Rumor has it that iOS 18 will automatically change the color of app icons on the Home Screen, tinting them dark whenever Dark Mode has been selected.
Dark Mode uses a dark tint for the dock, folders and other user interface elements to let your content shine and make it easier to use your device in low-light settings.
Applying a dark tint to app icons would help remove contrast between dark chrome and bright icons, making Dark Mode even better. In comparison, shipping versions of iOS, iPadOS, macOS and tvOS don’t change icon color in Dark Mode.
iOS 18 could change icon color in Dark Mode
“iOS 18 will automatically give app icons a dark/black tint when Dark Mode is turned on,” writes Joe Rossignol at MacRumors. The publication says the feature will be limited to the built-in apps. Of course, nothing stops Apple from providing an API for developers to use standard and dark-tinted app icons.
It’s unclear whether two sets of icons may be required for this rumored feature, one for Light and the other for Dark Mode. Apple already does this for stock wallpapers by providing both Light and Dark Mode versions of the same image.
We recently heard iOS 18 might bring the capability to recolorize app icons. This suggests the color tinting of app icons might be automatically handled by the operating system instead of requiring two sets of icon assets. iOS already automatically switches icon background for some apps between white and black, so perhaps iOS 18’s AI could do all the heavy lifting?
Locking apps behind biometrics
MacRumors also claims that iOS 18 will let users lock specific apps behind Face ID, Touch ID or passcode to prevent unauthorized launches like, for example, when handing off an unlocked iPhone to a friend. Again, the publication is unsure whether this feature will be restricted to built-in apps or work with all App Store apps.
Dark Mode on the iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV
MacRumors didn’t clarify whether dark-tinted icons would be limited to the iPhone or eventually brought to other devices. For what it’s worth, Apple provides Dark Mode on the iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV.
Dark Mode was introduced on the iPhone and iPad with iOS 13 and iPadOS 13 in 2019 after the Mac gained the feature with the macOS Mojave update the year prior. The Apple TV picked up Dark Mode with the release of tvOS 10 in 2016.
If you haven’t used this feature yet, read our tutorials explaining the ins and outs of Dark Mode on the iPhone and iPad, the Mac and the Apple TV.