Change color of the drop down arrow of Spinner in XML

Question

As I wrote in my question, I want to change the color of the drop down arrow (the default arrow, not a custom arrow or something like that) of a Spinner in XML, but the problem is that I couldn't find anything to make reference to it from the XML.

Is it possible? If yes, how can I change the color?

Answer 1

There are three ways to achieve that.

1. Through code:

In your xml, make sure your spinner has an id. Let's say we have a spinner with id "spinner".

In your code, add the following in your onCreate():

Spinner spinner = (Spinner) findViewById(R.id.spinner);
spinner.getBackground().setColorFilter(getResources().getColor(R.color.red), PorterDuff.Mode.SRC_ATOP);

where red is your defined color in colors.xml in the values folder.

2. Through xml:

For API 21+:

<Spinner
    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:backgroundTint="@color/red" />

or if you use the support library, you can use:

<android.support.v7.widget.AppCompatSpinner
    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    app:backgroundTint="@color/red" />

3. Through drawables:

You can use this online tool: http://android-holo-colors.com

This will generate custom drawables for any view you want with your preferred color. Make sure you select spinner, then download the resources.