[$250] [Exploratory] Chat - After switching to landscape mode, user can type on composer but is unable to delete.

[jponikarchuk]

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Version Number: 9.3.59-3
Reproducible in staging?: Yes
Reproducible in production?: Yes
If this was caught during regression testing, add the test name, ID and link from BrowserStack: #87338
Email or phone of affected tester (no customers): ibellicotest+2250@gmail.com
Issue reported by: Applause Internal Team
Bug source: Exploratory - Significant User Experience Deterioration
Device used: Motorola MotoG60 / Android 12 (Hybrid app)
App Component: Other

Action Performed:

1. Open the Expensify app.
2. Open any chat.
3. Switch to landscape mode.
4. Tap on composer.
5. Type anything on composer but don´t send it to chat.
6. Switch to portrait mode and return to landscape.
7. Keep typing on composer.
8. Note that text is being correctly added.
9. Try to delete the text.
10. Note that text is not deleted.

Expected Result:

After switching to landscape mode, user should be able to keep typing on composer and also deleting text.

Actual Result:

After switching to landscape mode, user is able to keep typing on composer but is unable to delete text.

Workaround:

Unknown

Platforms:

• Android: App
• Android: mWeb Chrome
• iOS: App
• iOS: mWeb Safari
• iOS: mWeb Chrome
• Windows: Chrome
• MacOS: Chrome / Safari

Screenshots/Videos

Video.mp4

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• Upwork Job ID: 2054388386991708619
• Last Price Increase: 2026-05-13

[MelvinBot]

Proposal

What is the root cause of that problem?

On Android, when the user switches orientation (portrait → landscape → portrait → landscape) with the composer focused, the IME (Input Method Editor) connection to the underlying ReactEditText becomes stale. The composer uses a controlled value prop, so backspace relies entirely on the native IME's InputConnection.deleteSurroundingText — when that connection is broken, backspace events never reach React's onChangeText, and the controlled value immediately restores any natively-deleted text.

The desync is caused by the orientation-change machinery in the native Composer:

1. useLandscapeOnBlurProxy catches the blur that happens during rotation and re-focuses after a 100ms delay — but this blur/refocus cycle can leave the IME InputConnection in a broken state.
2. getLandscapeTextInputRefProxy wraps the ref in a Proxy that no-ops focus() calls in landscape, so any system-initiated refocus attempts are silently swallowed.
3. setTextInputRef is recreated on every isInLandscapeMode toggle, causing React to detach/reattach the callback ref (old ref called with null, new ref called with the element). During this window the parent's composerRef is briefly null.

Typing still works because character insertion is a simple IME append operation, but deletion requires a functioning InputConnection composing/batch-edit state which is broken after the rotation cycle.

Notably, RNTextInputResetModule.resetKeyboardInput() — which calls imm.restartInput() to fix exactly this kind of IME desync — already exists in the codebase, but is only called when inserting emoji suggestions.

What changes do you think we should make in order to solve the problem?

Call RNTextInputReset.resetKeyboardInput(CONST.COMPOSER.NATIVE_ID) after orientation changes to re-establish the IME connection. The most natural place is in useLandscapeOnBlurProxy (index.android.ts) — after the 100ms refocus timeout fires, call resetKeyboardInput to restart the IME input connection. This mirrors the existing pattern used in SuggestionEmoji.

Alternatively, the reset could be triggered in the native Composer's setTextInputRef callback when isInLandscapeMode changes, or via a useEffect watching isInLandscapeMode in ComposerWithSuggestions.

What alternative solutions did you explore? (Optional)

• Adding a key prop based on isInLandscapeMode to force a full remount of the RNMarkdownTextInput on orientation change — this would establish a clean IME connection but would lose the current text selection and cursor position, and is heavier than necessary.
• Increasing ROTATION_REFOCUS_DELAY_MS — unlikely to help since the issue is the IME connection state, not timing of the focus call.

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Next Steps for Contributor+ team: Reply with @MelvinBot implement this to create a draft PR, @MelvinBot <your feedback> to refine this analysis, or explain why you are rejecting Melvin's proposal.

[melvin-bot]

Triggered auto assignment to Contributor-plus team member for initial proposal review - @abzokhattab (External)

[melvin-bot]

Job added to Upwork: https://www.upwork.com/jobs/~022054388386991708619