Material Icons with Icon
Use the built-in icon set anywhere.
Material Icons with Icon is a free Jetpack Compose Academy lesson on CoddyKit — lesson 2 of 4. You can read the complete lesson below for free — then practise it hands-on in the browser with a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor. It is part of the Jetpack Compose Academy learning path, one of 4 lessons in the course, and your progress syncs across the web and the CoddyKit app.
Meet the Icon Composable
For small symbols like a heart or a back arrow, Compose gives you Icon. It is lighter than Image and tints itself to your theme.
A Library of Icons
You get hundreds of ready-made symbols from Icons, the Material icon set. No drawing, no exporting, just reference one by name.
Icon(imageVector = Icons.Default.Favorite, contentDescription = "Like")imageVector Is the Symbol
Icon takes an imageVector, a vector graphic from the Material set. Because it is a vector, it stays crisp at any size.
Five Visual Styles
Each symbol comes in styles: Default, Outlined, Rounded, Sharp, and TwoTone. Pick the one that matches your app personality.
Icon(Icons.Outlined.Settings, contentDescription = "Settings")Extended Icon Pack
The base set is small to keep apps lean. Add the material-icons-extended dependency to unlock thousands more symbols.
Icons Tint Automatically
By default an Icon paints itself with the current content color from your theme, so it always looks consistent without you setting a color.
Override the Tint
Want a custom color? Pass a tint argument and the symbol repaints in exactly that shade.
Icon(Icons.Default.Star, contentDescription = null, tint = Color.Yellow)Sizing an Icon
Icons render at 24dp by default, the Material standard. Change it with a Modifier.size just like any other composable.
Icon(Icons.Default.Home, contentDescription = null, modifier = Modifier.size(32.dp))Describe It Too
Like Image, Icon needs a contentDescription. Describe its action, such as "Add to favorites", or pass null if a nearby label already explains it.
Icons Inside Buttons
Icons shine inside other composables. Dropping an Icon into an IconButton gives you a tappable, perfectly sized action.
IconButton(onClick = {}) { Icon(Icons.Default.Delete, "Delete") }Icon from a Drawable
You can also build an Icon from your own asset using painterResource instead of imageVector, keeping the same automatic tinting.
Quick Check
What is the default color an Icon uses when you do not set a tint?
Recap: Material Icons
You now use Icon for crisp vector symbols, choose a style, override the tint, and size with a modifier. Next: scaling images! 🎯
Frequently asked questions
Is the “Material Icons with Icon” lesson free?
Yes — the full text of “Material Icons with Icon” is free to read here on the web, and the Jetpack Compose Academy course includes 4 lessons in total. To practise it interactively (a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor) and unlock the rest of the Jetpack Compose Academy course, upgrade to CoddyKit PRO.
What will I learn in “Material Icons with Icon”?
Use the built-in icon set anywhere. You practise Jetpack Compose Academy with hands-on code you run directly in the browser, and a 24/7 AI tutor answers your questions as you work through the lesson.
Do I need any experience to start Jetpack Compose Academy?
No prior experience is required. Jetpack Compose Academy on CoddyKit is structured for beginners through advanced learners; this is — lesson 2 of 4, so you can start here or from the beginning and move at your own pace.
How long does the “Material Icons with Icon” lesson take?
Most CoddyKit lessons take about 5–10 minutes. Each one is bite-sized and interactive, so you make steady progress and pick up exactly where you left off across the web and the app.
Can I write and run code in this Jetpack Compose Academy lesson?
Yes. Every Jetpack Compose Academy lesson includes a built-in code editor, so you write and run real code right in your browser and get instant AI feedback — no local setup required.
All lessons in this course
- The Image Composable
- Material Icons with Icon
- ContentScale & Cropping
- Clip & Shape Your Images