Adding an icon alongside text in an Android layout by nesting an ImageView and TextView inside a LinearLayout inflates unnecessary View objects, degrading layout render performance. Android TextView supports compound drawables, allowing you to embed vector icons directly inside the TextView container.

XML Layout Implementation (app:drawableStartCompat)

res/layout/activity_main.xmlxml
<!-- Single TextView with left vector icon & padding -->
<TextView
    android:id="@+id/emailTextView"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:text="support@lynxbee.com"
    android:textSize="16sp"
    android:textColor="#1e293b"
    
    <!-- Embed Vector Icon on Start/Left side -->
    app:drawableStartCompat="@drawable/ic_email"
    app:drawableTint="#2563eb"
    android:drawablePadding="12dp"
    android:gravity="center_vertical" />

Programmatic Kotlin Implementation

MainActivity.ktkotlin
val textView = findViewById<TextView>(R.id.emailTextView)
 
// Programmatically set start (left), top, end (right), and bottom drawables
textView.setCompoundDrawablesWithIntrinsicBounds(
    R.drawable.ic_email, // Start
    0,                    // Top
    0,                    // End
    0                     // Bottom
)