TextInput

TextInput is the core component that lets the user type. It wraps UITextField (or UITextView when multiline) on iOS and EditText on Android, so the keyboard, cursor, selection and autofill are the real platform ones.

It is usually used as a controlled component, with value and onChangeText:

<TextInput value={email} onChangeText={setEmail} keyboardType="email-address" autoCapitalize="none" autoComplete="email" returnKeyType="next" onSubmitEditing={() => passwordRef.current?.focus()} />

The props that make a form feel native:

• keyboardType and inputMode choose numeric, email, phone or URL keyboards.
• autoComplete (both platforms) and textContentType (iOS) enable password managers and one-time-code autofill.
• secureTextEntry hides passwords.
• returnKeyType plus onSubmitEditing move focus from field to field through refs, which expose focus(), blur() and clear().

Platform defaults differ more than for most components. Android adds internal padding and, depending on the theme, an underline; multiline inputs centre text vertically on Android until you set textAlignVertical: 'top'. iOS shows no border at all until you style one.

A common gotcha is reformatting input inside onChangeText, such as masking a phone number. Because the value makes a round trip through JavaScript, aggressive transforms can make the cursor jump or characters flicker. Keep transforms simple, or use an uncontrolled input with defaultValue and read the text on submit.

The input does not move itself out of the keyboard’s way. That is a separate problem, covered by KeyboardAvoidingView and ScrollView’s keyboardShouldPersistTaps.