App Icon Design Guide: Creating Icons for iOS and Android in 2025

Your app icon is the first thing users see in the App Store, on their home screen, and in search results. A great icon can boost downloads by 20-30%. A forgettable one means your app gets scrolled past.

In this guide, we'll cover everything you need to design effective app icons in 2025: platform requirements, design principles, common mistakes, and AI-powered workflows.

Why App Icons Matter More Than Ever

The app stores are more competitive than ever:

• 2.1 million apps in the iOS App Store
• 3.5 million apps on Google Play
• Users scroll through dozens of apps before choosing one

Your icon has about 0.5 seconds to make an impression. It needs to communicate your app's purpose, stand out from competitors, and be instantly recognizable at tiny sizes.

Platform Requirements

iOS App Icons

Apple has strict requirements for iOS app icons:

Size	Usage
1024 x 1024px	App Store listing
180 x 180px	iPhone home screen (@3x)
120 x 120px	iPhone home screen (@2x)
167 x 167px	iPad Pro
152 x 152px	iPad, iPad mini
80 x 80px	Spotlight
60 x 60px	Settings

Key iOS rules:

• Format: PNG only (no transparency allowed)
• Corners: Apple automatically applies rounded corners (don't add your own)
• Safe area: Keep critical elements 10% away from edges
• No text: Apple explicitly discourages text in icons
• No transparency: Must be opaque

Android App Icons

Google uses an "adaptive icon" system since Android 8.0:

Size	Usage
512 x 512px	Google Play Store
192 x 192px	Launcher icons
48dp base	System scales from here

Key Android rules:

• Format: PNG (transparency allowed for some layers)
• Adaptive icons: Provide foreground (icon) and background (color/pattern) layers
• Foreground safe zone: Keep important elements within the center 66% circle
• Background: Can be solid color, gradient, or pattern
• Shape masking: System applies different shapes per device

Designing for Adaptive Icons

Android adaptive icons have two layers:

┌─────────────────────┐
│  Background Layer   │  (108dp x 108dp)
│  ┌───────────────┐  │
│  │  Foreground   │  │  (72dp safe zone)
│  │    Layer      │  │
│  └───────────────┘  │
└─────────────────────┘

The system crops these layers into circles, squares, squircles, or other shapes depending on the device manufacturer. Always test your icon in multiple mask shapes.

Design Principles for App Icons

1. Instant Recognition

Your icon must be identifiable at 29x29 pixels on an iPhone home screen.

The Squint Test: Squint at your icon from arm's length. Can you still tell what it is? If details disappear into a blob, simplify.

Distance Test: View your icon at actual size on a physical device. Many icons look great at 1024px but become unrecognizable when shrunk.

2. Simple and Bold

The best app icons follow these rules:

• One main element: Focus on a single symbol or shape
• Maximum 2-3 colors: More colors create visual noise
• No text or words: They become illegible at small sizes (exceptions: single letters like "M" for Gmail)
• Strong silhouette: The icon should be recognizable in solid black
• High contrast: Light elements on dark backgrounds (or vice versa)

Examples of Great Simple Icons:

• Instagram: Simple camera outline
• WhatsApp: Phone in speech bubble
• Spotify: Three curved lines
• Twitter/X: Simple bird or X shape

3. Unique and Memorable

Your icon competes with thousands of others:

• Distinctive from competitors: Check what similar apps use and differentiate
• Ownable design: Create something only your app could use
• Color strategy: Choose colors that stand out on typical home screens
• Recognizable shape: Users should spot it instantly when scanning

4. On-Brand

The icon should reflect your app's personality:

• Matches app purpose: A fitness app should feel energetic, a meditation app should feel calm
• Target audience appropriate: Kids' apps can be playful; enterprise apps should be professional
• Consistent with UI: The icon's style should preview what's inside the app

Icon Design Process

Step 1: Research Competitors

Before designing, study the competition:

1. Search your app's category in the App Store
2. Screenshot the first 20-30 icons
3. Note common colors, shapes, and themes
4. Identify opportunities to stand out

Step 2: Sketch Concepts

Start with rough sketches:

• Draw 10-15 different concepts
• Focus on silhouettes, not details
• Try different metaphors for your app's function
• Don't judge yet—quantity leads to quality

Step 3: Refine in Vector

Take your best 3-4 concepts digital:

• Work in SVG for infinite scalability
• Start at 1024x1024 but constantly preview at small sizes
• Use a limited color palette
• Ensure strong contrast

Step 4: Test at All Sizes

Critical step most skip:

• Export at all required sizes
• View on actual devices
• Check against different wallpapers
• Get feedback from people unfamiliar with your app

AI Prompts for App Icons

Use these prompts with SVG Genie to generate app icon starting points:

Productivity Apps

Productivity app icon with checkmark and geometric task elements,
vibrant blue gradient, modern clean style, bold simple shapes

Task management icon with organized geometric blocks,
electric purple and cyan, professional minimal design, single focal point

Social Apps

Social connection app icon with abstract people nodes,
gradient pink to purple, friendly modern style, circular composition

Chat app icon with speech bubble geometric shape,
vibrant gradient colors, playful bold style, recognizable silhouette

Finance Apps

Finance tracker icon with upward growth arrow,
green and gold gradient, trustworthy professional style, clean bold shapes

Banking app icon with secure shield geometric symbol,
blue gradient, professional trustworthy aesthetic, simple strong design

Health and Fitness Apps

Fitness tracker icon with heartbeat pulse line,
vibrant orange and red gradient, energetic bold style, dynamic composition

Meditation app icon with calm lotus or zen circle,
soft purple and blue gradient, peaceful minimal design, centered symbol

Utility Apps

File manager icon with folder and document shapes,
clean blue gradient, professional utility style, organized layout

Camera app icon with geometric lens aperture,
gradient purple to orange, modern photography style, circular focus

Common Icon Design Mistakes

Mistake 1: Too Much Detail

Complex illustrations become mud at small sizes. A detailed rocket ship turns into an unrecognizable blob at 60px.

Fix: Remove every element that isn't essential. If an element doesn't help recognition at 29px, delete it.

Mistake 2: Thin Lines

Fine lines disappear on small screens and low-contrast displays.

Fix: Use stroke widths of at least 2-3dp. Test on older or budget devices.

Mistake 3: Text in Icons

Words are unreadable at app icon sizes.

Fix: Use a symbol that represents your brand instead. If you must use a letter, make it big and bold.

Mistake 4: Following Trends Blindly

Gradient blobs were trendy in 2020. Now many apps look identical.

Fix: Study trends, but prioritize standing out over fitting in.

Mistake 5: Ignoring Platform Guidelines

Adding rounded corners to iOS icons creates double-rounding. Using the wrong aspect ratio on Android causes clipping.

Fix: Read Apple's Human Interface Guidelines and Google's Material Design documentation.

Mistake 6: Designing in Isolation

An icon that looks great in Figma might disappear on a busy home screen.

Fix: Always test on real devices, against various wallpapers, next to competitor icons.

Testing Your App Icon

Home Screen Test

1. Export icon at actual device sizes
2. Set as your phone's app icon (use TestFlight or internal testing)
3. Place among your most-used apps
4. View from arm's length
5. Ask: Is it recognizable? Does it stand out?

Search Results Test

1. Screenshot your icon at App Store search result size
2. Place it among competitor icons
3. Ask: Would you tap this icon over others?

All Backgrounds Test

Your icon appears on various surfaces:

• Light wallpapers
• Dark wallpapers
• Colorful/busy wallpapers
• Folders (iOS)
• App drawer (Android)

Test against all of these.

A/B Testing

If possible, A/B test icon variants:

• Use Google Play's Store Listing Experiments
• Test with focus groups before launch
• Measure conversion rate differences

Export Checklist

Before submitting to app stores:

• 1024 x 1024px PNG for iOS App Store (no transparency, no rounded corners)
• 512 x 512px PNG for Google Play Store
• All iOS sizes (180, 167, 152, 120, 80, 60px)
• Adaptive icon foreground and background layers for Android
• Master SVG file saved for future edits
• Tested on physical iOS and Android devices
• Previewed in store listing mockups
• Checked against competitors

Using SVG Genie for App Icons

Our specialized workflow for app icons:

1. Enter app name and description: What does your app do?
2. Select industry category: We have 15+ categories optimized for different styles
3. Choose platform: Mobile, Web, or Social Media
4. Pick AI style: Minimal, Bold, Gradient, Illustrated, or Abstract
5. Add keywords: Specific visual elements you want
6. Generate and iterate: Create multiple options, refine the best

The AI creates icons specifically designed for app store requirements, focusing on simplicity and recognition at small sizes.

Create your app icon now →

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Related Articles:

• How to Create a Logo with AI
• 5 AI Styles Explained
• SVG vs PNG vs JPG: Which Format for Icons?
• Icon Design Best Practices