diff --git a/app/k9mail-jmap/src/main/res/values/themes.xml b/app/k9mail-jmap/src/main/res/values/themes.xml
index 092f7eb934696f27557acfa698a642282382d040..c59116162c11ff0770edd5cc7cf39ddd42c6d957 100644
--- a/app/k9mail-jmap/src/main/res/values/themes.xml
+++ b/app/k9mail-jmap/src/main/res/values/themes.xml
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@
         <item name="textColorSecondaryRecipientDropdown">@android:color/secondary_text_light</item>
         <item name="messageListSelectedBackgroundColor">#8038B8E2</item>
         <item name="messageListReadItemBackgroundColor">#c0cdcdcd</item>
-        <item name="messageListUnreadItemBackgroundColor">#00ffffff</item>
+        <item name="messageListUnreadItemBackgroundColor">#DCDCDC</item>
         <item name="messageListThreadCountForegroundColor">?android:attr/colorBackground</item>
         <item name="messageListThreadCountBackground">@drawable/thread_count_box_light</item>
         <item name="messageListActiveItemBackgroundColor">#ff2ea7d1</item>
@@ -200,7 +200,7 @@
         <item name="textColorSecondaryRecipientDropdown">@android:color/secondary_text_dark</item>
         <item name="messageListSelectedBackgroundColor">#8038B8E2</item>
         <item name="messageListReadItemBackgroundColor">#00000000</item>
-        <item name="messageListUnreadItemBackgroundColor">#c05a5a5a</item>
+        <item name="messageListUnreadItemBackgroundColor">#2F2F2F</item>
         <item name="messageListThreadCountForegroundColor">?android:attr/colorBackground</item>
         <item name="messageListThreadCountBackground">@drawable/thread_count_box_dark</item>
         <item name="messageListActiveItemBackgroundColor">#ff33b5e5</item>
diff --git a/app/k9mail/src/main/res/values-night/colors.xml b/app/k9mail/src/main/res/values-night/colors.xml
index 8289f8c154fb7ecdb29942b1549b45b603fae3bc..d36ff2bd1df92577dff33ae3c027056617da5b7a 100644
--- a/app/k9mail/src/main/res/values-night/colors.xml
+++ b/app/k9mail/src/main/res/values-night/colors.xml
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
 <resources>
-    <color name="color_message_list_unread_background">#1FFFFFFF</color>
+    <color name="color_message_list_unread_background">#2F2F2F</color>
     <color name="color_message_list_thread_count_background">#61FFFFFF</color>
 </resources>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/app/k9mail/src/main/res/values/colors.xml b/app/k9mail/src/main/res/values/colors.xml
index cfe20f6213607e7e1216835b499735545620e575..9de6b37af15429bea41972de24721ac4c71e6683 100644
--- a/app/k9mail/src/main/res/values/colors.xml
+++ b/app/k9mail/src/main/res/values/colors.xml
@@ -12,6 +12,6 @@
     <color name="color_default_gray2">@lineageos.platform:color/color_default_gray2</color>
 
     <color name="color_message_list_selected_background">@lineageos.platform:color/color_default_selector_background</color>
-    <color name="color_message_list_unread_background">#1F000000</color>
+    <color name="color_message_list_unread_background">#DCDCDC</color>
     <color name="color_message_list_thread_count_background">#61000000</color>
 </resources>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/app/k9mail/src/main/res/values/themes.xml b/app/k9mail/src/main/res/values/themes.xml
index 1951ae4cc9ace6dcbd430b08c53789e6549bc30c..2e7b59f7a622df4fdf723550a4e689b232ad3697 100644
--- a/app/k9mail/src/main/res/values/themes.xml
+++ b/app/k9mail/src/main/res/values/themes.xml
@@ -214,7 +214,7 @@
         <item name="textColorSecondaryRecipientDropdown">@color/color_default_secondary_text</item>
         <item name="messageListSelectedBackgroundColor">@color/color_message_list_selected_background</item>
         <item name="messageListReadItemBackgroundColor">#c0cdcdcd</item>
-        <item name="messageListUnreadItemBackgroundColor">#00ffffff</item>
+        <item name="messageListUnreadItemBackgroundColor">@color/color_message_list_unread_background</item>
         <item name="messageListThreadCountForegroundColor">?android:attr/colorBackground</item>
         <item name="messageListThreadCountBackground">@drawable/thread_count_box_light</item>
         <item name="messageListActiveItemBackgroundColor">@color/color_default_accent</item>
diff --git a/app/ui/legacy/src/main/java/com/fsck/k9/fragment/MessageListAdapter.kt b/app/ui/legacy/src/main/java/com/fsck/k9/fragment/MessageListAdapter.kt
index 0c026017b3bf97113c68a864ccfb58425fb2dee8..e07b709cf2305b0e391b4682e335a3c986f6efed 100644
--- a/app/ui/legacy/src/main/java/com/fsck/k9/fragment/MessageListAdapter.kt
+++ b/app/ui/legacy/src/main/java/com/fsck/k9/fragment/MessageListAdapter.kt
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import android.view.ViewGroup
 import android.widget.BaseAdapter
 import android.widget.ImageView
 import android.widget.TextView
+import androidx.core.content.ContextCompat
 import androidx.core.graphics.drawable.DrawableCompat
 import androidx.core.view.isVisible
 import com.fsck.k9.FontSizes
@@ -256,7 +257,7 @@ class MessageListAdapter internal constructor(
             selected -> selectedItemBackgroundColor
             backGroundAsReadIndicator && read -> readItemBackgroundColor
             backGroundAsReadIndicator && !read -> unreadItemBackgroundColor
-            else -> Color.TRANSPARENT
+            else -> ContextCompat.getColor(view.context, R.color.color_default_background)
         }
 
         view.setBackgroundColor(backgroundColor)