Themed app icons are going mandatory on Android

Google is turning Material You’s monochrome themed app icons from a nice-to-have into a requirement for Play developers. The change arrives via an update to the Google Play Developer Distribution Agreement, which now lets Google recolor supplied monochrome icons to match your wallpaper for a cleaner, more consistent home screen.

New developer accounts created from Monday, September 15, must accept the revised terms immediately. Existing developers need to accept by October 15 to keep their apps listed. Practically, that means shipping a monochrome, single-color adaptive icon alongside your standard full-color artwork. Once you’re in, there’s no opt-out—icons can be themed by the system.

Google’s rationale is straightforward: even after themed icons launched with Android 13, many apps never adopted them, leaving home screens half-themed and visually messy. Mandating support removes those gaps, especially on non-Pixel devices and third-party launchers that lean into Material You.

For developers, the lift is small but non-zero. You’ll need a crisp vector glyph that scales well, with sufficient contrast for both light and dark wallpapers. Expect enforcement to phase in on new submissions and on updates to existing apps, with limited exceptions where legibility would be compromised by a single-color mark.

For users, the payoff is simple: turn on themed icons and your grids stop looking like a patchwork. On most phones, you’ll find the toggle under Wallpaper & style → Themed icons (naming can vary by OEM). Once enabled, Android tints compliant icons to your system palette for a unified look.

The branding debate won’t go away—some companies prefer their full-color logos—but Google’s updated terms give it the policy backing to prioritize platform coherence over opt-in adoption. If this sticks, expect launcher screenshots to get a lot prettier, a lot faster.