Quick tutorial for creating Android homescreen shortcuts using custom icons

[Arlen Holder]

Quick tutorial for creating Android homescreen shortcuts using custom icons
<Loading Image...>

1. Obtain or extract or create any desired icon you like
2. Create a homescreen shortcut to any app or file or folder
3. Edit that shortcut so that you now have a completely custom icon

Here is an example, where I created, just now, where I added two custom
shortcuts, one each for all my auto-saved Google Play & F-Droid APKs:
o <https://i.postimg.cc/KzrX0Kdw/shortcut01.jpg>

To create those two custom shortcut icons, I only used two programs:
1. Any file manager that has a button to create a custom shortcut
<com.simplemobiletools.filemanager.pro> version 6.8.0
2. Any app manager that has a button to extract or customize icons
<io.github.muntashirakon.AppManager> version 2.5.17
3. Although I could have chosen any existing free icon pack library
<vintage.icon.pack.ddt> version 10.5 (74)

NOTE: You can get tons of great Android icons from almost anywhere.
o I chose to extract & modify but you can create icons from scratch too.

[Arlen Holder]

Post by Arlen Holder
1. Any file manager that has a button to create a custom shortcut
<com.simplemobiletools.filemanager.pro> version 6.8.0

Quick documentation for those who don't know how to create shortcuts.
o (You need to first create the shortcut before you can customize it.)

Regarding only the creation of custom shortcuts, the beauty is that you can
create them to almost anything (afaict), e.g.,
o You can create shortcuts to (almost?) any menu _inside_ of a program
o You can create shortcuts to any web page (e.g., to comp.mobile.android)
o You can create shortcuts to any (visible) file or folder on your device
etc.

(1) For creating shortcuts to settings deep _inside_ of apps, please see:
o Is there a way to make an Android homescreen shortcut to any given settings page?
<https://groups.google.com/g/comp.mobile.android/c/_1oTdgCIpkc>

For example, I recently started authoring a tutorial to help anyone print
to any networked printer from Android without using the cloud, where I was
using the deeply ensconced Android printer settings so often, I just made a
shortcut to them, which instantly resolved printer settings pain points:
o <Loading Image...> Shortcut to print settings

(2) For creating shortcuts to web pages, you simply visit the site in your
browser (I used Fennec), which has an "Add to home screen" button.

For example, here's a custom shortcut to this very Android newsgroup:
o <Loading Image...> Android ng shortcut

(3) For creating shortcuts to folders & files on your filesystem, all you
need is a file manager that has a button for creating shortcuts
(e.g., I use the SimpleMobileTools "File Manager") as shown below:
o <Loading Image...> Shortcut to file or folder

So that others always benefit from every thread, what other types of
"things" can we easily make useful shortcuts to on Android?

[Arlen Holder]

Post by Arlen Holder
o (You need to first create the shortcut before you can customize it.)

Given any shortcut now on your screen, editing using Nova free is as simple
as long pressing on the shortcut to change the name & icon to what you want
<Loading Image...>

You can edit either the icon or the name or both by long pressing on them:
<Loading Image...>

The result is a custom shortcut name and icon that was simple to modify:
<Loading Image...>

Where you get your shortcuts is your choice, where the choices mainly are:
1. Built-in icons
2. Downloaded icon packs
3. Icons on your file system

Some examples of icon packs that I currently have installed are:
a. Viral <vintage.icon.pack.ddt> <== I recommend this pack for sure
b. Monoic <com.kdpixels.iconpacks.monoic>
c. Frost <com.dkanada.icecons>
d. Whicons <com.whicons.iconpack>

There are plenty of ways to create the icons on your file system:
A. You can extract (& edit) the PNG icon from any installed app
B. You can download (& edit) any PNG icon you find on the net
C. You can create the PNG icon from scratch if you like

These two screenshots show how I easily extracted an icon using
o App Manager <io.github.muntashirakon.AppManager> version 2.5.17 (368)
<Loading Image...>
<Loading Image...>

Using my SimpleMobileTools File Manager "(i)" info button...
o That extracted PNG icon used above turned out to be 216x216 at 35.3KB
o Extracted "Carrier Services" was 243x243 at 18.2KB
o Running a random survey, a common size was 162x162 at 4.6KB

In summary, you have complete control of the icons for your shortcuts
o <https://i.postimg.cc/KzrX0Kdw/shortcut01.jpg> Custom shortcut icons
o <https://i.postimg.cc/RFs4CPxv/shortcut02.jpg> Creating URL shortcuts
o <https://i.postimg.cc/J4WzDQKc/shortcut03.jpg> Creating FOLDER shortcuts
o <https://i.postimg.cc/MKmPDnKC/shortcut04.jpg> Editing shortcut icons
o <https://i.postimg.cc/13RWYy8f/shortcut05.jpg> Choosing custom icons
o <https://i.postimg.cc/N0SpMTpH/shortcut06.jpg> Squaring the custom icon
o <https://i.postimg.cc/DybJkMNF/shortcut07.jpg> Finding icons to extract
o <https://i.postimg.cc/fRn3wv4d/shortcut08.jpg> Extracting icons to PNG

[Arlen Holder]

Post by Arlen Holder
B. You can download (& edit) any PNG icon you find on the net

Moving on to downloading any icon you want off the net, I went here:
o <https://iconarchive.com/tag/windows>

I arbitrarily chose this Windows icon to download and test on Android:
o <https://www.iconarchive.com/show/sleek-xp-software-icons-by-hopstarter/Windows-Turn-Off-icon.html>

The default was 256x256 but plenty of other sizes were available:
<Loading Image...>

I copied that 21KB 266-square PNG icon over to Android using NitroShare:
o And I was easily able to set my "kill -9" Android shortcut to that icon.

Here are screenshots of that process of using icons off the net on Android:
o <Loading Image...> Net icon, before & after
o <Loading Image...> Copy net icon to Android
o <Loading Image...> Select & edit custom icon

That entire process of using a Windows icon from the net took five minutes.

[Arlen Holder]

Post by Arlen Holder
C. You can create the PNG icon from scratch if you like

Regarding creating & using custom icons from scratch...

I just easily created a completely _custom_ icon from scratch, where I
admit, it's so easy that it takes far longer to document than to do it.
o <Loading Image...> Windows screenshot icon

1. I snapped a screenshot of my Windows desktop & saved as a square PNG
2. I edited in IrfanView as desired (e.g., I transparized the background)
3. After copying to Android, I set "DeveloperOptions" to this custom icon

Voila!
o <Loading Image...> Windows icon on Android

A completely custom icon, from scratch takes about two minutes total!
o I squarified it, but I didn't even bother changing it from 380x380.

Here is the current set of well-annotated illustrative screenshots:
o <https://i.postimg.cc/KzrX0Kdw/shortcut01.jpg> Custom shortcut icons
o <https://i.postimg.cc/RFs4CPxv/shortcut02.jpg> Creating URL shortcuts
o <https://i.postimg.cc/J4WzDQKc/shortcut03.jpg> Creating FOLDER shortcuts
o <https://i.postimg.cc/MKmPDnKC/shortcut04.jpg> Editing shortcut icons
o <https://i.postimg.cc/13RWYy8f/shortcut05.jpg> Choosing custom icons
o <https://i.postimg.cc/N0SpMTpH/shortcut06.jpg> Squaring the custom icon
o <https://i.postimg.cc/DybJkMNF/shortcut07.jpg> Finding icons to extract
o <https://i.postimg.cc/fRn3wv4d/shortcut08.jpg> Extracting icons to PNG
o <https://i.postimg.cc/GhQcYjVV/shortcut09.jpg> Net icon, before & after
o <https://i.postimg.cc/43KZDRyR/shortcut10.jpg> Copy net icon to Android
o <https://i.postimg.cc/JzFCcYq6/shortcut11.jpg> Select & edit custom icon
o <https://i.postimg.cc/c4brT9qq/shortcut12.jpg> Custom screenshot icon
o <https://i.postimg.cc/50b0jDzz/shortcut13.jpg> Set custom icon on Android

See also:
o Tutorial: How to easily change Android app shortcut icons & app names [sans root]
<https://groups.google.com/g/comp.mobile.android/c/3bu27OTTdGY>

[Alan Baker]

Post by Arlen Holder
Quick tutorial for creating Android homescreen shortcuts using custom icons
<https://i.postimg.cc/KzrX0Kdw/shortcut01.jpg>
1. Obtain or extract or create any desired icon you like
2. Create a homescreen shortcut to any app or file or folder
3. Edit that shortcut so that you now have a completely custom icon
Here is an example, where I created, just now, where I added two custom
o <https://i.postimg.cc/KzrX0Kdw/shortcut01.jpg>
1. Any file manager that has a button to create a custom shortcut
<com.simplemobiletools.filemanager.pro> version 6.8.0
2. Any app manager that has a button to extract or customize icons
<io.github.muntashirakon.AppManager> version 2.5.17
3. Although I could have chosen any existing free icon pack library
<vintage.icon.pack.ddt> version 10.5 (74)
NOTE: You can get tons of great Android icons from almost anywhere.
o I chose to extract & modify but you can create icons from scratch too.

Because what the vast majority of mobile device users need most of all...

...is the ability to customize icons!

LOL!

[Arlen Holder]

SOLVED:

Lest folks not realize the sheer power involved in this simple tutorial...
o <Loading Image...>

Key functionality points most people will readily understand are...
(a) These shortcuts can be to almost anything you frequently access
(b) And they can be made instantly recognizable to you via name & icon

Note that with the information in this thread, Android users own the power
of creating customized shortcuts, basically to _anything_ on their phone.

You can create easily recognized customized shortcuts to...
(1) Any menu deep down inside of Android Settings (e.g., printer menus).
(2) Any menu deep down inside of apps (e.g., app settings menus).
(3) Any file on your system (e.g., your customized todo lists).
(4) Any folder on your system (e.g., your Screenshots folder).
(5) Any URI you can create (e.g., a link to this newsgroup).
etc.