How to Customize Honista (2026)

How to customize Honista? One of the main reasons people switch to Honista is that Instagram itself barely lets you change how the app looks. Honista does — themes, fonts, colours, chat backgrounds and even the app icon can all be changed from inside the app. Nothing here needs a second app, and nothing changes what other people see: every change below affects only your own phone.

Before you start learning how to customize Honista, one honest note: the exact menu names can differ slightly between Honista builds. If a setting is not exactly where this guide says, look for the same words under Honista Settings — the options are there, just sometimes one menu deeper.

How to customize Honista: change the theme

1. Open Honista and tap your profile picture (bottom right).
2. Tap the three-line menu, then Honista Settings.
3. Open Themes (on some builds: Appearance > Themes).
4. Browse the theme list and tap one to preview it. If you like it, tap Apply.
5. Give the app a second to redraw the feed. If colours look wrong, switch back to the default theme and try another one.

Tip: when you learn how to customize Honista, dark themes are the easiest win on AMOLED phones — they look good and save a little battery. Light themes are better if you read a lot of captions in bright sunlight.

Change the font

1. In Honista Settings, open Themes or Appearance (builds differ).
2. Look for Font style or Font.
3. Pick a font and check a chat screen before settling — some decorative fonts are hard to read in long conversations.
4. If text becomes unreadable, go back and choose the default font. That resets instantly.

There is no need to install a separate font app for the built-in choices when you learn how to customize Honista. The in-app fonts are the ones guaranteed to work with Honista’s layout.

Change the app icon and app name

This is the setting people miss most, because it is not in the normal Instagram menus:

1. Open Honista Settings, then Developer Options (on some builds: Honista Settings > General > Developer Options).
2. Find Change app icon and pick an icon style you like.
3. Some builds also offer Change app name in the same area.
4. Go back to your home screen — the new icon should show immediately. If it does not, restart your launcher or reboot the phone once.

Changing the icon does not hide the app from anyone who opens your phone — it only changes how it looks on your home screen.

Change chat backgrounds

1. Open any chat, tap the contact’s name at the top, then look for Theme or Wallpaper in the chat settings.
2. Pick a background colour or image. It applies to that chat only, so you can give different chats different looks.
3. To go back, choose the default background in the same menu.

Make text easier to read

If a theme looks nice but the text is hard to read, fix contrast before giving up on the theme:

• Pick a theme with dark text on a light background (or the reverse) — avoid light grey text on white.
• Increase the font size in the same Appearance menu if small text strains your eyes.
• Turn off any “transparent” or “blur” background option if messages become hard to follow.

If a theme does not apply

• Force-close Honista and reopen it, then reselect the theme. Most “theme not applying” reports are fixed by this alone.
• If the problem continues, clear Honista’s cache (Settings > Apps > Honista > Clear Cache) — this does not delete your account or chats.
• As a last resort, back up your settings first (Honista Settings > Backup Settings > Create Backup), then reinstall and restore. Never reinstall without a backup if you have spent time setting themes and privacy switches.

Reset everything to the default look

Open Honista Settings > Themes and choose the default theme, then set the font back to default. If you changed the app icon, change it back in Developer Options. Two minutes and the app looks like a fresh install again — your account, chats and downloads are untouched.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will changing the theme affect what others see?

No. When you learn how to customize Honista, themes, fonts, icons and chat backgrounds change only your own phone. Other people see the normal Instagram look, so your customization is private to you.

Do I need root to customize Honista?

No. Every setting in this guide works on a normal, non-rooted phone with Android 9.0 or newer.

Why is there no Themes option in my Honista?

Older or incomplete builds sometimes hide it. Update to the latest version — our How to Update Honista guide shows how to do it without losing your settings — then check Honista Settings again.

Can a theme slow down my phone?

A theme itself is lightweight. If the app feels slow after a change, it is almost always another setting (high media quality, autoplay) rather than the theme. Our Honista Lite guide covers the lightweight option for older phones.

Is customizing Honista safe for my account?

Changing how the app looks does not add account risk — it is the same risk category as using the mod at all. The precautions are the same: use a secondary account first and download only from a trusted source. See our Is Honista APK Safe? guide for the full checklist.

Final note

Start with one change — a theme you like — and live with it for a day before changing fonts and icons too. Small steps make it obvious which change caused a problem, if any. And if you are still deciding whether Honista is right for you, our full Honista features list and best Instagram mods ranking will help you compare before you install.

For the download itself, start from the Honista APK home page.