Android Virtual Keyboard stops registering input in EditableTextBox on some Android devices

Development Programming & Scripting
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We’re encountering an issue where, on certain Android devices, the Virtual Keyboard stops registering key presses when interacting with an EditableTextBox widget. This occurs only when the “Improved Virtual Keyboard” option is enabled. Without this setting, the keyboard behaves as expected. Users report that they are unable to enter text unless they manually reselect the input field, which disrupts usability.

Device example where the issue reproduces consistently:

  • Google Pixel 8 Pro + Android 16
  • Google Pixel 6
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Steps to Reproduce

  1. Create a new empty project in Unreal Engine.
  2. In the main UI (e.g., the main widget or HUD), add an EditableTextBox
  3. widget to the screen.
  4. Make sure “Enable Improved Virtual Keyboard” is enabled in the project settings
  5. Package and deploy the project to a Google Pixel 8 Pro (Android 16).
  6. Run the app on the device.
  7. Tap on the EditableTextBox to focus it and bring up the virtual keyboard.
  8. Start typing — input should be registered correctly at this point.
  9. Tap outside the text box to unfocus it.
  10. Tap the EditableTextBox again to refocus and bring the keyboard back up.
  11. Repeat steps 6–9 a few times.
  12. At some point, key presses from the virtual keyboard will stop being registered by the EditableTextBox even though the keyboard is visible and active.
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Sample project

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Hi,

I tried testing your project on my own phone (Pixel 7 Pro, Android 15) and was unable to reproduce, but I’m upgrading to Android 16 now to see if anything changes. Was the Pixel 6 on Android 16 as well, or an older version? The video shows you hitting the check mark (vs. clicking out of the window to lose focus), are you seeing it break in both scenarios?

We did make some changes in CL#40695906 that *might* be relevant here, if you have a consistent repro device then it may be worth grabbing that change to see if things improve. Let me know how that goes, and I’ll reach out if I’m able to reproduce this in Android 16.

Best,

Cody

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Hi,

I’m seeing the same results on Android 16, I’ve tried a few different ways of opening/closing the keyboard to try and get it into a bad state but I haven’t had any luck on a repro. Let me know how things go with that CL, with any luck it’ll solve things on your end. Otherwise, I can reach out to our mobile team to see if we have any devices matching the ones you’re seeing the issue on.

Best,

Cody

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Hi Andrey,

This should be fixed at CL 43920988.

Best regards.

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Hi Andrey,

Thank you for confirming the fix. Glad we could help and get an expedited fix.

Best regards.

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Hi Cody, thanks for your time!

Unfortunately I cannot say what the system version was on Pixel 6, but we also witnessed this on Poco M4 Pro with Android 13.

I have Pixel 8 Pro handy and can test that changes on it. Will drop the comment after I got any results.

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Just figured out that Pixel 6 was Android 15 too.

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Hi Cody,

I was able to test this setup again on Pixel 8 Pro + 5.3 Engine with the changes that you suggested (CL#40695906). I see that the problem was not fixed, and still I have witnessing the same behavior - after opening virtual keyboard for several times it gets unresponsive.

At this stage the help from mobile team would be welcomed.

I am also attaching the .apk that I am testing on - maybe that would also help with reproducing this issue on your side.

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Hi [Content removed]

Great news, that’s done the trick. Thanks for the quick fix!