diff --git a/src/controls/BasicListItem.qml b/src/controls/BasicListItem.qml
--- a/src/controls/BasicListItem.qml
+++ b/src/controls/BasicListItem.qml
@@ -100,7 +100,6 @@
             Layout.maximumHeight: size
             Layout.minimumWidth: size
             selected: layout.indicateActiveFocus && (listItem.highlighted || listItem.checked || (listItem.pressed && listItem.supportsMouseEvents))
-            color: selected ? Theme.highlightedTextColor : listItem.Theme.textColor
             opacity: 1
         }
         QQC2.Label {
diff --git a/src/desktopicon.h b/src/desktopicon.h
--- a/src/desktopicon.h
+++ b/src/desktopicon.h
@@ -100,10 +100,12 @@
     void handleFinished(QNetworkAccessManager* qnam, QNetworkReply* reply);
     void handleReadyRead(QNetworkReply* reply);
     QIcon::Mode iconMode() const;
+    bool guessMonochrome(const QImage &img);
 
 private:
     Kirigami::PlatformTheme *m_theme = nullptr;
     QPointer<QNetworkReply> m_networkReply;
+    QHash<int, bool> m_monochromeHeuristics;
     QVariant m_source;
     bool m_smooth;
     bool m_changed;
diff --git a/src/desktopicon.cpp b/src/desktopicon.cpp
--- a/src/desktopicon.cpp
+++ b/src/desktopicon.cpp
@@ -156,6 +156,7 @@
     }
     m_source = icon;
     m_changed = true;
+    m_monochromeHeuristics.clear();
 
     if (!m_theme) {
         m_theme = static_cast<Kirigami::PlatformTheme *>(qmlAttachedPropertiesObject<Kirigami::PlatformTheme>(this, true));
@@ -489,21 +490,10 @@
         }
         if (!icon.isNull()) {
             img = icon.pixmap(size, iconMode(), QIcon::On).toImage();
-            qreal ratio = 1;
-            if (window() && window()->screen()) {
-                ratio = window()->screen()->devicePixelRatio();
-            }
 
             const QColor tintColor = !m_color.isValid() || m_color == Qt::transparent ? (m_selected ? m_theme->highlightedTextColor() : m_theme->textColor()) : m_color;
 
-            if (m_isMask ||
-                //this is an heuristic to decide when to tint and when to just draw
-                //(fullcolor icons) in reality on basic styles the only colored icons should be -symbolic, this heuristic is the most compatible middle ground
-                icon.isMask() ||
-                //if symbolic color based on tintColor
-                (iconSource.endsWith(QLatin1String("-symbolic")) && tintColor.isValid() && tintColor != Qt::transparent) ||
-                //if path color based on m_color
-                (isPath && m_color.isValid() && m_color != Qt::transparent)) {
+            if (m_isMask || icon.isMask() || iconSource.endsWith(QStringLiteral("-symbolic")) || guessMonochrome(img)) {
                 QPainter p(&img);
                 p.setCompositionMode(QPainter::CompositionMode_SourceIn);
                 p.fillRect(img.rect(), tintColor);
@@ -526,6 +516,67 @@
     return QIcon::Normal;
 }
 
+bool DesktopIcon::guessMonochrome(const QImage &img)
+{
+    //don't try for too big images
+    if (img.width() > 256 || m_theme->supportsIconColoring()) {
+        return false;
+    }
+    // round size to a standard size. hardcode as we can't use KIconLoader
+    int stdSize;
+    if (img.width() <= 16) {
+        stdSize = 16;
+    } else if (img.width() <= 22) {
+        stdSize = 22;
+    } else if (img.width() <= 24) {
+        stdSize = 24;
+    } else if (img.width() <= 32) {
+        stdSize = 32;
+    } else if (img.width() <= 48) {
+        stdSize = 48;
+    } else if (img.width() <= 64) {
+        stdSize = 64;
+    } else {
+        stdSize = 128;
+    }
+
+    auto findIt = m_monochromeHeuristics.constFind(stdSize);
+    if (findIt != m_monochromeHeuristics.constEnd()) {
+        return findIt.value();
+    }
+
+    QHash<int, int> dist;
+    int transparentPixels = 0;
+    int saturatedPixels = 0;
+    for(int x=0; x<img.width(); x++) {
+        for(int y=0; y<img.height(); y++) {
+            QColor color = QColor::fromRgba(qUnpremultiply(img.pixel(x, y)));
+            if (color.alpha() < 100) {
+                ++transparentPixels;
+                continue;
+            } else if (color.saturation() > 84) {
+                ++saturatedPixels;
+            }
+            dist[qGray(color.rgb())]++;
+        }
+    }
+
+    QMultiMap<int, int> reverseDist;
+    auto it = dist.constBegin();
+    std::vector<qreal> probabilities(dist.size());
+    qreal entropy = 0;
+    while (it != dist.constEnd()) {
+        reverseDist.insertMulti(it.value(), it.key());
+        qreal probability = (qreal)it.value()/(qreal)(img.size().width()*img.size().height() - transparentPixels);
+        entropy -= probability * log(probability)/log(255);
+        ++it;
+    }
+
+    // Arbitrarly low values of entropy and colored pixels
+    m_monochromeHeuristics[stdSize] = saturatedPixels <= (img.size().width()*img.size().height() - transparentPixels)*0.3 && entropy <= 0.3;
+    return m_monochromeHeuristics[stdSize];
+}
+
 QString DesktopIcon::fallback() const
 {
     return m_fallback;
diff --git a/src/libkirigami/platformtheme.h b/src/libkirigami/platformtheme.h
--- a/src/libkirigami/platformtheme.h
+++ b/src/libkirigami/platformtheme.h
@@ -214,6 +214,8 @@
     //this will be used by desktopicon to fetch icons with KIconLoader
     virtual Q_INVOKABLE QIcon iconFromTheme(const QString &name, const QColor &customColor = Qt::transparent);
 
+    bool supportsIconColoring() const;
+
     //foreground colors
     void setCustomTextColor(const QColor &color = QColor());
     void setCustomDisabledTextColor(const QColor &color = QColor());
@@ -246,7 +248,8 @@
 
 protected:
     //Setters, not accessible from QML but from implementations
-    
+    void setSupportsIconColoring(bool support);
+
     //foreground colors
     void setTextColor(const QColor &color);
     void setDisabledTextColor(const QColor &color);
diff --git a/src/libkirigami/platformtheme.cpp b/src/libkirigami/platformtheme.cpp
--- a/src/libkirigami/platformtheme.cpp
+++ b/src/libkirigami/platformtheme.cpp
@@ -93,6 +93,7 @@
     QFont font;
     bool m_inherit = true;
     bool m_init = true;
+    bool m_supportsIconColoring = false;
 
     static KirigamiPluginFactory *s_pluginFactory;
 };
@@ -694,12 +695,21 @@
 QIcon PlatformTheme::iconFromTheme(const QString &name, const QColor &customColor)
 {
     QIcon icon = QIcon::fromTheme(name);
-    if (!icon.isNull() && (name.endsWith(QLatin1String("-symbolic")) || customColor != Qt::transparent)) {
+    if (!icon.isNull() && name.endsWith(QLatin1String("-symbolic"))) {
         icon.setIsMask(true);
     }
     return icon;
 }
 
+bool PlatformTheme::supportsIconColoring() const
+{
+    return d->m_supportsIconColoring;
+}
+
+void PlatformTheme::setSupportsIconColoring(bool support)
+{
+    d->m_supportsIconColoring = support;
+}
 
 
 PlatformTheme *PlatformTheme::qmlAttachedProperties(QObject *object)