How to change back to the old Twitter app icon on Your Phone

The sudden change to X users (or, in many cases, ex-users) has upset many Twitter users. While Elon Musk's strange decision to rename one of the most recognizable companies on the planet cannot be changed, we can restore the emblem and name back to their originals on our cellphones.

What is the X app and why is it suddenly on your phone?

If you haven't been keeping up with the headlines regarding the turmoil at Twitter since Musk acquired control of the social media platform in late 2022, suffice it to say that things haven't been feeling right. The latest action by Musk was to redesign the site as "X," with a simplified capital-letter logo on a black backdrop, and toss out the iconic Twitter brand, the bird emblem, and related phrases like "tweet," in a hastily-announced tweet in late July. If you're wondering what the X app is and why it just appeared on your device, it's just Twitter, except worse, and it showed up because you upgraded the Twitter app (or because your device is configured to automatically update).

How to change X’s name and icon on an iPhone

1. Download a Twitter icon to your phone and save it as a photo. There are many options.

2. Navigate to your phone’s “Shortcuts” app. It’s pre-installed in newer phones, but if you are unable to locate it using iOS’s search feature, you can download Shortcuts on the App Store. Shortcuts is only available on iOS 12.0 or above.

3. From the main Shortcuts screen, tap “All Shortcuts.”

4.Hit the “+” sign at the top right corner of the screen to create a new shortcut.

5. Tap “Open App”

6. The top search bar should read “Open App.” Choose “App” then search or scroll to “X.”

7. Tap the “share” button on the bottom bar.

8.Tap “Add to Home Screen.”

9. Change the “home screen name and icon” to “Twitter” (or “Musk’s Folly,” if you prefer.)

10. Click the icon to the left of your renamed Twitter. Click “Choose Photo.”

11. Put in your downloaded Twitter icon photo. Or use this illustration of a dumpster fire.

12. Tap “Add” at the top right.

13. Find the old X icon on your screen, tap “remove from home screen,” and the operation is complete.

Using your Twitter shortcut, you can force the X/Twitter symbol to automatically open Threads, Retro Bowl, or any other program that isn't X if you'd like. Do you learn best visually? Here is a step-by-step video tutorial for converting X on your iPhone to Twitter.

How to change X’s name and icon on Android

Because Android is supported by devices made by a wide range of manufacturers, there are numerous ways to modify the app icons on your smartphone, depending on its brand and model. However, Shortcut Maker is the way to go if you're searching for a quick and dirty method regardless of the type of phone you have:

1 Download a Twitter icon to your phone and save it as a photo. Again, there are many options, but it might be best to find one without a border, based on the way modern Android apps look.

2. Download Shortcut Maker from the Play Store.

3. Open Shortcut Maker, then choose “Apps” from the options menu.

4. Scroll down and tap “X.”

5. Choose “Tap to Edit Label,” then change the label name to “Twitter.”

6. Tap “Icon,” then choose “Gallery Image” to pick your Twitter icon from your photos. Adjust the crop size of the photo, then hit the checkmark to continue.

7. Hit the checkmark again, then choose “Create Shortcut.” Here, you can drag your new shortcut to the home screen, or add it via the system option.

The downside to Shortcut Maker is it adds an arrow to your app icon to indicate that it isn’t an app itself, just an alias. If you want to change X’s app icon itself, you’ll need to follow instructions for your specific Android phone.

Even if you’ve successfully undone the “X” changeover—at least on your phone’s screen—everything inside The App Formerly Known as Twitter will still look however Twitter wants it to look. Right now, it’s an app called “X,” but everything else remains Twitter-branded. In other words, it’s a real mess.