Set SearchView clear button color

Try this:

    ImageView searchClose = searchView.findViewById(android.support.v7.appcompat.R.id.search_close_btn);
    searchClose.setColorFilter(Color.WHITE, PorterDuff.Mode.SRC_ATOP);

Found a solution. However, interested in better ones.

Downloaded the "clear button" image from https://www.google.com/design/icons/#ic_clear in 24pt white and added this code to the end of onCreateOptionsMenu

    // Does help!
    ImageView searchClose = (ImageView) searchView.findViewById(androidx.appcompat.R.id.search_close_btn);
    searchClose.setImageResource(R.drawable.ic_clear_white_24dp);

You can also set it from XML. I'm using the support library 24.2.1 and an activity with a theme whose parent is "Theme.AppCompat.Light" and an android.support.v7.widget.SearchView in the ActionBar.

You can set an actionBarWidgetTheme in your activity theme like this:

<style name="ActivityTheme" parent="Theme.AppCompat.Light">
    <item name="actionBarWidgetTheme">@style/MyActionBarWidgetTheme</item>
</style>

And then define MyActionBarWidgetTheme and set the colours you want there:

<style name="MyActionBarWidgetTheme">
    <item name="android:textColorSecondary">@android:color/white</item>
</style>

• android:textColorSecondary applies to the close icon

• android:textColorPrimary applies to the text you enter

• colorControlActivated applies to the cursor

• android:textColorHint applies to the hint text