diff --git a/mobile/android/app/src/main/res/values/attrs.xml b/mobile/android/app/src/main/res/values/attrs.xml
index 443c6243bc8e..225835f6666e 100644
--- a/mobile/android/app/src/main/res/values/attrs.xml
+++ b/mobile/android/app/src/main/res/values/attrs.xml
@@ -132,6 +132,7 @@
 
     <declare-styleable name="TabMenuStrip">
         <attr name="strip" format="reference"/>
+        <attr name="stripColor" format="color" />
         <attr name="tabsMarginLeft" format="dimension" />
         <attr name="activeTextColor" format="color" />
         <attr name="inactiveTextColor" format="color" />
diff --git a/mobile/android/app/src/photon/res/color/tab_menu_strip_color.xml b/mobile/android/app/src/photon/res/color/tab_menu_strip_color.xml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..64e440ebc514
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mobile/android/app/src/photon/res/color/tab_menu_strip_color.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
+<!-- This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
+   - License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
+   - file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/. -->
+
+<selector xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
+          xmlns:gecko="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto">
+
+    <item android:color="@color/photon_highlight_private"
+          gecko:state_private="true"/>
+
+    <item android:color="@color/photon_highlight"/>
+
+</selector>
diff --git a/mobile/android/app/src/photon/res/layout/home_pager.xml b/mobile/android/app/src/photon/res/layout/home_pager.xml
index c858cefbc18e..5fa7d8153b26 100644
--- a/mobile/android/app/src/photon/res/layout/home_pager.xml
+++ b/mobile/android/app/src/photon/res/layout/home_pager.xml
@@ -13,13 +13,15 @@
                                   android:layout_height="match_parent"
                                   android:background="@android:color/white">
 
-    <org.mozilla.gecko.home.TabMenuStrip android:layout_width="match_parent"
-                                         android:layout_height="@dimen/tabs_strip_height"
-                                         android:background="@color/about_page_header_grey"
-                                         android:layout_gravity="top"
-                                         gecko:strip="@drawable/home_tab_menu_strip"
-                                         gecko:activeTextColor="@color/placeholder_grey"
-                                         gecko:inactiveTextColor="@color/tab_text_color"
-                                         gecko:tabsMarginLeft="@dimen/tab_strip_content_start" />
+    <org.mozilla.gecko.home.TabMenuStrip
+        android:layout_width="match_parent"
+        android:layout_height="@dimen/tabs_strip_height"
+        android:layout_gravity="top"
+        android:background="@color/about_page_header_grey"
+        gecko:activeTextColor="@color/placeholder_grey"
+        gecko:inactiveTextColor="@color/tab_text_color"
+        gecko:strip="@drawable/home_tab_menu_strip"
+        gecko:stripColor="@color/tab_menu_strip_color"
+        gecko:tabsMarginLeft="@dimen/tab_strip_content_start"/>
 
 </org.mozilla.gecko.home.HomePager>
diff --git a/mobile/android/base/java/org/mozilla/gecko/home/TabMenuStripLayout.java b/mobile/android/base/java/org/mozilla/gecko/home/TabMenuStripLayout.java
index df4e4632a07b..667a922f197c 100644
--- a/mobile/android/base/java/org/mozilla/gecko/home/TabMenuStripLayout.java
+++ b/mobile/android/base/java/org/mozilla/gecko/home/TabMenuStripLayout.java
@@ -5,12 +5,18 @@
 
 package org.mozilla.gecko.home;
 
+import android.graphics.Color;
+import android.support.v4.content.res.ResourcesCompat;
+import android.support.v4.graphics.drawable.DrawableCompat;
 import android.support.v4.view.ViewCompat;
 import android.view.ViewGroup;
 import android.widget.LinearLayout;
 
 import android.content.res.ColorStateList;
 import org.mozilla.gecko.R;
+import org.mozilla.gecko.Tab;
+import org.mozilla.gecko.Tabs;
+import org.mozilla.gecko.widget.themed.ThemedLinearLayout;
 
 import android.content.Context;
 import android.content.res.TypedArray;
@@ -27,8 +33,8 @@ import android.widget.TextView;
  * {@code TabMenuStripLayout} is the view that draws the {@code HomePager}
  * tabs that are displayed in {@code TabMenuStrip}.
  */
-class TabMenuStripLayout extends LinearLayout
-                         implements View.OnFocusChangeListener {
+class TabMenuStripLayout extends ThemedLinearLayout
+                         implements View.OnFocusChangeListener, Tabs.OnTabsChangedListener {
 
     private TabMenuStrip.OnTitleClickListener onTitleClickListener;
     private Drawable strip;
@@ -43,30 +49,52 @@ class TabMenuStripLayout extends LinearLayout
 
     // This variable is used to predict the direction of scroll.
     private float prevProgress;
-    private int tabContentStart;
-    private boolean titlebarFill;
-    private int activeTextColor;
-    private ColorStateList inactiveTextColor;
+    private final int tabContentStart;
+    private final boolean titlebarFill;
+    private final int activeTextColor;
+    private final ColorStateList inactiveTextColor;
+    private final ColorStateList stripColor;
 
     TabMenuStripLayout(Context context, AttributeSet attrs) {
         super(context, attrs);
 
-        TypedArray a = context.obtainStyledAttributes(attrs, R.styleable.TabMenuStrip);
+        final TypedArray a = context.obtainStyledAttributes(attrs, R.styleable.TabMenuStrip);
         final int stripResId = a.getResourceId(R.styleable.TabMenuStrip_strip, -1);
 
         titlebarFill = a.getBoolean(R.styleable.TabMenuStrip_titlebarFill, false);
         tabContentStart = a.getDimensionPixelSize(R.styleable.TabMenuStrip_tabsMarginLeft, 0);
-        activeTextColor = a.getColor(R.styleable.TabMenuStrip_activeTextColor, R.color.text_and_tabs_tray_grey);
+        activeTextColor = a.getColor(R.styleable.TabMenuStrip_activeTextColor,
+                                     ResourcesCompat.getColor(getResources(), R.color.text_and_tabs_tray_grey, null));
         inactiveTextColor = a.getColorStateList(R.styleable.TabMenuStrip_inactiveTextColor);
+        stripColor = a.getColorStateList(R.styleable.TabMenuStrip_stripColor);
         a.recycle();
 
         if (stripResId != -1) {
             strip = getResources().getDrawable(stripResId);
+
+            if (stripColor != null) {
+                final int backgroundTintColor = stripColor.getColorForState(getDrawableState(), Color.TRANSPARENT);
+                DrawableCompat.setTint(strip, backgroundTintColor);
+            }
         }
 
         setWillNotDraw(false);
     }
 
+    @Override
+    public void onAttachedToWindow() {
+        super.onAttachedToWindow();
+
+        Tabs.registerOnTabsChangedListener(this);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void onDetachedFromWindow() {
+        super.onDetachedFromWindow();
+
+        Tabs.unregisterOnTabsChangedListener(this);
+    }
+
     void onAddPagerView(String title) {
         final TextView button = (TextView) LayoutInflater.from(getContext()).inflate(R.layout.tab_menu_strip, this, false);
         button.setText(title.toUpperCase());
@@ -251,6 +279,29 @@ class TabMenuStripLayout extends LinearLayout
         this.onTitleClickListener = onTitleClickListener;
     }
 
+    @Override
+    public void onTabChanged(Tab tab, Tabs.TabEvents msg, String data) {
+        if (tab == null) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        if (msg == Tabs.TabEvents.SELECTED) {
+            setPrivateMode(tab.isPrivate());
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void setPrivateMode(boolean isPrivate) {
+        final boolean modeChanged = (isPrivateMode() != isPrivate);
+
+        super.setPrivateMode(isPrivate);
+
+        if (modeChanged && stripColor != null) {
+            final int backgroundTintColor = stripColor.getColorForState(getDrawableState(), Color.TRANSPARENT);
+            DrawableCompat.setTint(strip, backgroundTintColor);
+        }
+    }
+
     private class ViewClickListener implements OnClickListener {
         private final int mIndex;