Symbols

Role

Creator and maintainer

Release

Open source · v2.2.0

Stack

Kotlin · Compose Multiplatform · Gradle

Distribution

Maven Central

Overview

Symbols gives Kotlin developers access to Google’s Material Symbols across Android, iOS, desktop, and web applications. It keeps Compose’s familiar Icon API while offering Outlined, Rounded, and Sharp styles, filled variants, and opt-in mirroring for right-to-left layouts.

The goal is to reduce the work around icons: downloading individual assets, maintaining generated sources, or assembling separate solutions for built-in and custom artwork. Prebuilt packs work without the Symbols Gradle plugin; custom icon sets can share the same Symbols namespace.

Use in Compose

Setup

Choose the style your application uses. With google() and mavenCentral() available, add the Rounded vector pack to a Kotlin Multiplatform module:

kotlin {
    sourceSets.commonMain.dependencies {
        implementation("io.github.hlcaptain:symbols-material-vectors-rounded:2.2.0")
    }
}

For Android-only modules, put the same implementation(...) in dependencies. Check the consumer requirements before upgrading an existing project.

Migration

Remove the material-icons-extended dependency and replace its icon imports. Inside a composable, the call remains familiar:

import androidx.compose.material3.Icon
import androidx.compose.runtime.Composable
import io.github.hlcaptain.symbols.material.Icons
import io.github.hlcaptain.symbols.material.rounded.vectors.Home

@Composable
fun HomeIcon() {
    Icon(Icons.Rounded.Home, contentDescription = "Home")
}

Material Symbols use different artwork, and ordinary getters select unfilled icons. Review the result when migrating; choose .Filled when a filled appearance is needed.

Regular usage

The unified namespace supports explicit filled and mirrored variants using the same vector pack:

import androidx.compose.material3.Icon
import androidx.compose.runtime.Composable
import io.github.hlcaptain.symbols.Symbols
import io.github.hlcaptain.symbols.material.AutoMirrored
import io.github.hlcaptain.symbols.material.Filled
import io.github.hlcaptain.symbols.material.Material
import io.github.hlcaptain.symbols.material.Rounded
import io.github.hlcaptain.symbols.material.rounded.vectors.ArrowBack
import io.github.hlcaptain.symbols.material.rounded.vectors.Home

@Composable
fun NavigationIcons() {
    Icon(Symbols.Material.Rounded.Filled.Home, contentDescription = "Home")
    Icon(Symbols.Material.AutoMirrored.Rounded.ArrowBack, contentDescription = "Back")
}

Use localized descriptions in applications, or null for decorative icons. Mirror directional symbols only when their meaning should follow the layout direction.

Two useful choices

Typed vectors let Android’s R8 shrinker remove unused icons independently. Variable fonts offer another path: animate fill, weight, grade, and optical size without producing new vectors. Fonts ship as a whole payload, so the representation depends on the application’s needs.

The optional Gradle generator converts custom icon fonts and monochrome SVGs into typed vectors or XML drawables during the build. This keeps generation alongside the assets instead of requiring developers to maintain generated files by hand.

Available now

Symbols is open source under Apache-2.0, with version 2.2.0 published on Maven Central. Native Android drawable packs also support Views and XML. The documentation covers artifact selection, font rendering, and custom generation; Material artwork remains Google’s work.

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