The customization on Xiaomi phones is so broad that MIUI, the brand’s personalized layer, Allows you to change almost any aspect without complications. The icons are part of these customization possibilities since the theme app has infinity of these elements. In addition, it is also possible to install icon packs from the Google Play Store.
Installing themes on a Xiaomi mobile is as simple as going to its themes application and downloading any of the available ones, at least as long as you have said application (in Spain it can be used). Brand customization allows completely change the appearance of the interface or choose portions: wallpapers, fonts or icons. Although there are several ways to customize the design of the layer, including these icons: from the themes app, installing a launcher or downloading icon packs from Google Play. Let’s see how to perform each method.
Customize the icons from ‘Themes’
It is the simplest option since MIUI provides everything necessary to adapt the icons of the phone to a huge variety of styles. Of course, with a drawback: the appearance of the designs is usually too oriental, so there is not too much abundance of ‘Material’ styles, to give an example. Still, it’s worth taking a look, you may find the icons that fit your phone.
To download and install icon packs from the theme application, follow these steps:
- Search for the ‘Themes’ app among all the applications installed on your Xiaomi.
- Choose any of the themes making sure they have icons (They should be in the majority).
- Go back to the themes home screen and click on the lower right icon, the profile icon.
- Go to the ‘Icons’ category.
- Click on the theme you downloaded and then on ‘Apply’.
In this way you will not apply the entire theme since you will have selected only its icons. Of course, if you like to completely change the MIUI interface, apply the theme from its ‘Themes’ category. Always within the options of your profile (the local files).
Customize icons from a launcher
MIUI is a layer that offers many possibilities, but among them Cannot find icon pack installation from Google Play. This is an impediment if you want to install the packs that you have purchased in the Android store on your phone since you cannot use the MIUI launcher with them. In return, you have at your fingertips a multitude of interfaces, such as Nova Launcher.
Nova is one of the best launchers you can install on your phone. Clean and with ‘Android stock’ design, highly customizable and with the option to install icon packs. If you want to use your own packs with MIUI Nova it is highly recommended.
Nova Launcher
Other launchers compatible with the installation of icon packs (the first two are from Xiaomi):
Apply your icon packs without installing launchers
Installing a launcher is a bit tricky because it is nothing more than a patch that does not finish solving the problem: change MIUI icons with Google Play packs. Therefore, let’s see how the packs are installed in the MIUI launcher that comes with your Xiaomi by default. For that we will use an app to modify the installed themes: Theme Editor For MIUI.
Theme Editor For MIUI
Theme Editor For MIUI allows editing the themes installed in MIUI. You can change any element, such as backgrounds, fonts or, of course, also the icons. And it does precisely what we are looking for: with this app we can apply icon packs downloaded from Google Play directly on other icons downloaded from ‘Themes’. It is the closest thing there is in MIUI to installing a third party pack.
To use Theme Editor to change MIUI icons you must do the following:
- Make sure you have downloaded the icon packs you want to install on your mobile.
- Go to the MIUI themes app and download one you like for its design and looks. It does not matter that you are not interested in its icons because we are going to change them with Theme Manager for MIUI.
- Once the theme is downloaded, open the Theme Editor For MIUI app.
- Press ‘Pick a theme’ and choose the theme you downloaded.
- When you have chosen the theme click on ‘Start’: all the changes you make in the application will be made on the selected theme.
- Click on ‘Apps icons’ and then on ‘Import whole icon pack’.
- Select the pack from the ‘Select icon package’ dropdown and click on ‘Done’.
- Uncheck the ‘Apply edits to installed applications only’ button. In this way all the icons of the theme will be overwritten with those of the packWhether or not you have the relevant applications on your phone.
- Click on ‘Back’ to return to the initial menu of Theme Editor for MIUI.
- Click on ‘Next’ and end the process with ‘Finish’. The application will create a copy of the chosen theme with the icons from the Google Play package. When finished click on ‘Install’ so that the modified theme is installed on the mobile.
- Now go to the MIUI ‘Themes’ app and apply the duplicate theme by Theme Manager for MIUI, which says ‘(Apply me)’.
- Your theme may uninstall after a while, this is not a problem of Theme Editor for MIUI: Xiaomi does not let you apply third-party themes. If this happens to you, you will have to apply the theme again with the icons. Or you can register your Xiaomi account as a designer on this website: this will enable you to use third-party themes.
You can modify the themes you download from the MIUI app and also some of the themes pre-installed on your Xiaomi phone. Once the theme is applied you can change the wallpapers to your liking so that they fit the style of the icons.
