iOS 18 introduced dark mode for icons (among other home screen customization options), and like me, many of you might have a love-hate relationship with it. With iOS 18 Developer Beta 3, third-party app icons are automatically adjusted for dark mode. They’re set to Automatic by default, which means whenever you turn on dark mode (or it turns on automatically based on your schedule), the home screen app icons will also turn dark.
If this is happening to you, and you’re not a fan of those high-contrast dark icons even in dark mode, I’d be happy to show you how to prevent icons from automatically turning dark in dark mode on iOS 18. Just follow the steps below:
- Long-press anywhere on the empty part of your iPhone home screen.
- Tap the Edit button on the top left corner. Then, choose Customize.
- You’ll see a pop-up at the bottom with all theming modes for icons. Choose Light and your icons will stay light mode even with dark mode turned on (just as how they were earlier).
Here, you can also opt for Tinted icon themes to give your icons a themed look with your color of choice. And if you look closely, there’s a sun-shaped icon in the corner of this popup. Tap this sun icon to toggle the wallpaper dimming effect on or off in dark mode. Additionally, while you’re in the customization menu, you can tap the Large option to increase the app icon size on your home screen.
While iOS 18 offers several built-in icon options like light/dark theming and tinted mode, these primarily focus on color customization. If you’re looking for something more unique or want each icon to have a distinct look, consider exploring icon packs. We’ve covered some of the best iOS icon packs and how to install them in a previous article.
