How do I remove the selected tab indicator from the TabWidget?

If android:tabStripEnabled="false" did not work then I also assume calling setStripEnabled(boolean stripEnabled) will have no effect as well. If all of this is true then your problem is probably not in TabWidget.

I would suggest looking at your tab indicator. Try these modifications. This code is taken from a fragment that has tabs.

Here is the code that creates the tab indicator view.

    View indicator = LayoutInflater.from(getActivity()).inflate(R.layout.tab,
(ViewGroup) mRoot.findViewById(android.R.id.tabs), false);

        TabSpec tabSpec = mTabHost.newTabSpec(tag);
        tabSpec.setIndicator(indicator);
        tabSpec.setContent(tabContentId);

Your tab indicator view would probably like similar to this.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:layout_width="fill_parent"
    android:layout_height="fill_parent"
    android:layout_gravity="center"
    android:layout_weight="1"
    android:background="@drawable/tabselector"
    android:padding="5dp" >

    <ImageView
        android:id="@+id/icon"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:src="@drawable/tab1icon"/>

</LinearLayout>

Now the important part here is the android:background="@drawable/tabselector" in the LinearLayout. Mine looks like this.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<selector xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
    <!-- Non focused states -->
    <item
        android:state_focused="false"
        android:state_selected="false"
        android:state_pressed="false"
        android:drawable="@drawable/tab_unselected_light" />
    <item
        android:state_focused="false"
        android:state_selected="true"
        android:state_pressed="false"
        android:drawable="@drawable/tab_selected_light" />
    <!-- Focused states -->
    <item
        android:state_focused="true"
        android:state_selected="true"
        android:state_pressed="false"
        android:drawable="@drawable/tab_focused_light" />
    <!-- Pressed state -->
    <item
        android:state_pressed="true"
        android:drawable="@drawable/tab_pressed_light" />
</selector>

This tabselector.xml is where you will swap @drawable/tab_pressed_light with your @drawable/tab_button_active and @drawable/tab_unselected_light with @drawable/tab_button_inactive

Be sure to check that all of your drawables that go into your tabselector.xml do not have the blue strips along the bottom. As I look at your image I can see little 5px gaps along that strip this is what gave me the idea that the strip was not from your TabWidget. Hope this helps.

This line app:tabIndicatorHeight="0dp" solve the problem for me in xml

 <android.support.design.widget.TabLayout
        android:id="@+id/view_bottom_tabLayout"
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        app:tabIndicatorHeight="0dp"             //this line
        app:tabGravity="fill"
        app:tabMode="fixed" />

I have yet another hack.

    TabLayout tabLayout = (TabLayout) fragmentView.findViewById(R.id.tabs);
    tabLayout.setSelectedTabIndicatorHeight(0);

It's basically the same idea as Eleojasmil's.