Android adaptive icons: layers, safe zones and themed icons
Android crops your launcher icon to a circle, squircle or square. How adaptive icon layers work, the 108dp canvas and 66dp safe zone, and the monochrome layer.
On iOS every icon is the same rounded square. On Android the phone maker, and sometimes the user, decides the shape: a circle, a squircle, a rounded square, a teardrop. Adaptive icons exist so one design can fit all of them, and they only work if you respect their geometry.
Two layers, sometimes three
- Background: a colour or a simple image that fills the whole shape.
- Foreground: the mark itself, on a transparent layer.
- Monochrome (optional, Android 13+): a single-colour version of the mark for themed icons.
The launcher stacks them, applies its mask, and can move the layers slightly for parallax and animation. That is why they must be separate files, not one flattened image.
The geometry
| Area | Size | What happens there |
|---|---|---|
| Full layer | 108 x 108 dp | The canvas you draw on |
| Visible viewport | 72 x 72 dp | What the mask shows |
| Safe zone | 66 dp circle, centred | Never cropped by any mask |
| Outer edge | 18 dp each side | Reserved for motion effects |
Put the mark inside the 66dp circle. The background must fill all 108dp, edge to edge, or a moving layer shows a gap.
The XML
<!-- res/mipmap-anydpi-v26/ic_launcher.xml -->
<adaptive-icon xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
<background android:drawable="@drawable/ic_launcher_background" />
<foreground android:drawable="@drawable/ic_launcher_foreground" />
<monochrome android:drawable="@drawable/ic_launcher_monochrome" />
</adaptive-icon>Keep legacy PNGs in the density folders for older Android versions. Android Studio's Image Asset tool can generate this set from your layers.
Designs that survive every mask
- A centred mark with generous space around it. Marks that touch the edges get clipped on circles.
- A background that is a flat colour or a soft gradient, since it will be cropped unpredictably.
- No text near the edges. Ideally no text at all.
The Play Store listing is separate and has its own rules: see Google Play icon requirements. For every other platform, app icon sizes has the full table.
App Icon Foundry exports the Android foreground and background as separate layers with the safe zone respected, alongside the iOS, macOS, web and PWA files from the same design.
Questions
What size are adaptive icon layers?
Each layer is 108 by 108 dp. The launcher shows the inner 72 by 72 dp through its mask and uses the outer edge for motion effects. Keep the important part of the foreground within the central 66 dp.
Why is my Android icon cut off?
The foreground artwork extends past the safe zone. Different phones use different mask shapes, and anything outside the central 66 dp can be cropped by some of them.
What is the monochrome layer for?
Themed icons. From Android 13, users can turn on themed icons, and the launcher tints your monochrome layer to match their wallpaper. Without it, your icon stays in full colour among themed ones.