Elevate Your UI skills with These Lesser-Known Jetpack Compose Features

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Jetpack Compose has revolutionized Android UI development with its declarative and intuitive approach. But even for experienced developers, many powerful features and hidden gems go unnoticed. In this article, we’ll explore 10 underrated or lesser-known UI tricks in Jetpack Compose that can help you build more efficient, beautiful, and maintainable UIs.

Let’s dive in.

1. Animate Visibility with Enter/Exit Transitions

Instead of toggling visibility with a if (visible) Box {}, you can use AnimatedVisibility for clean enter and exit animations.

AnimatedVisibility(
    visible = showDetails,
    enter = fadeIn() + slideInVertically(),
    exit = fadeOut() + slideOutVertically()
) {
    Text("Here's a smooth transition")
}

Why it matters:
This removes the need for manual animation handling and improves UX instantly.

2. Use Layout Modifier to Create Custom Layouts

Sometimes the standard Row, Column, and Box are not enough. That’s when Modifier.layout comes in.

Modifier.layout { measurable, constraints ->
    val placeable = measurable.measure(constraints)
    layout(placeable.width, placeable.height) {
        // Flip layout horizontally
        placeable.placeRelative(-placeable.width, 0)
    }
}

Use case:
Creating mirrored layouts, flipping components, or making unconventional UI arrangements.

3. Intersperse Items in LazyColumn

Want to insert a divider or space between every item?

LazyColumn {
    itemsIndexed(items) { index, item ->
        Text(item)
        if (index != items.lastIndex) {
            Divider()
        }
    }
}

Bonus:
You can go beyond dividers — inject ads, tips, or promotional content between rows.

4. Use drawBehind to Extend Backgrounds Beyond Padding

drawBehind allows you to paint behind your component’s layout, ignoring padding or even drawing outside bounds.

Modifier
    .padding(16.dp)
    .drawBehind {
        drawRect(Color.Gray)
    }

Example:
Add a shadow or gradient background that bleeds outside your content bounds.

5. Pin Headers in LazyColumn with stickyHeader

Jetpack Compose has native support for sticky headers:

LazyColumn {
    stickyHeader {
        Text(
            "Section Title",
            modifier = Modifier.background(Color.White)
        )
    }
    items(data) {
        Text(it)
    }
}

Great for:
Group lists (e.g., A-Z contacts), chat sections by date, etc.

6. Use rememberUpdatedState to Avoid Stale Lambdas

If you pass a lambda into a Composable that may change, rememberUpdatedState ensures you use the latest version.

val updatedOnClick by rememberUpdatedState(newValue = onClick)
LaunchedEffect(Unit) {
    delay(1000)
    updatedOnClick()
}

Without it, Compose might call an old version of the lambda, causing bugs.

7. Don’t Forget About pointerInput for Custom Gestures

Go beyond clickable—handle drag, multi-touch, or complex gestures manually.

Modifier.pointerInput(Unit) {
    detectTapGestures(
        onLongPress = { /* do something */ }
    )
}

You can also detect pinch zoom, swipes, or implement custom gesture recognition.

8. Scroll Any Composable with Modifier.scrollable

Want to scroll a Box or a custom layout? You don’t have to use LazyColumn or Column.

val scrollState = rememberScrollState()
Box(
    Modifier
        .height(200.dp)
        .verticalScroll(scrollState)
) {
    // Large content goes here
}

Also works with horizontal scrolls or nested scrolls using NestedScrollConnection.

9. Use CompositionLocal for Theme-Like Behavior

Instead of passing parameters deeply, use CompositionLocal to share values like spacing or user preferences.

val LocalSpacing = compositionLocalOf { 0.dp }

CompositionLocalProvider(LocalSpacing provides 8.dp) {
    MyComposable()
}
@Composable
fun MyComposable() {
    val spacing = LocalSpacing.current
    Spacer(modifier = Modifier.height(spacing))
}

Perfect for:
Consistent design tokens like spacing, colors, or font sizes in large codebases.

10. Use Modifier.graphicsLayer for Performance-Efficient Effects

graphicsLayer gives you low-level control for applying effects like rotation, scale, or alpha—on the GPU.

Modifier.graphicsLayer {
    rotationZ = 15f
    scaleX = 1.2f
    alpha = 0.8f
}

Use with care:
Leverage GPU acceleration, but test on lower-end devices for performance.

Final Thoughts

Jetpack Compose is much more than a modern UI toolkit — it’s a powerful canvas for creativity. Many developers stick to the basics, but the true power of Compose lies in mastering its less-documented, composable-first tricks.

To recap, here are the 10 Compose tricks we explored:

1. AnimatedVisibility for smooth transitions
2. Modifier.layout for custom layouts
3. Interspersing items in LazyColumn
4. Using drawBehind for extended background effects
5. Sticky headers in lazy lists
6. Avoiding stale lambdas with rememberUpdatedState
7. Handling gestures with pointerInput
8. Making any component scrollable
9. Sharing values via CompositionLocal
10. Using graphicsLayer for GPU-based effects

If you found this article helpful, consider sharing it or bookmarking it for your next Compose project. Let’s keep pushing the boundaries of what Compose can do.

What’s your favorite Jetpack Compose trick that most devs miss?
Let me know in the comments 👇

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

This article was previously published on proandroiddev.com.