Which Android version introduced Adaptive Icons?

Android 8.0 Oreo introduced adaptive icons.

Adaptive icons were added with Android Oreo to let launcher icons use separate foreground and background layers. The launcher can then mask those layers into different shapes—such as circles, rounded squares, or squircle-like designs—while applying visual effects consistently across devices.

The change addressed a long-standing Android problem: app icons had widely varying proportions and borders, so launchers often displayed an untidy mixture of shapes. Adaptive icons moved some of that presentation control to the system launcher. Developers supplied the icon’s layers, while the device manufacturer or launcher determined the final mask and presentation.

Android 8.0 is API level 26, and Android 8.1 is API level 27. The feature is specifically about adaptive launcher icons, not every icon used inside an app. It is also easy to confuse adaptive icons with themed icons, which arrived later as part of Android’s broader customization efforts. Adaptive icons can support effects such as parallax and motion, but individual launchers decide which effects to use.