Pinned Shortcuts’s main feature brings custom long-press shortcuts to your apps, but it does more than that
Android 13 has been out since August 2022, and it’s now available on quite a few of the greatest Android phones out there. One of the more interesting features it brings to the table are themed icons. When implemented by developers, app icon colors on your home screen are pulled from your wallpaper, creating a uniform and beautiful look—that is, when all of your favorite apps support themed icons. Thankfully, there is now a new solution that lets you easily give your most important apps themed icons, including dark theme and wallpaper switching support.
App developer Rushikesh Kamewar updated his Pinned Shortcuts app to version 2.0, which is actually focused on something other than theming. It’s mainly concerned with adding custom shortcuts to any app you please, accessible by long-pressing the app in question. For example, you could add long-press shortcuts for Telegram, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger to your Google Messages app on your home screen, giving you access to all of your messaging services without using an unsightly folder.
On top of this, Pinned Shortcuts has the ability to add a themed icon or even a custom icon from an icon pack to any app you please. This makes it possible to theme your phone even when your phone’s launcher doesn’t support this, like the Google Pixel Launcher.
In contrast to other solutions, icons created via Pinned Shortcuts act pretty much like you would expect them to. They automatically adjust to your phone’s light or dark theme, and they change colors when you switch wallpapers, just like a normal app does.
This is achieved because Pinned Shortcuts essentially creates a new app for you that dons the icon and the shortcuts you chose, acting as a shortcut to both the main app and those saved in the long-press menu. To do that, Pinned Shortcuts needs to install an extra helper application that is capable of creating APKs—it’s similar to how the Lawnchair launcher needs an extra app to provide you with the Google Discover feed.
The regular Netflix app vs. its Pinned Shortcuts variant
This strategy also comes with a small caveat that probably means you shouldn’t use it to theme all of your unthemed app icons. Since Pinned Shortcuts creates a new app with the icon and shortcuts of your choice, you’ll end up with tons of duplicate apps in your app drawer. On some phones, it’s possible to hide apps, but that’s not the case on Pixel phones. That’s why we would recommend you don’t theme all of your apps with this, and stick with the essentials only.
Pinned Shortcuts also isn’t able to turn all icons into good-looking themed icons, which serves as proof that Google can’t just automate this theming process for developers. Firefox, for example, would benefit greatly from gradients that would make its logo more recognizable. Other apps still use older icon templates and will just give you ugly single-color squares instead of proper icons.
Pinned Shortcuts doesn't work well for all apps
All in all, Pinned Shortcuts is the app that gives you the best-looking themed icons, despite these caveats. The other solutions we tried before (from the same developer, in fact) have more glaring issues, such as forcing you to redo all of your custom themed icons when you change your wallpaper or your light and dark mode. On top of that, Pinned Shortcuts adds another ingenious layer to your home screen, making it possible to access many more apps at once without having to resort to folders or third-party launchers.
Manuel Vonau joined Android Police as a freelancer in 2019 and has worked his way up to become the publication’s Google Editor. He focuses on Android, Chrome, and other software Google products — the core of Android Police’s coverage. He is based in Berlin, Germany. Before joining Android Police, Manuel studied Media and Culture studies in Düsseldorf, finishing his university “career” with a master’s degree. This background gives him a unique perspective on the ever-evolving world of technology and its implications on society. He isn’t shy to dig into technical backgrounds and the nitty-gritty developer details, either. His first steps into the Android world were plagued by issues. After running into connectivity problems with the HTC One S, he quickly switched to a Nexus 4, which he considers his true first Android phone. Since then, he has mostly been faithful to the Google phone lineup, though these days, he is also carrying an iPhone in addition to his Pixel 6. This helps him gain perspective on the mobile industry at large and gives him multiple points of reference in his coverage. Outside of work, Manuel enjoys a good film or TV show, loves to travel, and you will find him roaming one of Berlin’s many museums, cafés, cinemas, and restaurants occasionally.

11 January, 2023
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This app brings themed icons to most of your apps on Android 13 – Android Police
by Jason Peters
Pinned Shortcuts’s main feature brings custom long-press shortcuts to your apps, but it does more than thatAndroid 13 has been out since August 2022, and it’s now available on quite a few of the greatest Android phones out there. One of the more interesting features it brings to the table are themed icons. When implemented... Read More