Keyboard is not always showing up on SfDropDownList when filtering is enabled

[Julien Barach]

Hi,

We've noticed that when we set AllowFiltering to true the device's keyboard will automatically show up on Android but not on iOS.

On iOS we need to tap the input a second time to display the keyboard which is not ideal.
I don't know what's your intent on this matter, IMO it would be a good behavior to display the keyboard automatically if filtering is enabled.

Here is a repro : https://blazorplayground.syncfusion.com/hNhHjzBkAyzdkynx

Without a native solution at the moment, what would be the workaround to force the keyboard to always show up ?

Regards,

Julien

[Priyanka Karthikeyan]

Hi Julien Barach,

We have considered this issue "Inconsistent Keyboard Behavior in DropDownList Filtering on iOS and Android " as a bug from our end, and the fix for the issue will be included in our upcoming weekly release which is expected to be scheduled at the end of May 2026.

 

You can now track the status of the feedback through the below link,

 

Feedback link: Inconsistent Keyboard Behavior in DropDownList Filtering on iOS and Android in Blazor | Feedback Portal

 

Disclaimer: “Inclusion of this solution in the weekly release may change due to other factors including but not limited to QA checks and works reprioritization.”

 

 

Regards,

Priyanka K

[Priyanka Karthikeyan]

Hi Julien Barach,

After thorough validation, this behavior is expected and platform-specific—particularly on iOS devices (Safari / WKWebView).

In our Dropdown component with filtering enabled, we programmatically set focus to the filter input when the popup opens. On Android devices, this works as expected, with the virtual keyboard appearing automatically once the input gains focus.

However, on iOS, the behavior differs due to operating system–level restrictions. Specifically:

• iOS only allows the virtual keyboard to appear when focus is triggered by a direct user interaction (such as a tap).
• Programmatic focus (for example, calling input.focus() when opening a popup or dialog) does not trigger the keyboard on iOS, even though the input itself may technically receive focus.

Why iOS behaves this way

This is an intentional design decision by Apple/WebKit. iOS restricts automatic keyboard invocation unless it is initiated by a user gesture. This approach:

• Prevents unexpected or intrusive UI behavior
• Improves overall user experience
• Helps avoid potential misuse, such as forcing input or misleading interactions

Apple’s WebKit team has also acknowledged this behavior:

“We do not want programmatic focus to bring up the keyboard when it was not invoked in response to a user gesture… auto bringing up the keyboard can be seen as annoying and a distraction to a user.”

Supporting Observations

• iOS Safari requires focus to occur within a trusted user gesture (such as a tap or click) for the keyboard to appear
• Programmatic focus() calls outside a user interaction do not open the keyboard, even though focus is applied
• This limitation is consistently observed across different frameworks and implementations, including native inputs, Bootstrap dialogs, React, Angular, and others

Conclusion

• This behavior is not an issue with our component or the Blazor framework
• It is a platform-level limitation enforced by iOS
• The same behavior can be reproduced across various web applications and UI libraries

We have also verified this behavior using native Bootstrap implementations.

Sample for reference:
https://stackblitz.com/edit/js-yu2fvgsy?file=index.js,index.html

Regards,

Priyanka K

[storea2z]

The keyboard issue on SfDropDownList when filtering is enabled could be related to focus handling, platform-specific behavior, or the control version being used. Updating to the latest version and checking the filtering configuration may help resolve the problem.On a different note,