A bug has been discovered in iOS 17 that enables a cool feature on the iPhone. Animated icons for apps already work in iOS 17!
Animated app icons in iOS 17
According to rumors, iOS 18 will give users more freedom in arranging the iPhone’s home screen. One of the new features is adjusting the symbols of apps. You currently have limited options, but you can already adjust the icons of apps in a detour. You need third-party apps for this, because iOS 17 does not offer an option to change the app icons.
Also read: iOS 18 gets a completely new home screen (with these functions)
This function will reportedly be available in iOS 18, so you no longer need other apps. Now it turns out that iOS 17 has more options when setting app icons than previously thought. Bryce Bostwick, a developer, found a flaw in the iOS 17 software. This exploit makes it possible to add animated pictures to apps on the home screen of your iPhone. That is how it works.
Moving pictures with apps
When developers release an app in the App Store, they can send various icons to Apple. The developer then chooses one standard symbol, but can also add alternative images to give users a choice. Apple must first approve these symbols. Users can then – also in iOS 17 – choose an alternative app icon, so that the app looks different on the home screen.
This is arranged as a (paid) extra option offered in applications. The app icons in iOS 17 can only be adjusted by users themselves, but Bostwick has now found a bug in this. He found a way to add multiple images to the app, creating an animation in the app icon. These images are played back in quick succession, resulting in a moving picture.
Normally this is not possible, because the app icons in iOS 17 can only be adjusted by users themselves. It is therefore unlikely that Apple would approve these types of animations when submitting an app. Alternative app symbols only pass the check if they can only be selected manually by users. In the detour that Bostwick has found, the developer selects multiple images, so that an animation is created with the app.
More options in iOS 18
Bostwick has found a cool feature to make app icons move in iOS 17. It is now an exploit in the software, but according to Bostwick it certainly offers possibilities. For example, an app in iOS 18 could move briefly when a notification arrives, for example. As a user, you can then choose which apps you see an animation with, so that your home screen does not become too busy with all the moving apps.
Also read: iOS 18 gets a new feature against motion sickness: this is how it works
It is still unclear whether Apple will indeed allow animated app icons in iOS 18. In iOS 17, the icons of the Clock and Calendar apps are already animated, but there may be more in iOS 18. We will find out exactly which functions will be coming to the iPhone’s home screen in June, when Apple organizes the WWDC. Do you want to know more about iOS 18 now? Then read all about the biggest iPhone update in years here!
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