Android App Icon Guide: Adaptive Icons & Size Requirements
Everything you need to know about Android app icon sizes, adaptive icon design, and Google Play Store requirements. Updated for 2026.
Your Android app icon is the first thing users see on Google Play Store and on their home screens. A well-designed icon can significantly improve your app's discoverability and install rate. With over 3.5 million apps on Google Play, standing out requires an icon that is both visually appealing and technically compliant with Android's icon guidelines.
Android supports a wide range of screen densities, from ldpi to xxxhdpi, and uses an adaptive icon system that allows icons to take different shapes across devices. This guide covers every size you need and explains how adaptive icons work.
Required Android App Icon Sizes
Android devices come in many screen densities. You must provide icon assets at each density to ensure your icon looks crisp on every device. The base size is 48x48 dp (density-independent pixels), which scales to different pixel dimensions at each density bucket.
| Density | Scale | Icon Size (px) | Directory |
|---|---|---|---|
| ldpi | 0.75x | 36 x 36 | mipmap-ldpi |
| mdpi | 1x (baseline) | 48 x 48 | mipmap-mdpi |
| hdpi | 1.5x | 72 x 72 | mipmap-hdpi |
| xhdpi | 2x | 96 x 96 | mipmap-xhdpi |
| xxhdpi | 3x | 144 x 144 | mipmap-xxhdpi |
| xxxhdpi | 4x | 192 x 192 | mipmap-xxxhdpi |
| Google Play Store | — | 512 x 512 | Upload asset |
In practice, you should always place your icons in the mipmap-* directories rather than drawable-*. The mipmap folders allow the system to select the best resolution icon independently of the app's runtime density, which produces sharper results on launcher screens.
Android Adaptive Icons
Starting with Android 8.0 (API 26), Android introduced adaptive icons. An adaptive icon separates the visual design from the mask shape applied by each device manufacturer. This means your icon can appear as a circle on one device, a squircle on another, and a rounded square on yet another — all from the same asset.
An adaptive icon consists of two layers:
- Foreground layer— The main visual element of your icon (logo, symbol, or illustration). This layer should be 108 x 108 dp at the baseline density.
- Background layer— A solid color, gradient, or pattern that fills behind the foreground. Also 108 x 108 dp.
The device applies a mask to crop both layers into the final shape. Only the inner 72 x 72 dparea (the “safe zone”) is guaranteed to be visible on all devices. The outer 18 dp on each side is reserved for visual effects like parallax and may be clipped by the mask.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Full icon area | 108 x 108 dp |
| Visible safe zone | 72 x 72 dp |
| Mask margin (each side) | 18 dp |
| Layer format | 32-bit PNG with alpha |
When designing adaptive icons, keep all important content within the 72 x 72 dp center safe zone. The outer edges will be masked and should only contain background elements or visual padding. Icons generated by IconForge automatically respect these safe zones so your design looks correct across all Android devices.
Google Play Store Icon Requirements
The icon you upload to the Google Play Console is separate from your app's launcher icon. This high-resolution icon is displayed on the Play Store listing page, in search results, and in the “installed apps” section of the Play Store.
| Requirement | Specification |
|---|---|
| Size | 512 x 512 pixels |
| Format | 32-bit PNG |
| Color space | sRGB |
| Max file size | 1,024 KB |
| Shape | Square (Google applies rounded mask) |
Key rules
- Do not include rounded corners — Google applies its own mask.
- The icon must be a full-bleed square image without any transparent borders.
- Avoid using text or overly complex details that become illegible at small sizes.
- The icon should match your app's launcher icon design for brand consistency.
- Do not use badges, promotional text, or device mockups in the icon artwork.
How to Generate Android App Icons
Creating all the required Android icon sizes manually is tedious and error-prone. IconForge generates every size you need in seconds — entirely in your browser, with no uploads to any server.
Upload your source image
Drag and drop or select a PNG, JPG, or SVG file. A square image of at least 512 x 512 pixels works best for the sharpest results across all densities.
Select Android as target
Choose the Android platform to generate icons for all density buckets (ldpi through xxxhdpi) plus the 512 x 512 Play Store icon in a single batch.
Download the icon pack
Download a ZIP file containing all Android icon sizes organized into their correct mipmap-* directories. Drop the folders directly into your Android Studio project's res/ folder and you're done.
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Open Android Icon GeneratorFrequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between mipmap and drawable folders?
The mipmap folders are specifically designed for app icons. The Android system can select a higher-density mipmap asset than the device's current density for the launcher, resulting in sharper icons. Drawable folders are intended for general app graphics and do not receive this treatment.
Do I still need to provide all density buckets?
While modern Android devices are typically xhdpi or higher, providing all density buckets ensures compatibility with older or lower-cost devices. IconForge generates all sizes automatically so you do not have to worry about missing any.
Can I use the same icon for Android and iOS?
You can use the same source image, but the platform requirements differ. Android uses adaptive icons with separate foreground and background layers, while iOS uses a single square image with automatic rounded corner masking. IconForge lets you generate for both platforms from a single upload.