[Proposal] Configurable option to auto-focus search bar and open keyboard on app launch/unlock (Android, iOS, Browser Extensions)

[yottabit42]

Summary

Introduce an opt-in toggle under Settings (e.g., Settings > Vault > Auto-focus search on unlock) across the Bitwarden clients (Android, iOS, and Browser Extension). When enabled, opening and unlocking the client will automatically focus the vault search input and immediately invoke the software keyboard.

Motivation & Community Feedback

Many users with large vaults (hundreds of credentials across personal and organizational collections) locate items exclusively via search rather than scrolling or browsing folders. For these users, having to perform a second physical tap on the search bar every time the app unlocks creates unnecessary daily friction.

This proposal addresses community demand discussed here:

• Bitwarden Community Forum: Focus search bar as soon as mobile app is opened
• Client Issues: #14147 / #14749 (Ensuring consistent auto-focus on extension open)

Proposed UX & Design

• Opt-in setting (Disabled by default):
  On mobile devices, immediately raising the soft keyboard covers roughly 50% of the screen, hiding recent items, favorites, and navigation controls. To prevent disrupting users who browse visually, this behavior must remain strictly opt-in.
• Toggle location: Under Settings > Vault (or Settings > General / Other):
  • Label: Auto-focus search on unlock
  • Description: Automatically open search and show keyboard when unlocking the vault.
• Dismissal behavior: Pressing the back button or dismissing the keyboard returns the user cleanly to the standard unlocked vault overview without closing the app.

Platform Breakdown & Technical Feasibility

1. Android (bitwarden/android)

• Persistence: Add isAutoFocusSearchOnUnlockEnabled to SettingsDiskSource and expose it via SettingsRepository.
• UI Toggle: Add a BitwardenSwitch row in VaultSettingsScreen / OtherScreen.
• Focus & Keyboard Handling:
  • When the app transitions into RootNavState.VaultUnlocked in RootNavScreen, if the preference is enabled, immediately route to SearchRoute(SearchType.Vault.All).
  • In BitwardenSearchTopAppBar, the Compose FocusRequester is already wired (focusRequester.requestFocus() in a LaunchedEffect), which natively requests input focus and raises the Android IME software keyboard.

2. iOS (bitwarden/ios)

• Persistence: Store the preference in the shared user defaults / settings state store.
• UI Toggle: Add a toggle row within the Vault / Preferences settings section.
• Focus & Keyboard Handling: Upon transition to the unlocked vault view, trigger the search bar binding (.searchable focus state or becomeFirstResponder()) to activate the search bar and invoke the iOS virtual keyboard.

3. Browser Extension (bitwarden/clients)

• While browser extension popups generally strive to auto-focus the search bar when opened, behavior can vary depending on browser vendor, focus retention, or display mode (popup vs. sidebar vs. detached window).
• Providing an explicit setting unifies user preferences across all client surfaces and prevents regressions across popup lifecycle events.

Contribution & Next Steps

I am prepared to submit the code changes and unit tests for the Android client via a Pull Request (PR) against bitwarden/android:main following the project's code style (bitwarden-style.xml) and Contributor Agreement.

I would appreciate feedback from the Bitwarden maintainers on:

1. Alignment on the setting name, location, and cross-client consistency.
2. Willingness to accept a community PR for the Android implementation.

[github-actions[bot]]

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