diff --git a/app/src/main/res/drawable/list_item_background.xml b/app/src/main/res/drawable/list_item_background.xml
index f82df249..f064676a 100644
--- a/app/src/main/res/drawable/list_item_background.xml
+++ b/app/src/main/res/drawable/list_item_background.xml
@@ -1,10 +1,14 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
-<selector xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
-    <!-- TODO(msf): somehow make an additional activated color entry here (or elsewhere?) that
-                    is in use only in multiselect mode, and one that's in use only in ordinary
-		    select mode. In otherwords, we don't want to use the same background color
-		    for both multiselect and normal select (on two column machines).
-    -->
-    <item android:drawable="@color/list_item_activated" android:state_activated="true" /> <!-- TODO(msf): get color from theme with ?android/attr: -->
-    <item android:drawable="@android:color/transparent" /> <!-- TODO(msf): get color from theme with ?android/attr: -->
-</selector>
+<layer-list xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
+    <item>
+        <selector>
+            <item android:state_activated="true">
+                <color android:color="?android:attr/colorControlHighlight" />
+                <!-- TODO(msf): depending on whether or not we are in multiselect mode, choose instead:
+                    <color android:color="?android:attr/colorControlActivated" />
+                -->
+            </item>
+        </selector>
+    </item>
+    <item android:drawable="?android:attr/selectableItemBackground" />
+</layer-list>
diff --git a/app/src/main/res/drawable/list_item_background_anim.xml b/app/src/main/res/drawable/list_item_background_anim.xml
deleted file mode 100644
index 8d9ffa42..00000000
--- a/app/src/main/res/drawable/list_item_background_anim.xml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,6 +0,0 @@
-<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
-<ripple xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
-    android:color="@color/list_item_ripple"> <!-- TODO(msf): get color from theme with ?android/attr: -->
-    <item android:drawable="@drawable/list_item_background" />
-    <item android:id="@android:id/mask" android:drawable="@android:color/white" /> <!-- TODO(msf): get color from theme with ?android/attr: -->
-</ripple>
diff --git a/app/src/main/res/layout/app_list_item.xml b/app/src/main/res/layout/app_list_item.xml
index d4a41c83..4519a3a4 100644
--- a/app/src/main/res/layout/app_list_item.xml
+++ b/app/src/main/res/layout/app_list_item.xml
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
     <LinearLayout
         android:layout_width="match_parent"
         android:layout_height="wrap_content"
-        android:background="@drawable/list_item_background_anim"
+        android:background="@drawable/list_item_background"
         android:padding="16dp"
         android:orientation="horizontal"
         android:gravity="center_vertical"
diff --git a/app/src/main/res/layout/tunnel_list_item.xml b/app/src/main/res/layout/tunnel_list_item.xml
index c1ea004a..ba36fe65 100644
--- a/app/src/main/res/layout/tunnel_list_item.xml
+++ b/app/src/main/res/layout/tunnel_list_item.xml
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
     <RelativeLayout
         android:layout_width="match_parent"
         android:layout_height="wrap_content"
-        android:background="@drawable/list_item_background_anim"
+        android:background="@drawable/list_item_background"
         android:descendantFocusability="blocksDescendants"
         android:padding="16dp">
 
diff --git a/app/src/main/res/values-night/colors.xml b/app/src/main/res/values-night/colors.xml
index 9a43b163..247d8e33 100644
--- a/app/src/main/res/values-night/colors.xml
+++ b/app/src/main/res/values-night/colors.xml
@@ -1,8 +1,6 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
 <resources>
-    <!-- TODO(msf): remove these 4 hard-coded colors and replace with theme colors -->
-    <color name="list_item_activated">#64cfd8dc</color>
-    <color name="list_item_ripple">#a0808e95</color>
+    <!-- TODO(msf): remove these 2 hard-coded colors and replace with theme colors -->
     <color name="fab_label_text_color">#000000</color>
     <color name="fab_label_background_color">#bbbbbb</color>
 
diff --git a/app/src/main/res/values/colors.xml b/app/src/main/res/values/colors.xml
index 87454a73..bc0fbdb0 100644
--- a/app/src/main/res/values/colors.xml
+++ b/app/src/main/res/values/colors.xml
@@ -1,8 +1,6 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
 <resources>
-    <!-- TODO(msf): remove these 4 hard-coded colors and replace with theme colors -->
-    <color name="list_item_activated">#cfd8dc</color> <!-- Blue Grey 200 -->
-    <color name="list_item_ripple">#808e95</color> <!-- Blue Grey 200 dark -->
+    <!-- TODO(msf): remove these 2 hard-coded colors and replace with theme colors -->
     <color name="fab_label_text_color">#ffffff</color>
     <color name="fab_label_background_color">#444444</color>