App Icon Does Not Update to the Latest Default Icon on Some iOS Devices After App Update

Environment

• Platform: iOS
• iOS versions tested: : 26.5.2, 26.5
• Xcode: 26.3
• Language: Swift
• UI framework: SwiftUI
• App distribution: App Store
• Device models tested: : iPhone 17, iPhone 16, iPhone 15 pro max, iPhone 17 pro max

Issue

We are experiencing an issue where the app icon does not update to the latest app icon after an app update on some devices.

Initially, our app used Apple's alternate app icon functionality through setAlternateIconName to dynamically change the app icon. However, we observed that the alternate icon was not being updated correctly on some devices.

As it was not working , we removed the alternate icon approach and changed the primary/default app icon in the application itself. We then submitted an updated app version with the new default icon.

After updating the app, the new app icon is displayed correctly on some devices, but on some other devices the previous/old app icon continues to be displayed, even though the app has been successfully updated to the latest version.

The issue appears to be device-specific, as the same app version can display the new icon on one device while continuing to display the old icon on another device.

Expected Behavior

After installing an app update containing a new default app icon, the new app icon should be displayed on the Home Screen and in relevant system locations such as Shortcuts.

Actual Behavior

On some devices, after successfully updating the application to the new version, the old app icon continues to be displayed.

The application itself is updated successfully and launches normally. The issue is specifically with the icon displayed by the system.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Install an older version of the application containing the old app icon.
2. Update the application to a newer version where the default/primary app icon has been changed.
3. Verify that the application has been updated to the latest version.
4. Return to the Home Screen.
5. Observe the application icon.
6. If applicable, check the application icon in the Shortcuts interface.

Expected: The new app icon is displayed.

Actual: On some devices, the previous app icon is still displayed.

Additional Observations

We observed different behaviors on affected devices:

• On one affected device, the old icon remained after the app update but changed to the new icon after restarting the device.
• On another affected device, the icon changed to the new icon after some time without reinstalling the application.
• However, on that device, the old icon continued to be displayed in the Shortcuts interface even after the Home Screen icon had changed to the new icon.
• Reinstalling the application causes the new icon to appear correctly.

These observations make the behavior appear to be related to how iOS refreshes or caches application icons after an app update.

Additional Information

• We initially attempted to use Apple's alternate app icon functionality through setAlternateIconName.
• The alternate icon approach did not update the icon consistently across all tested devices.
• We therefore changed the application's default/primary icon instead of relying on alternate icons.
• The issue still occurs on some devices even after changing the default app icon.
• The application itself functions normally after the update; only the displayed app icon remains unchanged on the affected devices.
• The issue appears to occur specifically with updating an existing installation rather than installing the application for the first time.

Questions

1. Is there any known iOS behavior where the previous Home Screen icon can remain cached after an app update?
2. Is there a recommended way to ensure that iOS refreshes the Home Screen icon after changing the default app icon?
3. Could this behavior be related to the previous use of alternate app icons through setAlternateIconName?
4. Why might the Home Screen icon update after a restart or after some time while the icon shown in Shortcuts continues to display the previous icon?
5. Are there any specific requirements for CFBundleIcons, asset catalogs, Info.plist, or other configuration that we should verify when changing the primary app icon?
6. Is this a known issue on any specific iOS versions or device configurations?

We would appreciate any guidance on whether this is expected iOS behavior, an icon caching issue, or if there is something specific we should change in our application configuration.