Android SDK35 compatibility (e.g. edge2edge) - research

[d4vidi]

Description

This is an issue/discussion about the adjustments necessary to make the project properly compatible to apps now targeting Android's new SDK35 (in particular, edge-to-edge).

Resources:

• https://developer.android.com/about/versions/15/behavior-changes-15#edge-to-edge
• https://developer.android.com/develop/ui/views/layout/edge-to-edge
• Handling Android 15's edge-to-edge enforcement on React Native react-native-community/discussions-and-proposals#827

Tasks

• Fix bottom tab positioning in sdk-35 (Fix SDK35 Bottom-tab positioning #7991, Fix SDK35 Bottom-tab positioning #7992)
• Compile the necessary product goals (with the reasoning behind them), and through that come up with a clear list of the changes we want to make.
• Revisit Edge2edge insets ignore dark-mode settings #8025

---

This implicitly includes the addressing of this message which we've been getting at the google play dashboard, and as I reckon the community's been getting as well:

Your app uses deprecated APIs or parameters for edge-to-edge
One or more of the APIs you use or parameters that you set for edge-to-edge and window display have been deprecated in Android 15. Your app uses the following deprecated APIs or parameters:

androidx.core.view.WindowCompat.setDecorFitsSystemWindows
android.view.Window.setStatusBarColor
android.view.Window.setNavigationBarColor
android.view.Window.getStatusBarColor
android.view.Window.getNavigationBarColor
android.view.Window.setDecorFitsSystemWindows
...

[d4vidi]

Reasoning and thoughts

• As a starting point, RNN doesn't account for edge-to-edge layout, anywhere. In particular, there's no prop (nor feature) that would allow an app to specify whether to draw under a nav bar. This is opposite to the status-bar, in which this behavior can be controlled using a drawBehind: true.
• Full support for edge2edge is not strictly under RNNav's responsibility. Rather, it's a joint RNN & app effort -
  • In components generally under RNN - in terms of layout, at least (for example, bottom-tabs / FAB), it's up to RNN to adjust.
  • Nevertheless adjusting things such as making the status-bar translucent (in order to draw beneath it), or adding bottom-insets at the end of a list of items in some inner screen - make it all a matter concerning each screen in each app separately. For example: https://developer.android.com/develop/ui/views/layout/edge-to-edge#other-tips

Bottom tabs

• Bottom tabs positioning is an urgent fix, an it can be easily fixed strictly on the basis of the insets listener callback's bottom value - The bottom inset is properly provided by the OS as either 0 or the size of the nav bar, depending on the case (i.e. app-target < 35, ==35, and even 35 with android:windowOptOutEdgeToEdgeEnforcement="true")

• Looks like due to the guidelines, in edge2edge Android tried to set the navigation bar's background color of the screen's. When bottom tabs are present, it doesn't make sense - should align it with the bottom tabs' color. Example:

  
  as opposed to
  

Status bar

• TBD

[peteAhn]

From the version supported edge-to-edge, the KeyboardAvoidingView on Android is not working correctly.
The keyboard covers the contents and does not adjust them.
Please check it.

[d4vidi]

From the version supported edge-to-edge, the KeyboardAvoidingView on Android is not working correctly. The keyboard covers the contents and does not adjust them. Please check it.

Thanks, the version doesn't really support edge-to-edge, as explained. Anyways if you could provide more details so we could address that too, it'd be great.