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The History of iOS WebClip｜How the Home Screen Icon Feature Evolved Over 15+ Years

Last updated: 2026/02/02

Today, adding a website to the iPhone home screen feels completely normal.
But this feature—called WebClip—was not part of the original iPhone, nor was it designed the way it behaves today.

Over time, WebClip evolved dramatically:
from simple screenshot-based shortcuts to a complex system involving
apple-touch-icon, manifest icons, PWA features, and the infamous Shadow Cache.

This article explains:

• How WebClip was born
• How it evolved through each major iOS era
• Why the Shadow Cache exists today
• Why icons became so difficult to update

No English article currently covers this history in depth—
so this is the world’s most complete explanation.

2007: iPhone OS 1 — No WebClip Yet

The very first iPhone (iPhone OS 1.0) did not have a way to add websites to the home screen.

Users could only save bookmarks inside Safari.
The concept of a “web icon” sitting beside app icons did not yet exist.

2008: iPhone OS 1.1.3 — WebClip Is Born

Apple introduced Add to Home Screen in iPhone OS 1.1.3 (2008).
This was the birth of WebClip.

Its early characteristics were very simple:

• The icon was automatically generated from a screenshot
• The WebClip behaved like an app shortcut
• No custom icons yet—no apple-touch-icon

At this point, there was no Shadow Cache problem
because WebClip did not load or store developer-provided icons.

2008: iPhone OS 2.0 — The Birth of apple-touch-icon

Alongside the debut of the App Store, Apple introduced:

apple-touch-icon.png

This changed everything:

• Websites could now provide their own icons
• WebClip became visually similar to native apps
• iOS needed a dedicated storage area for icon files

This dedicated icon storage is the ancestor of today’s
Shadow Cache.

2010–2012: Retina Displays & Icon Size Explosion

With the introduction of Retina (iPhone 4),
icon sizes multiplied rapidly:

• 57×57 → 114×114
• 72×72 (iPad)
• 144×144 (Retina iPad)

This forced iOS to cache multiple icon variants simultaneously.

Here is where we first see reports of:
“Old icons continuing to appear even after replacement.”

2013: iOS 7 — Flat Design & Automatic Icon Processing

iOS 7 was a massive redesign and also a turning point for WebClip.

Safari began:

• Auto-rounding icons
• Auto-applying shadows
• Auto-generating final PNGs inside the system

At this stage, the icon creation flow changed to:

1. Download developer-provided icon
2. iOS processes it into a final “app-like” icon
3. Store processed PNG in a persistent cache

This is the true origin of the modern Shadow Cache.

2015–2020: PWA Support Makes Things Even More Complex

As Safari gradually adopted PWA (Progressive Web App) features:

• manifest.json icons
• apple-touch-icon fallback logic
• Stand-alone mode

Safari’s icon-selection logic became significantly more complex.

This era introduced inconsistent behavior such as:

• Sometimes manifest icons override apple-touch-icon
• Sometimes Safari chooses the closest size automatically
• Sometimes cached icons refuse to update for days

Developers globally began noticing “icon update issues” during this time.

2020–2024: The Shadow Cache Becomes Aggressive

From iOS 14 onward, Apple significantly strengthened icon persistence.

Reasons include:

• Security — prevent phishing by icon swapping
• Consistency — app icons should not change unexpectedly
• Stability — reduce visual glitches during updates

As a result:
“Same URL = Always same icon”
became a strict rule.

This is why updating icons on iOS became notoriously difficult.

2026: Shadow Cache Is Now a Formal iOS Behavior

As of 2026, the Shadow Cache is effectively a
permanent, intentional part of WebClip design.

Characteristics:

• Not cleared by Safari cache reset
• Not updated unless the icon URL changes
• Each WebClip maintains its own persistent storage
• Designed to protect UI consistency and security

It is not a bug — it is an architectural choice.

Why the Shadow Cache Exists (Core Reasons)

① iOS treats WebClips like apps

App icons shouldn’t randomly change.
So WebClip icons are also treated as persistent objects.

② Allowing remote icon updates is a security risk

If websites could freely replace icons,
malicious actors could imitate other apps.

Thus, iOS avoids re-fetching icons unless the URL changes.

Summary: WebClip Is a Unique Product of iOS History

• Born in 2008 as a simple screenshot shortcut
• Evolved with apple-touch-icon and Retina displays
• Became intertwined with PWA features
• Shadow Cache emerged as a UI/UX + security solution
• Modern behavior is intentionally persistent

Understanding this history makes WebClip behavior predictable—
and explains why icon updates are difficult but not impossible.