Key Takeaways
The topic. This piece explains why the LinkedIn app icon can look like it has extra pink, black, and white around it on a Motorola phone running Android.
The key clue. The Google Play page still shows the normal LinkedIn icon, and only LinkedIn looks different on the home screen.
The simple reason. A launcher can redraw one icon in a strange way, even when system-wide themed icons are off.
The usual fix. A fresh shortcut and a refreshed launcher often bring the icon back to the expected look.
Story & Details
A familiar mark, with a surprise frame. In late December 2025, the LinkedIn icon kept its blue square and white “in,” but gained a bold outer look on the home screen. It felt like a brand change at first. Yet the change was not everywhere: it was not seen in the store listing, and it did not spread to other apps.
Why the store can stay “right.” Google Play shows the app’s main identity as the developer publishes it. When that icon stays normal there, it points away from a real logo swap and toward a display issue on the phone’s home screen.
Why one home screen icon can drift. Android app icons are often built as adaptive icons. That means the launcher can mask, shape, and layer them to fit a clean grid. Most of the time it looks neat. Sometimes it looks odd, especially when one shortcut keeps an older or glitched render. Even with themed icons turned off, a launcher can still apply masks, layers, and background effects that make a single icon look “boxed” or “framed.”
Why it can hit only LinkedIn. When only one app is affected, the strongest suspect is the shortcut itself or the launcher’s cached icon image. The rest of the phone can be fine. The app can also be fine. What looks like a redesign can be just one stale picture that the launcher keeps reusing.
A calm way back to normal. The cleanest path is to let the phone rebuild what it shows. Removing the LinkedIn shortcut from the home screen and placing it again from the app drawer often forces a new draw. A restart can help the launcher reload. If the framed icon still stays, clearing the launcher’s cache can push it to rebuild stored icon art. As a last step, reinstalling LinkedIn can pull fresh icon assets and reset the shortcut.
A tiny Dutch mini-lesson.
This sentence is useful when an icon changes: “Het icoon is veranderd.”
Simple meaning: it says the icon has changed.
Word-by-word: Het = the, icoon = icon, is = is, veranderd = changed.
Tone and use: neutral and everyday, good for casual talk or simple help at work in the Netherlands (Europe).
Natural variant: “Het pictogram is veranderd.” This is also correct and slightly more formal.
Conclusions
A framed LinkedIn icon on a Motorola Android home screen can look like a new logo, but the stronger story is simpler: the launcher is drawing one shortcut in a strange way while the official store icon stays normal. With a fresh shortcut and a refreshed launcher, the familiar blue “in” usually returns without drama.
Selected References
[1] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.linkedin.android
[2] https://developer.android.com/develop/ui/views/launch/icon_design_adaptive
[3] https://source.android.com/docs/core/display/adaptive-icons
[4] https://en-us.support.motorola.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/163499/~/customize-the-home-screen
[5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MHFYfXno9c
Appendix
Adaptive icon. An Android icon format that lets the launcher mask and shape an icon while keeping a consistent look on the home screen.
Cache. Saved data used to speed things up; a launcher can cache icon images, and a bad cache can keep a wrong-looking icon.
Launcher. The home screen app that draws icons, folders, and the app drawer; changing or refreshing it can change how icons look.
Shortcut. A home screen entry that opens an app; removing and adding it again can rebuild the icon image.
Themed icons. A feature that can recolor supported app icons to match the phone’s style; when it is off, a strange look on one icon often points to a shortcut or cache issue.
My Diary - Leonardo Cardillo 