Navigation drawer item icon not showing original colour

Taking control: Custom icon colours and states

Unleashing the power of colour state lists

To orchestrate specific colours for different item states, deploy a colour state list. You can do this by generating an XML file in the res/color/ directory. Here's a small demo:

<selector xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
    <item android:state_checked="true" android:color="#FFCC00"/> <!-- When checked, go bling bling gold -->
    <item android:color="#FFFFFF"/> <!-- Otherwise, play the innocent white -->
</selector>
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You can apply this colour state list to your drawer items either through code execution or via XML styling.

Dynamic icon colour changes: Meet setColorFilter

For swift and saucy icon tinting during runtime, get acquainted with setColorFilter:

drawerItem.getIcon().mutate().setColorFilter(ContextCompat.getColor(context, R.color.your_awesome_color), PorterDuff.Mode.SRC_ATOP);
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Remember, mutating the icon is a must-do when you alter drawable properties - it's like making sure your changes don't wake up the sleeping clone army of the drawable.

Don't lose your style: Aesthetics matter

A cohesive and visually appealing navigation drawer works wonders for your app's charm. Maintaining icon's original hues is like dressing them in your brand's uniform - it creates a consistent, aesthetically pleasing user experience.

XML Icon uniformity: Matching the suit and tie

Plan for all of your icons to align with a uniform hue for that sleek, minimalistic look? Achieve this bliss in your navigation drawer menu XML file:

<item
    android:id="@+id/nav_camera"
    android:icon="@drawable/ic_camera"
    app:itemIconTint="@android:color/white"
    android:title="@string/camera" />
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This snazzy tweak sets all icons to a dashing white when they're chilling (unselected). When coupled with a colour state list, you can differentiate between them based on their 'busy' or 'idle' states.