A major change to the way app icons look is coming to Android, and it’s expected to arrive in One UI 8.5. Google has just announced that app icons on the home screen will automatically be tweaked to match the system color scheme, making the interface cleaner and more consistent.

Currently, Android only allows app icons to be themed if the developer provides a separate black and white version. However, many apps don’t support this feature, resulting in some icons being color-matched while others aren’t, making the home screen look messy. With the new rule, even if an app doesn’t have a dedicated icon, Android will automatically apply a color filter to match the system theme. This approach is quite similar to Apple’s approach of forcing all apps on iOS 18 to follow themed icons.

Google has also updated its Google Play Developer Distribution Agreement. Accordingly, new apps must support custom icon colors immediately, while existing apps will have to comply from October 15, 2025.

This means that Galaxy users will soon see changes when One UI 8.5 is officially released. At that time, all apps on Samsung phones and tablets will be unified according to the system theme, creating a more harmonious and eye-catching home screen, regardless of whether the app supports custom icons or not.