Some Instagram users are feeling disappointed by a new feature. The platform has launched custom app icons, but this option is available only for teenage users. Teens can now select from a set of custom icons that change the traditional Instagram logo. These new variations can be applied to the app’s icon on their phone’s home screen. To access this feature, users tap the Instagram logo at the top of their home feed after opening the app.
The current selection includes six different renditions of the logo. The styles available are neon, clear glass, fire, flowers, and green slime.
Following the announcement on social media, many users expressed their dissatisfaction. The overwhelming response was against the decision to restrict the feature by age. Many adult users noted that they also want the ability to customize their home screens. Some commenters accused Instagram of copying a feature from Snapchat. On Snapchat, users need a paid subscription to change the app icon. Others said the feature reminded them of the old days of MySpace.
Instagram’s teen accounts were launched in 2024. These accounts come with additional restrictions and built-in protections for minors, including limits that keep content to a PG-13 level. Earlier this year, the company began using AI technology to find teens who had lied about their age on the social network. Those users were then moved into the more restricted teen accounts.
With the custom icons, the company is trying a new approach. This is seen as using a positive incentive rather than a restriction to make teen accounts more appealing. When asked for comment, Instagram stated it added the icons because its research found that teens love to customize their Instagram experience. The company said it has no plans to expand access to the icons to older users or to paid subscribers.
Younger users are a logical target for such customization options. They have widely embraced the trend of iPhone home screen customization. This trend saw a surge in interest when Apple introduced widgets in 2020 with the launch of iOS 14. Apple also made it easier to customize icons through improvements to app shortcuts. More recently, Apple simplified the process with tinted icons in iOS 18, which received further updates.
Android users have had similar customization options for a much longer time. However, the majority of teenagers in the United States use iPhones.
The article was updated to include Instagram’s official comment.