iOS 18 beta 3 automatically applies a dark effect on unoptimized third-party app icons, which refines the home screen’s overall look.
Prior to this beta, unsupported, light-colored app icons would stand out when placed next to darker icons.
Not all automatic executions look great, so third-party developers may still need to optimize their submissions manually.
iOS 18 introduces a revamped home screen with support for light, dark, and tinted app icons. When the release ships this fall, third-party developers will get to submit different versions of their app icons to match the distinct themes. With betas 1 and 2, users opting for the dark theme had to deal with light-colored, third-party app icons standing out and ruining the home screen’s dark aesthetic. iOS 18 beta 3 addresses this flaw by applying an automatic dark effect on unoptimized app icons to streamline the look.
As of iOS 18 beta 3, all app icons adapt to the dark theme, including unoptimized ones from third-party developers. The OS automatically detects the icon’s colors and applies a dark background while attempting to preserve the branding. When iOS 18 fails to apply this effect, it adds a filter that dims the icon’s colors instead.