[Bug]: iOS PWA, amount gets focused but no keyboard pops up when adding new transaction

[judge]

Verified issue does not already exist?

• I have searched and found no existing issue

Is this related to GoCardless, Simplefin or another bank-sync provider?

• I have checked my server logs and could not see any errors there
• I will be attaching my server logs to this issue
• I will be attaching my client-side (browser) logs to this issue
• I understand that this issue will be automatically closed if insufficient information is provided

What happened?

On iOS (either as a PWA or in Safari), when you tap New Transaction, the amount gets focused, but you cannot enter the amount because the keyboard does not appear. You have to unfocus and refocus the amount to be able to enter the amount. And then you cannot immediately focus on the payee or any other field. After you have entered the amount, if you tap on any of the next fields (payee or category), the amount gets unfocused first and then you have to tap again the field to select payee or category.

This flow makes entering transactions really slow and frustating. :( Is it possible to fix this? Thanks!

RPReplay_Final1708758501.mov

What error did you receive?

No response

Where are you hosting Actual?

Fly.io

What browsers are you seeing the problem on?

Safari

Operating System

Mobile Device

[Kidglove57]

I agree and indeed the mobile experience is still work in progress. I would be interested to know the reason for the current behaviour as I’m sure there is one, rather than an oversight.
You do get used to it and develop different muscle memory over time!

[trevdor]

  useEffect(() => {
    if (adding) {
      onTotalAmountEdit();
    }
  }, []);

https://github.com/actualbudget/actual/blob/master/packages/desktop-client/src/components/transactions/MobileTransaction.jsx#L492-L496

I see the convenience of the total amount being auto-focused if you intend to start by entering the amount.

Personally, though, I don't always start with Amount (for instance, if I've started the entry knowing the Payee/Category/etc but awaiting the total).
And right now the keyboard isn't showing on autofocus on iOS. (The first tap clears focus and a second tap triggers re-focus with the keyboard.)

❓ Does the keyboard show as expected on Android?

My preference would be to drop this useEffect and let folks tap any field for their first input, triggering the relevant keyboard.

Alternatively, I could see triggering the keyboard explicitly. Maybe manually firing focus of some kind on the <FocusableAmountInput>.

What do you think, @joel-jeremy?

[Teprifer]

Android Firefox, keyboard appears as soon as the enter transaction page loads.

I think the auto selecting behaviour should remain, it's the first field on the page, and the amount is the one detail I'm actually trying to remember after having just made the purchase so it makes sense to enter it first.

[joel-jeremy]

This seems to be an issue with iOS (16 or lower) where programmatically focusing an element won't show the keyboard. It only shows when the focus is triggered by a user action: https://stackoverflow.com/a/74636176

[MarcAroni81]

This seems to be an issue with iOS (16 or lower) where programmatically focusing an element won't show the keyboard. It only shows when the focus is triggered by a user action: https://stackoverflow.com/a/74636176

At least it’s behaving the same in iOS 17.6 (latest)

[tatsumain]

On Android 14:

Chrome / Chrome PWA: keyboard does not show up on entering add a transaction page, focused on the amount
Firefox: keyboard does show and is focused on the amount. if I close the keyboard (or just try to tap on other fields) without entering an amount, focus stays on the amount.

[MarcAroni81]

This seems to be an issue with iOS (16 or lower) where programmatically focusing an element won't show the keyboard. It only shows when the focus is triggered by a user action: https://stackoverflow.com/a/74636176

At least it’s behaving the same in iOS 17.6 (latest)

Also confirmed on iOS18.1

My two Cents: I would also love to see it work that keyboard is automatically shown as soon as create a new transaction. (== to fix this bug)

Regarding the philosophy:
Maybe we should let the user decide how it should behave and offer a switch in the options area? Just one idea

[WojtekFus]

Confirmed on iOS 18.1 - I'm totally with MarcAroni81 on this one. The keyboard should open automatically to mirror the Android experience (also mirroring how nYNAB handles it). Reaching all the way to the top of the screen as a first step during entering a transaction is counter-productive, at least as a default action. Simple flow first - then adding option to customize the flow for advanced user would be a way to go IMHO.

Looking forward to the fix on this one - current state of the iOS Add Transaction flow is really tedious and buggy.

Having said that - I love Actual and I'm thankful for all the work done on the app. It's really an amazing solution and I'm happy to see it grow in such a agile manner recently. Kudos to the devs!

[danielkuhnen]

This is a known issue with Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) on iOS due to the limited support and specific quirks of Safari and WebKit. We have a couple of options to fix this:

• Disable the focus on the amount (only in iOS). That way, the keyboard will open when we touch in the amount (user gesture), reducing one step (only one touch to open the keyboard instead of two now)
• Try to forcefully trigger a click (maybe manually simulating a click event on the input can ensure the keyboard opens)

[dojoca]

Confirmed that this is happening on my device too - ios 18.1, iphone se 2020. Wish I could help fix it, I've recently switched over from YNAB4 and I love ActualBudget. Fantastic software!