How to Change the Instagram App Icon in iOS and Android

Use one of Instagram's throwback icons from the last decade

By
Molly McLaughlin
Molly McLaughlin
Molly McLaughlin
Senior Content Strategist
  • New York University
Molly K. McLaughlin has been a technology writer since 2004. Her work has appeared on many tech sites across the web including PCMag, Dealnews, Wirecutter and many others.
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Updated on January 29, 2021
Reviewed by
Jon Fisher
Jon Fisher headshot
Reviewed by Jon Fisher
  • Wichita Technical Institute
Jonathan Fisher is a CompTIA certified technologist with more than 6 years' experience writing for publications like TechNorms and Help Desk Geek.
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What to Know

  • Pull down from the top of the Settings screen until you see a chain of emojis. Select an icon on the next screen > Add.
  • For its 10th tenth birthday, Instagram released an icon pack of its old logos, including the brown camera and a pre-launch codename icon. 

This article explains how to change the Instagram app icon on Android and iOS smartphones to one of its older versions.

How to Change Your App Icons on Android and iOS

The instructions are the same for Android and iOS, but the icons look a bit different. Here's how to change the Instagram app icon.

  1. Open the Instagram app.

  2. Tap your profile icon on the lower-right.

  3. Tap the three-line menu icon on the upper-right. 

  4. Select Settings. 

    Changing the Instagram app icon on Android.

  5. Pull down from the top of the screen (basically scrolling up).

  6. Keep pulling down until you see a chain of emojis. (It might take a few tries.)

  7. When you're successful, you'll get to the page with all of the available old icons (with confetti flying everywhere).

    Changing the Instagram app icon on Android.

  8. Select an icon.

  9. Tap Add.

    Changing the Instagram app icon on Android.

  10. The icons look different on Android vs. iOS. Android users get a shortcut to Instagram, so there's a tiny square of the current icon overlaying it. On iOS, you'll see a different icon, no overlay.

    Android and iPhone home screens with throwback Instagram app icon.
    Left: Android home screen; Right: iPhone home screen.

  11. Repeat the steps above if you want to try another icon. 

Remove Extra Icons From Your Android Home Screen

If you've tried a few different throw-back icons, you'll need to remove the extraneous icons from your Home screen. On an iPhone, the icon you choose will replace the current one.

On Android, you can personalize your home screens, including adding and removing apps.

  1. Swipe to the home screen with the icon you want to delete.

  2. Tap and hold the app.

  3. Tap Remove from Home.

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