react / react/react-native

TextInput claims the responder on every selection change, even with no active touch

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Component: TextInput Needs: Attention Needs: Repro
Dominant language
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Description

Description

Where: Libraries/Components/TextInput/TextInput.js, onSelectionChangeShouldSetResponder={emptyFunctionThatReturnsTrue} (line 607 on main today), with {...otherProps} spread before it so a caller cannot override.

What happens: the claim exists for drag-selection with a finger down, but it fires for every selection change the plugin walks, including ones caused by typing, whenever the plugin's touch counter is above zero (see https://github.com/react/react/issues/37571 for how that counter drifts). The focused input then holds the JS responder with no touch active, and the next tap outside it is dropped.

Fix: claim only while event.touchHistory.numberActiveTouches > 0, and let a caller pass their own onSelectionChangeShouldSetResponder. Verified in an app patch on RN 0.85.3.

Proposed change (against main, packages/react-native/Libraries/Components/TextInput/TextInput.js, line 607 in InternalTextInput). Claim only while there is an active touch, and let a caller override:

         onSelectionChange={_onSelectionChange}
-        onSelectionChangeShouldSetResponder={emptyFunctionThatReturnsTrue}
+        // The claim exists for drag-selection with a finger down. Typing
+        // also changes the selection, and with no touch active the input
+        // must not take the responder, or the next tap outside it is dropped.
+        onSelectionChangeShouldSetResponder={
+          props.onSelectionChangeShouldSetResponder ??
+          (e => (e?.touchHistory?.numberActiveTouches ?? 0) > 0)
+        }
         selection={selection}

The same line appears once more in the Android branch of the same file. We run this in production through patch-package against React Native 0.85.3.

Steps to reproduce

As described above

React Native Version

0.85.3

Affected Platforms

Runtime - iOS

Output of npx @react-native-community/cli info
System:
  OS: macOS 26.5.1
  CPU: (12) arm64 Apple M2 Max
  Memory: 264.73 MB / 32.00 GB
  Shell:
    version: "5.9"
    path: /bin/zsh
Binaries:
  Node:
    version: 24.11.0
    path: /Users/michaelsageryd/.nvm/versions/node/v24.11.0/bin/node
  Yarn: Not Found
  npm:
    version: 11.3.0
    path: /Users/michaelsageryd/dev/plantrail/client/plantrail_mobile/node_modules/.bin/npm
  Watchman: Not Found
Managers:
  CocoaPods:
    version: 1.16.2
    path: /opt/homebrew/bin/pod
SDKs:
  iOS SDK:
    Platforms:
      - DriverKit 25.5
      - iOS 26.5
      - macOS 26.5
      - tvOS 26.5
      - visionOS 26.5
      - watchOS 26.5
  Android SDK:
    API Levels:
      - "31"
      - "35"
      - "36"
      - "36"
    Build Tools:
      - 35.0.0
      - 36.0.0
      - 36.1.0
      - 37.0.0
    System Images:
      - android-36 | Google Play ARM 64 v8a
    Android NDK: Not Found
IDEs:
  Android Studio: 2025.3 AI-253.32098.37.2534.15232325
  Xcode:
    version: 26.6/17F113
    path: /usr/bin/xcodebuild
Languages:
  Java:
    version: 17.0.18
    path: /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/zulu-17.jdk/Contents/Home/bin/javac
  Ruby:
    version: 3.4.7
    path: /opt/homebrew/opt/ruby@3.4/bin/ruby
npmPackages:
  "@react-native-community/cli":
    installed: 20.1.0
    wanted: 20.1.0
  react:
    installed: 19.2.3
    wanted: 19.2.3
  react-native:
    installed: 0.85.3
    wanted: ^0.85.3
  react-native-macos: Not Found
npmGlobalPackages:
  "*react-native*": Not Found
Android:
  hermesEnabled: true
  newArchEnabled: true
iOS:
  hermesEnabled: true
  newArchEnabled: true
Stacktrace or Logs
No trace
MANDATORY Reproducer

Reproducer: https://github.com/facebook/react-native/pull/58449

Screenshots and Videos

No response

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start in packages/react-native/Libraries/Components/TextInput/TextInput.js at the two onSelectionChangeShouldSetResponder occurrences in InternalTextInput, then inspect the mandatory reproducer PR #58449. Confirm both branches support the requested touch-history condition and caller override. Done means selection changes without an active touch do not claim the responder, while drag-selection still can and callers can provide their own handler.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
javascript, react-native
Domain
mobile, mobile-dev
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Active
Clarity
Clearly specified
Newbie friendliness
74/100

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