Learn whether X-Plane Mobile supports custom liveries, why desktop paint files fail, and how to select liveries included with an aircraft.
No. X-Plane Mobile does not provide an official way to import or install user-made liveries on iOS or Android. You can use only the paint schemes made available inside the app for each aircraft. Desktop X-Plane livery folders, ZIP packages and replacement textures cannot simply be copied into the mobile version.
How do I change the livery in X-Plane Mobile?
You select an available paint scheme through the aircraft configuration interface; you do not install it as a separate add-on. The wording and layout can vary between app releases and aircraft.
- Open the aircraft selection screen from the flight setup interface.
- Choose the aircraft you intend to fly.
- Look for its paint or livery choices and select one of the displayed thumbnails.
- Load the flight and check the selected scheme using an exterior view.
If the aircraft shows no paint or livery selector, it has no alternative user-selectable scheme in that installation. Placing an image or ZIP file in the device’s storage will not add one.
Why do X-Plane 11 and 12 liveries not work on mobile?
Desktop liveries depend on the matching aircraft model, object mappings and texture names. They normally sit under an aircraft’s liveries/[Livery Name]/objects directory, which X-Plane 11 and 12 can scan when loading that aircraft.
X-Plane Mobile is a separate, packaged application and does not expose an equivalent supported livery directory or import command. Its aircraft assets may also differ from their desktop counterparts, so even textures painted for an aircraft with the same name are not automatically compatible. Our explanation of how mobile X-Plane differs from the desktop simulator covers that separation in more detail.
Can I use the Files app or an Android file manager?
No supported method uses the iOS Files app, Android file managers or an “open with X-Plane” command. A common mistake is extracting a desktop repaint and expecting X-Plane Mobile to discover it; the app has no public aircraft-livery folder to scan.
Instructions that require modifying the application package, rooting Android or jailbreaking iOS are unsupported. Mobile operating-system permissions and package signing can block the change, while an app update may overwrite altered files or leave the simulator unable to load its aircraft assets.
What can I use if I want a custom aircraft repaint?
Use one of the liveries supplied through X-Plane Mobile, or move to desktop X-Plane when importing and creating repaints is a priority. We have separate desktop livery installation steps for X-Plane 11 and 12, including the expected folder structure.
The same restriction broadly applies to third-party aircraft, scenery and plug-ins: desktop packages cannot be transferred directly into the mobile app. See our guide to which add-ons X-Plane Mobile can and cannot use before downloading desktop files for a phone or tablet.