Update for 2020: Sticking to the original question of 16×16 versus 32×32 icons: the current recommendation should be to provide a 32×32 icon, skipping 16×16 entirely. All current browsers and devices support 32×32 icons. The icon will routinely be upscaled to as much as 192×192 depending on the environment (assuming there are no larger sizes … Read more
With the introduction of (i|android|windows)phones, things have changed, and to get a correct and complete solution that works on any device is really time-consuming. You can have a peek at https://realfavicongenerator.net/favicon_compatibility or http://caniuse.com/#search=favicon to get an idea on the best way to get something that works on any device. You should have a look at … Read more
Favicon is way more complex than what it sounds. 10 years ago, favicon.ico was the only needed item. Then, there was the touch icon, then multiple touch icons dues to the various iOS devices screen resolutions, then there was the tile icon for Windows… Some answers here are very comprehensive – and overwhelming (all this, … Read more
All modern browsers (tested with Chrome 4, Firefox 3.5, IE8, Opera 10 and Safari 4) will always request a favicon.ico unless you’ve specified a shortcut icon via <link>. So if you don’t explicitly specify one, it’s best to always have a favicon.ico file, to avoid a 404. Yahoo! suggests you make it small and cacheable. … Read more
I will first say that having a favicon in a Web page is a good thing (normally). However it is not always desired and sometime developers need a way to avoid the extra payload. For example an IFRAME would request a favicon without showing it. Worst yet, in Chrome and Android an IFRAME will generate … Read more
How do I force a favicon refresh?