How to change inactive icon/text color on tab bar?

Question

How can I change inactive icon/text color on iOS 7 tab bar? The one in gray color.

Answer 1

You can also set the property Render As of your tab bar images within your asset catalog directly. There you have the option to set the property to Default , Original Image and Template Image .

Answer 2

In every first ViewController for each TabBar:

- (void)viewDidLoad
{
    [super viewDidLoad];

    // changing the unselected image color, you should change the selected image 
    // color if you want them to be different
    self.tabBarItem.selectedImage = [[UIImage imageNamed:@"yourImage_selectedImage"]
    imageWithRenderingMode:UIImageRenderingModeAlwaysOriginal];

    self.tabBarItem.image = [[UIImage imageNamed:@"yourImage_image"] 
    imageWithRenderingMode:UIImageRenderingModeAlwaysOriginal];
}

The clue of this code is 'UIImageRenderingModeAlwaysOriginal':

Rendering Modes by Apple Documentation:

UIImageRenderingModeAutomatic,          // Use the default rendering mode for the context where the image is used    
UIImageRenderingModeAlwaysOriginal,     // Always draw the original image, without treating it as a template
UIImageRenderingModeAlwaysTemplate,     // Always draw the image as a template image, ignoring its color information

To change text color:

In AppDelegate:

- (BOOL)application:(UIApplication *)application didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:(NSDictionary *)launchOptions
{
    // Add this if you only want to change Selected Image color 
    // and/or selected image text
    [[UITabBar appearance] setTintColor:[UIColor redColor]];

    // Add this code to change StateNormal text Color,
    [UITabBarItem.appearance setTitleTextAttributes:
    @{NSForegroundColorAttributeName : [UIColor greenColor]} 
    forState:UIControlStateNormal];

    // then if StateSelected should be different, you should add this code
    [UITabBarItem.appearance setTitleTextAttributes:
    @{NSForegroundColorAttributeName : [UIColor purpleColor]} 
    forState:UIControlStateSelected];

    return YES;
}

Answer 3

for changing color of unselect icons of tabbar

For below iOS 10:

// this code need to be placed on home page of tabbar    
for(UITabBarItem *item in self.tabBarController.tabBar.items) {
    item.image = [item.image imageWithRenderingMode:UIImageRenderingModeAlwaysOriginal];
}

Above iOS 10:

// this need to be in appdelegate didFinishLaunchingWithOptions
[[UITabBar appearance] setUnselectedItemTintColor:[UIColor blackColor]];

Answer 4

Instead adding it to every UIViewController, you can create an extension and alter the appearance of an UITabBarController

Change unselected icon color

extension UITabBarController {
    override public func viewDidLoad() {
        super.viewDidLoad()

        tabBar.items?.forEach({ (item) -> () in
           item.image = item.selectedImage?.imageWithColor(UIColor.redColor()).imageWithRenderingMode(.AlwaysOriginal)
        })
    }
}

Change selected icon color

let tabBarAppearance = UITabBar.appearance()
tabBarAppearance.tintColor = UIColor.blackColor()

Change (un)selected title color

let tabBarItemApperance = UITabBarItem.appearance()
tabBarItemApperance.setTitleTextAttributes([NSFontAttributeName: UIFont(name: "Edmondsans-Bold", size: 10)!, NSForegroundColorAttributeName:UIColor.redColor()], forState: UIControlState.Normal)
tabBarItemApperance.setTitleTextAttributes([NSFontAttributeName: UIFont(name: "Edmondsans-Bold", size: 10)!, NSForegroundColorAttributeName:UIColor.blackColor()], forState: UIControlState.Selected)

UIImage extension

extension UIImage {
    func imageWithColor(color1: UIColor) -> UIImage {
        UIGraphicsBeginImageContextWithOptions(self.size, false, self.scale)
        color1.setFill()

        let context = UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext()
        CGContextTranslateCTM(context!, 0, self.size.height)
        CGContextScaleCTM(context!, 1.0, -1.0);
        CGContextSetBlendMode(context!, .Normal)

        let rect = CGRectMake(0, 0, self.size.width, self.size.height) as CGRect
        CGContextClipToMask(context!, rect, self.CGImage!)
        CGContextFillRect(context!, rect)

        let newImage = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext()! as UIImage
        UIGraphicsEndImageContext()

        return newImage
    }
}

Answer 5

There is a better way without using each ViewController by only using appdelegate.m

In your AppDelegate.m - (BOOL)application:(UIApplication *)application didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:(NSDictionary *)launchOptions function, try this.

UITabBarController *tabBarController = (UITabBarController *)self.window.rootViewController;
UITabBar *tabBar = tabBarController.tabBar;

// repeat for every tab, but increment the index each time
UITabBarItem *firstTab = [tabBar.items objectAtIndex:0];

// also repeat for every tab
firstTab.image = [[UIImage imageNamed:@"someImage.png"] imageWithRenderingMode:UIImageRenderingModeAlwaysOriginal ];
firstTab.selectedImage = [[UIImage imageNamed:@"someImageSelected.png"]imageWithRenderingMode:UIImageRenderingModeAlwaysOriginal];

Answer 6

To change tab selection color instead blue color:

1. Select the tabItem.
2. From "Show the Identity inspector" in the right side menu.
3. Set "tintColor" attribute with your prefer color.

Answer 7

The new answer to do this programmatically as of iOS 10+ with Swift 3 is to use the unselectedItemTintColor API. For example, if you have initialized your tab bar controller inside your AppDelegate , it would looks like the following:

 func application(_ application: UIApplication, didFinishLaunchingWithOptions launchOptions: [UIApplicationLaunchOptionsKey: Any]?) -> Bool {
        ...

        let firstViewController = VC1()
        let secondViewController = VC2()
        let thirdViewController = VC3()


        let tabBarCtrl = UITabBarController()
        tabBarCtrl.viewControllers = [firstViewController, secondViewController, thirdViewController]

        // set the color of the active tab
        tabBarCtrl.tabBar.tintColor = UIColor.white

        // set the color of the inactive tabs
        tabBarCtrl.tabBar.unselectedItemTintColor = UIColor.gray

        // set the text color

        ...
    }

And for setting the selected and unselected text colors:

let unselectedItem = [NSForegroundColorAttributeName: UIColor.green]
let selectedItem = [NSForegroundColorAttributeName: UIColor.red]

self.tabBarItem.setTitleTextAttributes(unselectedItem, for: .normal)
self.tabBarItem.setTitleTextAttributes(selectedItem, for: .selected)

Answer 8

In Swift 3.0 you can write it as follows

For unselected tab bar image

viewController.tabBarItem.image = UIImage(named: "image")?.withRenderingMode(.alwaysOriginal)

For selected tab bar image

viewController.tabBarItem.selectedImage = UIImage(named: "image")?.withRenderingMode(.alwaysOriginal)

Answer 9

Instead of adding rendering image code in each viewController for tabBarItem, use extension

extension UITabBar{
     func inActiveTintColor() {
        if let items = items{
            for item in items{
                item.image =  item.image?.withRenderingMode(.alwaysOriginal)
                item.setTitleTextAttributes([NSForegroundColorAttributeName : UIColor.green], for: .normal)
                item.setTitleTextAttributes([NSForegroundColorAttributeName : UIColor.white], for: .selected)
            }
        }
    }
}

Then call this in your UITabBarController class like

class CustomTabBarViewController: UITabBarController {

    override func viewDidLoad() {
        super.viewDidLoad()
        tabBar.inActiveTintColor()
    }
}

You will get output like : NOTE: Don't forget to assign CustomTabBarViewController class to your TabBarController in storyboard.

Answer 10

I think it's time to use

UITabBar unselectedItemTintColor appearance

/// Unselected items in this tab bar will be tinted with this color. Setting this value to nil indicates that UITabBar should use its default value instead.
    @available(iOS 10.0, *)
    @NSCopying open var unselectedItemTintColor: UIColor?

Just add this line into App did finish launching

UITabBar.appearance().unselectedItemTintColor = {your color}
// Example
UITabBar.appearance().unselectedItemTintColor = .black

Answer 11

I think @anka's answer is quite good, and I also added the following code to enable tint color for highlighted items:

    let image = UIImage(named:"tab-account")!.imageWithRenderingMode(.AlwaysTemplate)
    let item = tabBar.items![IC.const.tab_account] as! UITabBarItem
    item.selectedImage = image

Or in one line:

    (tabBar.items![IC.const.tab_account] as! UITabBarItem).selectedImage = UIImage(named:"tab-account")!.imageWithRenderingMode(.AlwaysTemplate)

So it looks like:

Answer 12

You only need put this code in your first ViewController called for TabBarViewController (ViewDidload):

- (void)viewDidLoad {
    [super viewDidLoad];
    // Do any additional setup after loading the view.
    [self loadIconsTabBar];
}

-(void) loadIconsTabBar{
        UITabBar *tabBar = self.tabBarController.tabBar;
        //
        UITabBarItem *firstTab = [tabBar.items objectAtIndex:0];
        UITabBarItem *secondTab = [tabBar.items objectAtIndex:1];
        firstTab.image = [[UIImage imageNamed:@"icono1.png"] imageWithRenderingMode:UIImageRenderingModeAlwaysOriginal ];
        firstTab.selectedImage = [[UIImage imageNamed:@"icono1.png"]imageWithRenderingMode:UIImageRenderingModeAlwaysTemplate];
        secondTab.image = [[UIImage imageNamed:@"icono2.png"] imageWithRenderingMode:UIImageRenderingModeAlwaysOriginal ];
        secondTab.selectedImage = [[UIImage imageNamed:@"icono2.png"]imageWithRenderingMode:UIImageRenderingModeAlwaysTemplate];
    }

Answer 13

You only need put this code in your appDelegate.m called (didFinishLaunchingWithOptions):

[UITabBarItem.appearance setTitleTextAttributes:
@{NSForegroundColorAttributeName : [UIColor whiteColor]}
                                       forState:UIControlStateNormal];


[UITabBarItem.appearance setTitleTextAttributes:
@{NSForegroundColorAttributeName : [UIColor orangeColor]}
                                       forState:UIControlStateSelected];

[[UITabBar appearance] setTintColor:[UIColor whiteColor]]; // for unselected items that are gray
[[UITabBar appearance] setUnselectedItemTintColor:[UIColor whiteColor]]; 

Answer 14

If you are looking for an iOS 11 swift 4 solution, do something like this in the appDelegate. This is changing all the unselected ones to black.

func application(_ application: UIApplication, didFinishLaunchingWithOptions launchOptions: [UIApplicationLaunchOptionsKey: Any]?) -> Bool {
    // Override point for customization after application launch.

    UITabBar.appearance().unselectedItemTintColor = UIColor(displayP3Red: 0, green: 0, blue: 0, alpha: 1)

    return true
}

Answer 15

The best way to change the color of the Selected tab bar item is add a single code on appdelegate didFinishLaunchingWithOptions method

UITabBar.appearance().tintColor = UIColor(red: 242/255.0, green: 32/255.0, blue: 80/255.0, alpha: 1.0)

It will change the selected item text color

Answer 16

您可以通过界面构建​​器完成所有操作，查看此答案，它显示了如何进行活动和非活动， “更改故事板中的选项卡栏项目选择的颜色”

Answer 17

for swift 3:

    // both have to declare in view hierarchy method
    //(i.e: viewdidload, viewwillappear) according to your need.

    //this one is, when tab bar is selected
    self.tabBarItem.selectedImage = UIImage.init(named: "iOS")?.withRenderingMode(.alwaysOriginal)

    // this one is when tab bar is not selected
    self.tabBarItem.image = UIImage.init(named: "otp")?.withRenderingMode(.alwaysOriginal)

Answer 18

Swift UI: to change active item color you only have to add

TabView().accentColor(you_Color_here)

to change inactive item color

.onAppear{
              UITabBar.appearance().unselectedItemTintColor = UIColor(theme.colors.secondary)
            }

Answer 19

this worked for me SWIFT 3

viewConroller.tabBarItem = UITabBarItem(title: "", image: UIImage(named: "image")?.withRenderingMode(.alwaysOriginal),
                                selectedImage:  UIImage(named: "image"))

Answer 20

Swift解决方案：对于 UNSELECED 项目：在每个 ViewController -> ViewDidLoad()

self.tabBarItem = UITabBarItem(title: nil, image: UIImage(named: "PHOTO_NAME")?.imageWithRenderingMode(.AlwaysOriginal), selectedImage: UIImage(named: "NAME"))