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How Android 15’s Edge-to-Edge Feature Impacts Jetpack Compose Development
Introduction

With Android 15 (API 35), Google continues its push for immersive edge-to-edge UIs. While this enhances modern app design, it introduces subtle changes that might disrupt existing layouts — especially if your app relies on precise handling of system bars. In this article, we’ll explore how to migrate your Jetpack Compose app for API 35 and discuss the best practices for managing edge-to-edge UI transitions.

Starting Point: Current Setup

Let’s consider a basic Compose setup with a white toolbar and bottom navigation bar:

@Composable
fun MainScreen() {
    Scaffold(
        topBar = {
            TopAppBar(
                title = { Text(text = "Edge-to-Edge Example") },
                actions = {
                    IconButton(onClick = { /* Handle settings */ }) {
                        Icon(Icons.Default.Settings, contentDescription = "Settings")
                    }
                },
                colors = TopAppBarDefaults.topAppBarColors(
                    containerColor = Color.White,
                    titleContentColor = Color.Black
                )
            )
        },
        bottomBar = {
            BottomAppBar(
                containerColor = Color.White,
                contentColor = Color.Black
            ) {
                IconButton(onClick = { /* Handle home action */ }) {
                    Icon(Icons.Default.Home, contentDescription = "Home")
                }
                Spacer(modifier = Modifier.weight(1f))
                IconButton(onClick = { /* Handle search action */ }) {
                    Icon(Icons.Default.Search, contentDescription = "Search")
                }
                Spacer(modifier = Modifier.weight(1f))
                IconButton(onClick = { /* Handle profile action */ }) {
                    Icon(Icons.Default.Person, contentDescription = "Profile")
                }
            }
        },
        content = { innerPadding ->
            Box(
                modifier = Modifier
                    .fillMaxSize()
                    .padding(innerPadding)
                    .background(Color.Gray),
                contentAlignment = Alignment.Center
            ) {
                Text(
                    text = "Content goes here on API ${Build.VERSION.SDK_INT}",
                    fontSize = 22.sp
                )
            }
        }
    )
}
The Problem

This setup behaves differently on API 34 and API 35 due to edge-to-edge changes:

  1. Status Bar:
  • API 34: Reflects the gray content background due to its transparency.
  • API 35: Defaults to white for consistency but lacks visible icons if not configured.

2. Navigation Bar:

  • API 34: Defaults to black, as there’s no explicit configuration.
  • API 35: Inherits the app’s white BottomAppBar color for a seamless look.

While these changes are aligned with modern design standards, they require adjustments for backward compatibility and visual consistency.

Simplified Solution: Enable Edge-to-Edge

To implement edge-to-edge functionality effectively, you can use WindowCompat and WindowInsetsControllerCompat for configuration:

class MainActivity : ComponentActivity() {
    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)

        // Enable edge-to-edge mode
        // This disables the default system behavior where the window content is adjusted to fit within the system bars (status and navigation bars).
        // By setting this to false, your app's content is allowed to draw under the system bars, creating an immersive, edge-to-edge experience.
        // You can then manage how your content interacts with these bars using insets and modifiers.
        WindowCompat.setDecorFitsSystemWindows(window, false)

        // Adjust status and navigation bar appearance
        val insetsController = WindowInsetsControllerCompat(window, window.decorView)
        insetsController.isAppearanceLightStatusBars = true
        insetsController.isAppearanceLightNavigationBars = true

        // Optional: Set specific colors for status and navigation bars
        window.statusBarColor = android.graphics.Color.TRANSPARENT
        window.navigationBarColor = android.graphics.Color.TRANSPARENT

        setContent {
            MainScreen()
        }
    }
}

This setup enables edge-to-edge functionality while ensuring system bar icons remain visible and aligned with your app’s theme.

Advanced Configuration: Window Insets

For precise control over insets in Jetpack Compose, you can use built-in modifiers like Modifier.windowInsetsPadding or the contentWindowInsets parameter in Scaffold. These tools allow you to dynamically adjust your app’s layout to accommodate system bar areas, ensuring a polished edge-to-edge experience.

  1. Modifier.windowInsetsPadding:
  • This modifier adds padding to your composables based on specific system insets such as status bars, navigation bars, or system gestures.

 

Box(
    modifier = Modifier
        .fillMaxSize()
        .windowInsetsPadding(WindowInsets.systemBars)
) {
    Text("Content respects system bars")
}

 

  • The WindowInsets.systemBars value dynamically adjusts the padding for both the status and navigation bars.

2. contentWindowInsets in Scaffold:

  • The contentWindowInsets parameter ensures that the scaffold content dynamically considers system insets for proper layout adjustments.

 

Scaffold(
    contentWindowInsets = WindowInsets.systemBars,
    content = { innerPadding ->
        Box(
            modifier = Modifier
                .fillMaxSize()
                .padding(innerPadding),
            contentAlignment = Alignment.Center
        ) {
            Text("Content adjusted for system bars")
        }
    }
)

 

3. Combined Use:

  • For complex layouts, you can combine Modifier.windowInsetsPadding with other layout modifiers to fine-tune your app’s UI.

 

 

Column(
    modifier = Modifier
        .fillMaxSize()
        .windowInsetsPadding(WindowInsets.systemBars)
) {
    Text("Top Content")
    Spacer(modifier = Modifier.weight(1f))
    Text("Bottom Content")
}

 

  • This ensures that your content is dynamically spaced and avoids overlapping system bars.

By leveraging these tools, you can create a responsive and immersive UI that adheres to edge-to-edge principles without compromising usability.

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Conclusion

Android 15’s edge-to-edge updates encourage more immersive UIs but require developers to adapt their codebases to maintain compatibility and visual consistency. Using WindowCompat and WindowInsetsControllerCompat simplifies this process, while advanced configurations with insets provide flexibility for complex layouts.

Have you explored Android 15’s edge-to-edge design? Let me know your thoughts and questions in the comments! And if you’re interested, I can create a similar guide for the View System. Until next time!

Dobri Kostadinov
Android Consultant | Trainer
Email me | Follow me on LinkedIn | Follow me on Medium | Buy me a coffee

This article is previously published on proandroiddev.com.

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