Is there a way to set and app icon for Samsung devices specifically?

Question

I noticed that the Samsung apps have a specific shape; for example, the Gallery, Camera, Phone, Messages and Internet app icons below.

Is there a way to specify an icon for Samsung devices only? Something similar to how the new Google Pixel uses the android:roundIcon attribute in the manifest?

I tried looking for something in the Samsung Developer documentation, but there does not seem to be anything on the topic.

The devices do have a way of recognizing the Samsung apps, considering the Icons with backgrounds setting [Settings > Display > Icon backgrounds] enables a similarly shaped background for all other apps. For example, the Google Play Store icon below.

But I am unsure if this is a publicly-available option.

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This question would be inconsequential if Samsung adopts Android Oreo's new adaptive icons; but as far as I know they haven't yet.

Answer 1

You can disable TouchWiz to surround your application icon in a rounded square frame by setting

<application>
    <meta-data android:name="com.samsung.android.icon_container.has_icon_container" android:value="true"/>
</application>

to your AndroidManifest.xml

Answer 2

To detected if you are running in a Samsung device is easy:

android.os.Build.MANUFACTURER == "samsung"

More info here

So after you have defined that you are running in a Samsung device, you could change your app to change the app icon programatically when running in Samsung devices. But unfortunately android doesn't provide a way of doing it.

There are some work arounds to change de app icon, you can check here, here and here

If you really need to change your icon, you can try the workarouds, but if is just to keep in standard with the non-standard samsung icons, them I would not do it ;)