to copy "Icon Packs" onto your SDCard, and then add links to applications on your home screen giving you a choice of icons from the aforementioned "Icon Pack".
Theme developers could then distribute the "Icon Pack" with the theme, and end users could easily add custom icons to your home screen from your phone without having to mess about on a PC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So what everyone wants is Anycut that can do custom icons.
I'm using the EvoV8 RevA froyo build. I'm using Bettercut to replace my home screen shortcut icons and for the most part it's working fine. When I try and replace my "Contacts" application icon I get the error "Application not installed on phone" when I try and launch it. I'm trying to circumvent that problem by using App Organizer to change the icon but all that application seems to want to do is group apps into a folder. I just want a single custom icon representing my "Contacts" application on my home screen, not a folder that contains the "Contacts" app inside it. Anyone have anyway to achieve this knowing the Bettercut has problems with this particular application?
Im having the same issue with some apps. everyone told me use FloderOrganizer and that works better imo
RickBaller said:
I'm using the EvoV8 RevA froyo build. I'm using Bettercut to replace my home screen shortcut icons and for the most part it's working fine. When I try and replace my "Contacts" application icon I get the error "Application not installed on phone" when I try and launch it. I'm trying to circumvent that problem by using App Organizer to change the icon but all that application seems to want to do is group apps into a folder. I just want a single custom icon representing my "Contacts" application on my home screen, not a folder that contains the "Contacts" app inside it. Anyone have anyway to achieve this knowing the Bettercut has problems with this particular application?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i wanted to do the same thing. i couldn't get it working, but i can't call myself an android expert either. but i think this method SHOULD work
1) download the rom and unzip it in windows
2) unzip the stock Contacts.apk
3) go to /res/drawable-hdpi/
4) find the icon
5) adb pull Contacts.apk from your phone
6) replace the original icon with the one from the stock rom
7) re-zip the file
8) adb rm Contacts.apk from phone
9) adb push edited Contacts.apk to phone.
obviously a nandroid backup before all of this is fairly important. if anyone else can confirm that this would work that would be helpful. i wanted the stock Contacts & Camera icons and ran into the same error you did.
You guys need to get Folder Organizer. Once I got it, I uninstalled both BetterCut and AppOrganizer. It's way better.
Cheers...
kiddecks said:
i wanted to do the same thing. i couldn't get it working, but i can't call myself an android expert either. but i think this method SHOULD work
1) download the rom and unzip it in windows
2) unzip the stock Contacts.apk
3) go to /res/drawable-hdpi/
4) find the icon
5) adb pull Contacts.apk from your phone
6) replace the original icon with the one from the stock rom
7) re-zip the file
8) adb rm Contacts.apk from phone
9) adb push edited Contacts.apk to phone.
obviously a nandroid backup before all of this is fairly important. if anyone else can confirm that this would work that would be helpful. i wanted the stock Contacts & Camera icons and ran into the same error you did.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay...you don't need to remove the contacts.apk....when you push the new one to your phone it automatically replaces the old one. So there is a step or two less......
Are you renaming the new icon the same name as your old icon? Also....are you keeping the exact same size, example 72x72 pixels is app icon size for the EVO.
I recently received my Galaxy Nexus - and love it!
My idea was to keep it as stock as possible, but I wanted to change the look and feel to be more minimal, without having to install a non-stock launcher or use a different ROM. (The inspiration for this came from Nitroz's 'Black Exodus' theme.)
Phone : Galaxy Nexus, Rooted, now with a slightly modified stock ICS 4.0.2
There were a number of posts all around the Internet that led me in the right direction. To the cast of thousands who shared their information - Thank You!! The instructions below are just a compilation of the work already out there, but hopefully as they are in one place they will speed things up if you want to do this.
I am assuming that any future OTA updates will reset this.
Instructions for a Newbie (like me)
Requires :
One Rooted Galaxy Nexus
Way of getting files on and off the phone - I am using ES File Explorer
7-Zip on a PC
The new icons
The icons are located in the APK files located in the \system\apps folder.
To change the SMS icon
On the phone
Backup the original \system\apps\mms.apk file
Copy the \system\apps\mms.apk to a PC with 7-ZIP installed
On the PC
Open with 7-Zip (DO NOT EXTRACT)
Change to the res\mipmap-xhdpi folder
Drag and drop the new PNG file (ic_launcher_smsmms.png) over top the old one.
Copy the APK file back to \system\apps on the phone
The phone does not require a reset, but you will need to add the icons back.
To change the Contacts and Phone icons
These are located in the \system\apps\contacts.apk.
Folder - res\mipmap-xhdpi
Files - ic_launcher_phone.png, and ic_launcher_contacts.png
To change the Browser icon
These are located in the \system\apps\BrowserGoogle.apk.
Folder - res\mipmap-xhdpi
File - ic_launcher_browser.png
To change the App Drawer icon
These are located in the \system\apps\launcher2.apk.
Folder - \res\drawable-xhdpi\
File - ic_allapps.png
Removing the line above the App Doc
The file from the phone to edit is \system\apps\launcher2.apk.
On the PC create a blank file called hotseat_track_holo.9.png.
Overwrite the file in the /res/drawable-xhdpi directory of laucher2.apk
Just a thought, but Nova Launcher looks exactly like the stock launcher, but you can change the icons to whatevery .png you want directly from the homescreen. They will remain even after updates to the app. It's entirely up to you, but i thought that might save you a ton of work
And save myself 2 days of pain and frustration?? ;-) It was a good learning exersize, although when the config gets nuked by an update, and I don't have the time to play, I will look at using a different launcher. Thanks for highlighting Nova as an option.