Google Forces Android Developers to Support Custom Icons

For Android app developers that have been slow to adopt Google’s push for themed app icons, there’s no longer a choice. Google updated its Play Store policy today, now requiring developers to legally grant users the right to modify an app’s icon colors. For users, this is a win. On the other hand, brands lose the ability to stand out on a user’s home screen.

Introduced in Android 16 QPR2 Beta 1, users can apply a tint to all app icons, which helps provide a more complete home screen appearance. Before this, when some apps wouldn’t support a custom icon, it could make a home screen look quite terrible. With the change to Google Play’s legalese, if a developer wants to distribute their application, they’ll need to grant this right to users.

You grant to the user a nonexclusive, worldwide, and perpetual license to perform, modify color of, or add themes to, your Product icons, display (including with the color and theme modifications), and use the Product.

This change takes effect today for new accounts and all existing accounts on October 15. There are a few apps I have my eye on, so as a user, this is great news.