You Can Change the X Icon Back to Twitter Bird on Your Phone
Many Twitter users are unhappy about being suddenly X users (or, in many cases, former users). While no one can do anything about Elon Musk’s odd decision to rename one of the most recognizable brands in the world, we can change the icon and name on our smartphones back to the original.
What is app X and why did it suddenly appear on your phone?
If you haven’t been following the Twitter riots since Musk took over the social media network in late 2022, suffice it to say the vibes are gone. Musk’s latest move, unceremoniously announced on Twitter (and apparently without forethought) at the end of July, was to ditch Twitter’s iconic branding, bird logo, and related terms like “tweet” and rename the service to “X” with a simplified logo with capital letters on a black background. So, if you’re wondering what app X is and why it suddenly appeared on your device… it’s just Twitter, but a little worse, and it appeared because you updated the Twitter app (or your device was set to automatic). -update).
How to Change the X Name and Icon on iPhone
- Download the Twitter icon to your phone and save it as a photo. There are many options . I chose this one , the ancient T-shaped Twitter icon.
- Navigate to the Shortcuts app on your phone. It comes preinstalled in newer phones, but if you can’t find it using the iOS search feature, you can download shortcuts from the App Store . Shortcuts are only available on iOS 12.0 or higher.
- From the main shortcuts screen, tap All Shortcuts.
- Click the “+” sign in the top right corner of the screen to create a new shortcut.
- Click “Open App”
- The top search bar should say “Open App”. Select “App”, then search or scroll to “X”.
- Click the Share button on the bottom bar.
- Click Add to Home Screen.
- Change the “home screen name and icon” to “Twitter” (or “Mask’s Folly” if you prefer).
- Click the icon to the left of the renamed Twitter. Click Select Photo.
- Paste the uploaded photo of the Twitter icon. Or use this dumpster fire illustration.
- Click “Add” in the top right corner.
- Find the old X icon on the screen, click “Remove from Home Screen” and the operation is complete.
If you like, you can use a Twitter shortcut to have the X/Twitter icon automatically redirect to Threads , Retro Bowl , or any app other than X. Are you more of a visual learner? Here is a step by step video tutorial on how to replace X with Twitter on your iPhone.
How to change the X name and icon on Android
Since Android runs on phones from a wide variety of manufacturers, there are many ways to change app icons depending on the make and model of your particular smartphone. However, if you’re looking for a quick and dirty method, no matter what type of phone you have, Shortcut Maker is the way to go:
- Download the Twitter icon to your phone and save it as a photo. Again, there are a lot of options , but it might be best to look for a borderless option based on what modern Android apps look like.
- Download Shortcut Maker from the Play Store.
- Open Shortcut Maker, then select Applications from the options menu.
- Scroll down and click “X”.
- Select “Click to change label”, then change the name of the label to “Twitter”.
- Tap Icon, then choose Image from Gallery to select a Twitter icon from your photos. Adjust the photo crop size, then click the checkmark to continue.
- Click the checkmark again, then select Create Shortcut. Here you can drag the new shortcut to the home screen or add it via the system option.
The downside of Shortcut Maker is that it adds an arrow to your app’s icon to indicate that it’s not the app itself, but just an alias. If you want to change the X app icon itself, you will need to follow the instructions for your specific Android phone. Android Police has a great general app setup guide here .
Even if you’ve successfully reversed the “X” change – at least on your phone screen – everything inside the app formerly known as Twitter will still look like Twitter wants it to look. Right now this app is called “X” but everything else remains under the Twitter brand. In other words, it’s a real mess.