You can change the Instagram icon or even restore the classic Instagram icon as part of the company’s tenth-anniversary celebration. Follow along with us as we show you how to change the Instagram icon on the Home screen of your iPhone or restore the original one if you like.
Restoring the classic Instagram icon
According to the company, they are allowing everyone to change the Instagram app icon on their Home screen. However, the wording suggests that this is a temporary functionality that will work until November 2020.
“To celebrate our birthday, this month we’re inviting you to change your app icon to your favorite one,” reads Instagram’s in-app notice. Follow along with our tutorial right ahead to learn how to change the Home screen icon for Instagram or restore the classic Instagram icon.
How to change the Instagram icon on your Home screen
Follow these steps to change the Instagram icon on your Home screen:
- Update your copy of Instagram to the latest available version on the App Store.
- Open the Instagram app on your iPhone.
- Tap your profile picture at the rightmost side of the tab area alongside the bottom.
- Tap the hamburger menu in the top-left, then choose “Settings.“
- Pull down on the Settings screen to reveal a hidden screen.
- Change the app icon by tapping one of the listed icons.
When you perform the pull-to-down gesture, you’ll see a celebratory animation with a burst of confetti that cascades down the screen — a nice touch!
The following Instagram app icons are available for the Home screen:
- Current
- Classic 2 (2011)
- Classic (2010)
- Original
- Code name (prelaunch)
- Twilight
- Sunrise
- Aurora
- Pride
- Gold
- Dark
- Light
- Very dark
The app will put up a message confirming you’ve successfully changed its Home screen icon.
Instagram was established on October 6, 2010.
A brief history of Instagram
Originally an iPhone exclusive, the app was an instant success with Apple users because it offered a super-easy way to share photographs online. Two years later, Instagram sold out to Facebook for a staggering $1 billion.
→ How to stop your iPhone from saving Instagram photos to the Camera roll
The move initially prompted hipsters to abandon the app. Shortly after, the iPhone lost its Instagram exclusivity as the app expanded to Android. This has prompted Phil Schiller, Apple’s former Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, to stop using Instagram because it “jumped the shark” when it launched on Android.
→ How to post longer videos to Instagram Stories
Under Facebook’s leadership, Instagram has been gradually adding new features. It wouldn’t be before the app lifted the Stories feature from Snapchat in 2016 that it really started to take off in a big way. Nowadays, Instagram is the second-largest social network in the world and the definitive place where millions of people browse photos, shop, check out what their friends are up to, get their gym routines, makeup tips and so much more.