Native tabs

Learn how to use the native tabs layout in Expo Router.

Liquid Glass Tabs with Expo Router

Learn how to use native tabs to create liquid glass tabs on iOS with Expo Router.

Native tabs is in alpha and is available in SDK 54 and later. Its API is subject to change.

Tabs are a common way to navigate between different sections of an app. In Expo Router, you can use different tab layouts, depending on your needs. This guide covers the native tabs. Unlike the other tabs layout, native tabs use the native system tab bar.

For other tab layouts see:

Get started

You can use file-based routing to create a tabs layout. Here's an example file structure:

The above file structure produces a layout with a tab bar at the bottom of the screen. The tab bar will have two tabs: Home and Settings.

You can use the app/_layout.tsx file to define your app's root layout using tabs. This file is the main layout file for the tab bar and each tab. Inside it, you can control how the tab bar and each tab item look and behave.

import { NativeTabs } from 'expo-router/unstable-native-tabs';

export default function TabLayout() {
  return (
    <NativeTabs>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="index">
        <NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>Home</NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>
        <NativeTabs.Trigger.Icon sf="house.fill" md="home" />
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="settings">
        <NativeTabs.Trigger.Icon sf="gear" md="settings" />
        <NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>Settings</NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
    </NativeTabs>
  );
}

import { NativeTabs, Icon, Label } from 'expo-router/unstable-native-tabs';

export default function TabLayout() {
  return (
    <NativeTabs>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="index">
        <Label>Home</Label>
        <Icon sf="house.fill" drawable="custom_android_drawable" />
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="settings">
        <Icon sf="gear" drawable="custom_settings_drawable" />
        <Label>Settings</Label>
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
    </NativeTabs>
  );
}

Finally, you have the two tab files that make up the content of the tabs: app/index.tsx and app/settings.tsx.

import { View, Text, StyleSheet } from 'react-native';

export default function Tab() {
  return (
    <View style={styles.container}>
      <Text>Tab [Home|Settings]</Text>
    </View>
  );
}

const styles = StyleSheet.create({
  container: {
    flex: 1,
    justifyContent: 'center',
    alignItems: 'center',
  },
});

The tab file named index.tsx is the default tab when the app loads. The second tab file settings.tsx shows how you can add more tabs to the tab bar.

In contrast to the Stack navigator, tabs are not automatically added to the tab bar. You need to explicitly add them in your layout file using the NativeTabs.Trigger.

Customizing tab bar items

When you want to customize the tab bar item, we recommend using the components API designed for this purpose. Currently, you can customize:

• Icon: The icon displayed in the tab bar item.
• Label: The label displayed in the tab bar item.
• Badge: The badge displayed in the tab bar item.

Icon

NativeTabs.Trigger.Icon is available in SDK 55 and later. For SDK 54, use Icon imported from expo-router/unstable-native-tabs.

You can use the Icon component to customize the icon displayed in the tab bar item. The Icon component accepts a md prop for Android material symbols, a sf prop for Apple's SF Symbols icons, or a src prop for custom images.

Alternatively, you can pass {default: ..., selected: ...} to either the sf or src prop to specify different icons for the default and selected states (currently not supported on Android).

import { NativeTabs } from 'expo-router/unstable-native-tabs';

export default function TabLayout() {
  return (
    <NativeTabs>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="index">
        <NativeTabs.Trigger.Icon sf={{ default: 'house', selected: 'house.fill' }} md="home" />
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="settings">
        <NativeTabs.Trigger.Icon src={require('../../../assets/setting_icon.png')} />
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
    </NativeTabs>
  );
}

import { NativeTabs, Icon } from 'expo-router/unstable-native-tabs';

export default function TabLayout() {
  return (
    <NativeTabs>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="index">
        <Icon sf={{ default: 'house', selected: 'house.fill' }} drawable="custom_home_drawable" />
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="settings">
        <Icon src={require('../../../assets/setting_icon.png')} />
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
    </NativeTabs>
  );
}

Liquid glass on iOS automatically changes colors based on if the background color is light or dark. There is no callback for this, so you need to use a PlatformColor or DynamicColorIOS to set the color of the icon.

import { DynamicColorIOS } from 'react-native';
import { NativeTabs } from 'expo-router/unstable-native-tabs';

export default function TabLayout() {
  return (
    <NativeTabs
      labelStyle={{
        // For the text color
        color: DynamicColorIOS({
          dark: 'white',
          light: 'black',
        }),
      }}
      // For the selected icon color
      tintColor={DynamicColorIOS({
        dark: 'white',
        light: 'black',
      })}>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="index">
        <NativeTabs.Trigger.Icon sf={{ default: 'house', selected: 'house.fill' }} md="home" />
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="settings">
        <NativeTabs.Trigger.Icon
          src={{
            default: require('../assets/setting_icon.png'),
            selected: require('../assets/selected_setting_icon.png'),
          }}
        />
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
    </NativeTabs>
  );
}

import { DynamicColorIOS } from 'react-native';
import { NativeTabs, Icon } from 'expo-router/unstable-native-tabs';

export default function TabLayout() {
  return (
    <NativeTabs
      labelStyle={{
        // For the text color
        color: DynamicColorIOS({
          dark: 'white',
          light: 'black',
        }),
      }}
      // For the selected icon color
      tintColor={DynamicColorIOS({
        dark: 'white',
        light: 'black',
      })}>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="index">
        <Icon sf={{ default: 'house', selected: 'house.fill' }} drawable="custom_home_drawable" />
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="settings">
        <Icon
          src={{
            default: require('../assets/setting_icon.png'),
            selected: require('../assets/selected_setting_icon.png'),
          }}
        />
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
    </NativeTabs>
  );
}

Icon rendering mode

Icon rendering mode is available in SDK 55 and later.

When using the src prop for custom images on iOS, you can control how the icon is rendered with the renderingMode prop:

• template (default): The icon is rendered as a template image, allowing iOS to apply the tint color. This is ideal for single-color icons that should match your app's color scheme.
• original: The icon is rendered with its original colors preserved. This is useful for icons with gradients or multiple colors.

import { NativeTabs } from 'expo-router/unstable-native-tabs';

export default function TabLayout() {
  return (
    <NativeTabs>
      {/* Icon with original colors preserved (e.g., for gradient or multi-color icons) */}
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="colorful">
        <NativeTabs.Trigger.Icon
          src={require('../../../assets/colorful_icon.png')}
          renderingMode="original"
        />
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
      {/* Icon rendered as a template (default behavior) */}
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="simple">
        <NativeTabs.Trigger.Icon
          src={require('../../../assets/simple_icon.png')}
          renderingMode="template"
        />
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
    </NativeTabs>
  );
}

import { NativeTabs, Icon } from 'expo-router/unstable-native-tabs';

export default function TabLayout() {
  return (
    <NativeTabs>
      {/* Icon with original colors preserved (e.g., for gradient or multi-color icons) */}
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="colorful">
        <Icon src={require('../../../assets/colorful_icon.png')} renderingMode="original" />
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
      {/* Icon rendered as a template (default behavior) */}
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="simple">
        <Icon src={require('../../../assets/simple_icon.png')} renderingMode="template" />
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
    </NativeTabs>
  );
}

The renderingMode prop only affects iOS. On Android, all image icons are rendered with their original colors.

Asset catalog icons (iOS)

This feature is available in SDK 55 and later.

On iOS, you can use images from the Xcode asset catalog as tab icons with the xcasset prop. This is useful when you want to manage your icons through Xcode's asset catalog instead of bundling image files.

Pass a string with the asset name to use the same icon for both default and selected states:

import { NativeTabs } from 'expo-router/unstable-native-tabs';

export default function TabLayout() {
  return (
    <NativeTabs>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="index">
        <NativeTabs.Trigger.Icon xcasset="home-icon" />
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
    </NativeTabs>
  );
}

To use different icons for default and selected states, pass an object:

import { NativeTabs } from 'expo-router/unstable-native-tabs';

export default function TabLayout() {
  return (
    <NativeTabs>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="index">
        <NativeTabs.Trigger.Icon
          xcasset={{
            default: 'home-outline',
            selected: 'home-filled',
          }}
        />
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
    </NativeTabs>
  );
}

The rendering mode for asset catalog icons is controlled in Xcode's asset catalog using the Render As setting on the image set, not via props.

Label

You can use the Label component to customize the label displayed in the tab bar item. The Label component accepts a string label passed as a child. If no label is provided, the tab bar item will use the route name as the label.

If you don't want to display a label, you can use the hidden prop to hide the label.

import { NativeTabs } from 'expo-router/unstable-native-tabs';

export default function TabLayout() {
  return (
    <NativeTabs>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="index">
        <NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>Home</NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="settings">
        <NativeTabs.Trigger.Label hidden />
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
    </NativeTabs>
  );
}

import { NativeTabs, Label } from 'expo-router/unstable-native-tabs';

export default function TabLayout() {
  return (
    <NativeTabs>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="index">
        <Label>Home</Label>
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="settings">
        <Label hidden />
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
    </NativeTabs>
  );
}

Badge

You can use the Badge component to customize the badge displayed for the tab bar item. The badge is an additional mark on top of the tab and useful for showing notification or unread message counts.

import { NativeTabs } from 'expo-router/unstable-native-tabs';

export default function TabLayout() {
  return (
    <NativeTabs>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="messages">
        <NativeTabs.Trigger.Badge>9+</NativeTabs.Trigger.Badge>
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="settings">
        <NativeTabs.Trigger.Badge />
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
    </NativeTabs>
  );
}

import { NativeTabs, Badge } from 'expo-router/unstable-native-tabs';

export default function TabLayout() {
  return (
    <NativeTabs>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="messages">
        <Badge>9+</Badge>
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="settings">
        <Badge />
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
    </NativeTabs>
  );
}

Customizing the tab bar

Since the native tab layout's appearance varies by platform, the customization options are also different. For all customization options, see the API reference for NativeTabs.

Advanced

Hiding the Tab bar

hidden property is available in SDK 55 and later.

You can hide the tab bar using hidden prop on the NativeTabs component. To hide tab bar for specific screens, you can use context API to set the hidden prop dynamically.

import { createContext } from 'react';

export const TabBarContext = createContext<{
  setIsTabBarHidden: (hidden: boolean) => void;
}>({
  setIsTabBarHidden: () => {},
});

import { NativeTabs } from 'expo-router/unstable-native-tabs';
import { useState } from 'react';

import { TabBarContext } from '../context/TabBarContext';

export default function TabLayout() {
  const [isTabBarHidden, setIsTabBarHidden] = useState(false);
  return (
    <TabBarContext value={{ setIsTabBarHidden }}>
      <NativeTabs hidden={isTabBarHidden}>
        <NativeTabs.Trigger name="index">
          <NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>Home</NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>
        </NativeTabs.Trigger>
        <NativeTabs.Trigger name="settings">
          <NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>Settings</NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>
        </NativeTabs.Trigger>
      </NativeTabs>
    </TabBarContext>
  );
}

import { useFocusEffect } from 'expo-router';
import { use } from 'react';

import { TabBarContext } from '../context/TabBarContext';

export default function HomeScreen() {
  const { setIsTabBarHidden } = use(TabBarContext);

  useFocusEffect(() => {
    setIsTabBarHidden(true);
    return () => setIsTabBarHidden(false);
  });

  return (
    // Screen content
  );
}

Hiding a tab conditionally

Dynamically hiding tabs will remount the navigator and the state will be reset. Change the visibility of the tabs only before the navigator is mounted or when it is not visible to the user.

If you want to hide a tab based on a condition, you can either remove the trigger or pass the hidden prop to the NativeTabs.Trigger component.

import { NativeTabs } from 'expo-router/unstable-native-tabs';

export default function TabLayout() {
  const shouldHideMessagesTab = true; // Replace with your condition
  return (
    <NativeTabs>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="messages" hidden={shouldHideMessagesTab} />
    </NativeTabs>
  );
}

Note: Marking a tab as hidden means it cannot be navigated to in any way.

Dismiss behavior

Dismiss behavior is available on Android in SDK 55 and later.

By default, tapping a tab that is already active closes all screens in that tab's stack and returns to the root screen. You can disable this by setting the disablePopToTop prop on the NativeTabs.Trigger component.

import { NativeTabs } from 'expo-router/unstable-native-tabs';

export default function TabLayout() {
  return (
    <NativeTabs>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="index" disablePopToTop>
        <NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>Home</NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="settings">
        <NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>Settings</NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
    </NativeTabs>
  );
}

import { NativeTabs, Label } from 'expo-router/unstable-native-tabs';

export default function TabLayout() {
  return (
    <NativeTabs>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="index" disablePopToTop>
        <Label>Home</Label>
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="settings">
        <Label>Settings</Label>
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
    </NativeTabs>
  );
}

Scroll to top

Scroll to top is available on Android in SDK 55 and later.

By default, tapping a tab that is already active and showing its root screen scrolls the content back to the top. You can disable this by setting the disableScrollToTop prop on the NativeTabs.Trigger component.

import { NativeTabs } from 'expo-router/unstable-native-tabs';

export default function TabLayout() {
  return (
    <NativeTabs>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="index" disableScrollToTop>
        <NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>Home</NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="settings">
        <NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>Settings</NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
    </NativeTabs>
  );
}

import { NativeTabs, Label } from 'expo-router/unstable-native-tabs';

export default function TabLayout() {
  return (
    <NativeTabs>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="index" disableScrollToTop>
        <Label>Home</Label>
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="settings">
        <Label>Settings</Label>
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
    </NativeTabs>
  );
}

iOS 26 features

To use features described in this section, compile your app with Xcode 26 or higher.

Separate search tab

To add a separate search tab, assign the role with its value set to search to the native tab you want to display separately.

import { NativeTabs } from 'expo-router/unstable-native-tabs';

export default function TabLayout() {
  return (
    <NativeTabs>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="index">
        <NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>Home</NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="search" role="search">
        <NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>Search</NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
    </NativeTabs>
  );
}

import { NativeTabs, Label } from 'expo-router/unstable-native-tabs';

export default function TabLayout() {
  return (
    <NativeTabs>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="index">
        <Label>Home</Label>
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="search" role="search">
        <Label>Search</Label>
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
    </NativeTabs>
  );
}

Tabbar search input

To add a search field to the tab bar, wrap the screen in a Stack navigator and configure headerSearchBarOptions.

import { NativeTabs } from 'expo-router/unstable-native-tabs';

export default function TabLayout() {
  return (
    <NativeTabs>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="index">
        <NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>Home</NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="search" role="search">
        <NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>Search</NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
    </NativeTabs>
  );
}

import { Stack } from 'expo-router';

export default function SearchLayout() {
  return <Stack />;
}

import { ScrollView } from 'react-native';
import { Stack } from 'expo-router';

export default function SearchIndex() {
  return (
    <>
      <Stack.Screen.Title>Search</Stack.Screen.Title>
      <Stack.SearchBar placement="automatic" placeholder="Search" onChangeText={() => {}} />
      <ScrollView>{/* Screen content */}</ScrollView>
    </>
  );
}

Tab bar minimize behavior

To implement the minimized behavior on the tab bar, you can use minimizeBehavior prop on NativeTabs. In the example below, the tab bar is minimized when scrolling down.

import { NativeTabs } from 'expo-router/unstable-native-tabs';

export default function TabLayout() {
  return (
    <NativeTabs minimizeBehavior="onScrollDown">
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="index">
        <NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>Home</NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="tab-1">
        <NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>Tab 1</NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
    </NativeTabs>
  );
}

import { NativeTabs, Label } from 'expo-router/unstable-native-tabs';

export default function TabLayout() {
  return (
    <NativeTabs minimizeBehavior="onScrollDown">
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="index">
        <Label>Home</Label>
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="tab-1">
        <Label>Tab 1</Label>
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
    </NativeTabs>
  );
}

Bottom accessory

This feature is available in SDK 55 and later.

A bottom accessory is a floating view that appears above the tab bar, useful for displaying persistent controls like a mini music player. See Apple's UITabBarController bottomAccessory documentation for more details.

The bottom accessory can appear in two placements: 'regular' (standard position above the tab bar) or 'inline' (compact mode, inline with the tab bar). Use the usePlacement hook to adapt your UI based on the current placement.

You must store state outside the accessory component using props, context, or external state management. Two instances of the bottom accessory component are rendered simultaneously (one for each placement) and state is not shared between them.

The following example demonstrates a mini player with state lifted to the parent component:

import { NativeTabs } from 'expo-router/unstable-native-tabs';
import { useState } from 'react';
import { View, Text, Pressable, StyleSheet } from 'react-native';

function MiniPlayer({ isPlaying, onToggle }) {
  const placement = NativeTabs.BottomAccessory.usePlacement();

  if (placement === 'inline') {
    // Compact UI for inline placement
    return (
      <Pressable onPress={onToggle} style={styles.inlinePlayer}>
        <Text>{isPlaying ? '⏸' : '▶'}</Text>
      </Pressable>
    );
  }

  // Full UI for regular placement
  return (
    <View style={styles.regularPlayer}>
      <Text>Now Playing: Song Title</Text>
      <Pressable onPress={onToggle}>
        <Text>{isPlaying ? 'Pause' : 'Play'}</Text>
      </Pressable>
    </View>
  );
}

export default function TabLayout() {
  // State must be stored outside BottomAccessory
  const [isPlaying, setIsPlaying] = useState(false);

  return (
    <NativeTabs>
      <NativeTabs.BottomAccessory>
        <MiniPlayer isPlaying={isPlaying} onToggle={() => setIsPlaying(!isPlaying)} />
      </NativeTabs.BottomAccessory>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="index">
        <NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>Home</NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="library">
        <NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>Library</NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
    </NativeTabs>
  );
}

const styles = StyleSheet.create({
  inlinePlayer: {
    padding: 8,
  },
  regularPlayer: {
    flexDirection: 'row',
    alignItems: 'center',
    justifyContent: 'space-between',
    padding: 16,
  },
});

Disabling keyboard avoidance on Android

By default, when the keyboard is displayed on Android, the native tabs automatically adjust to avoid being obscured. You can disable this behavior by changing the android.softwareKeyboardLayoutMode property to pan in your app config file:

{
  "expo": {
    "android": {
      "softwareKeyboardLayoutMode": "pan"
    }
  }
}

Safe area handling

This feature is available in SDK 55 and later.

Native tabs automatically handle safe area insets, with platform-specific behavior:

• Android: Screen content is automatically wrapped in a SafeAreaView that applies the bottom inset for the tab bar. Other insets (top, left, right) must be handled manually.
• iOS: The first ScrollView nested inside a native tabs screen has automatic content inset adjustment enabled. This ensures content scrolls correctly behind the tab bar.

Disabling automatic content insets

If you need full control over safe area handling, you can disable automatic content inset adjustment using the disableAutomaticContentInsets prop on NativeTabs.Trigger:

import { NativeTabs } from 'expo-router/unstable-native-tabs';

export default function TabLayout() {
  return (
    <NativeTabs>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="index" disableAutomaticContentInsets>
        <NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>Home</NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
    </NativeTabs>
  );
}

import { NativeTabs, Label } from 'expo-router/unstable-native-tabs';

export default function TabLayout() {
  return (
    <NativeTabs>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="index" disableAutomaticContentInsets>
        <Label>Home</Label>
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
    </NativeTabs>
  );
}

When disableAutomaticContentInsets is set to true, you must manage safe area insets manually. You can use SafeAreaView from react-native-screens/experimental:

import { SafeAreaView } from 'react-native-screens/experimental';

export default function HomeScreen() {
  return (
    <SafeAreaView edges={{ bottom: true }} style={{ flex: 1 }}>
      {/* Screen content */}
    </SafeAreaView>
  );
}

Lazy loading

All tab screens in native tabs render eagerly when the navigator mounts. This behavior cannot be changed because the native tab bar needs each screen to be available for transitions. If a tab contains expensive content that you want to defer until the user actually visits the tab, you can use one of the following approaches.

Render content only when focused

Use useIsFocused to conditionally render content. The content unmounts when the user navigates away and re-renders when they come back. This means any local state (scroll position, form inputs) is lost on every tab switch.

import { useIsFocused } from 'expo-router';
import { View, ActivityIndicator, Text } from 'react-native';

export default function SearchScreen() {
  const isFocused = useIsFocused();

  if (!isFocused) {
    return (
      <View style={{ flex: 1, alignItems: 'center', justifyContent: 'center' }}>
        <ActivityIndicator />
      </View>
    );
  }

  return (
    <View style={{ flex: 1 }}>
      <Text>Expensive content that only renders when this tab is focused</Text>
    </View>
  );
}

Load once on first focus

Use useFocusEffect with a state flag to load content the first time the tab is focused, then keep it mounted.

import { useFocusEffect } from 'expo-router';
import { useCallback, useState } from 'react';
import { View, ActivityIndicator, Text } from 'react-native';

export default function SearchScreen() {
  const [hasActivated, setHasActivated] = useState(false);

  useFocusEffect(
    useCallback(() => {
      setHasActivated(true);
    }, [])
  );

  if (!hasActivated) {
    return (
      <View style={{ flex: 1, alignItems: 'center', justifyContent: 'center' }}>
        <ActivityIndicator />
      </View>
    );
  }

  return (
    <View style={{ flex: 1 }}>
      <Text>Content that loads once and stays mounted</Text>
    </View>
  );
}

Custom web layout

Native tabs render platform-specific tab bars on Android and iOS, but there is no standard system tab bar on web. On web, native tabs fall back to a basic implementation, loosely based on iPad design. You can use headless tabs from expo-router/ui to provide a custom web layout while keeping native tabs on mobile. There are two ways to set this up.

Platform-specific layout files

Use a _layout.web.tsx file alongside your _layout.tsx. The web file completely replaces the layout on web, so each platform can have an entirely different layout.

import { Tabs, TabList, TabTrigger, TabSlot } from 'expo-router/ui';
import { StyleSheet } from 'react-native';

export default function WebLayout() {
  return (
    <Tabs>
      <TabSlot />
      <TabList style={styles.tabList}>
        <TabTrigger name="index" href="/" style={styles.tab}>
          Home
        </TabTrigger>
        <TabTrigger name="settings" href="/settings" style={styles.tab}>
          Settings
        </TabTrigger>
      </TabList>
    </Tabs>
  );
}

const styles = StyleSheet.create({
  tabList: {
    flexDirection: 'row',
    justifyContent: 'center',
    gap: 16,
    padding: 16,
  },
  tab: {
    padding: 8,
  },
});

Shared component with platform extensions

Extract the tab UI into a component with platform-specific extensions. A single _layout.tsx handles shared logic (providers, wrappers, analytics) and imports the tab component, which resolves to the correct platform file.

import AppTabs from '@/components/app-tabs';

export default function Layout() {
  return (
    <ThemeProvider>
      <AppTabs />
    </ThemeProvider>
  );
}

import { NativeTabs } from 'expo-router/unstable-native-tabs';

export default function AppTabs() {
  return (
    <NativeTabs>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="index">
        <NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>Home</NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>
        <NativeTabs.Trigger.Icon sf="house.fill" md="home" />
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="settings">
        <NativeTabs.Trigger.Icon sf="gear" md="settings" />
        <NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>Settings</NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
    </NativeTabs>
  );
}

import { Tabs, TabList, TabTrigger, TabSlot } from 'expo-router/ui';
import { StyleSheet } from 'react-native';

export default function AppTabs() {
  return (
    <Tabs>
      <TabSlot />
      <TabList style={styles.tabList}>
        <TabTrigger name="index" href="/" style={styles.tab}>
          Home
        </TabTrigger>
        <TabTrigger name="settings" href="/settings" style={styles.tab}>
          Settings
        </TabTrigger>
      </TabList>
    </Tabs>
  );
}

const styles = StyleSheet.create({
  tabList: {
    flexDirection: 'row',
    justifyContent: 'center',
    gap: 16,
    padding: 16,
  },
  tab: {
    padding: 8,
  },
});

Migrating native tabs from SDK 54 to 55

SDK 55 changes how you access tab bar item components. Instead of importing Icon, Label, and Badge separately, use the compound component API: NativeTabs.Trigger.Icon, NativeTabs.Trigger.Label, and NativeTabs.Trigger.Badge. For Android icons, the md prop is the new recommended way to use Material Symbols.

Migrating from JavaScript tabs

Native tabs are not designed to be a drop-in replacement for JavaScript tabs. The native tabs are constrained to the native platform behavior, whereas the JavaScript tabs can be customized more freely. If you aren't interested in the native platform behavior, you can continue using the JavaScript tabs.

Use Trigger instead of Screen

NativeTabs introduces the concept of a Trigger for adding routes to a layout. Unlike a Screen, which styles routes that are added automatically, the Trigger system gives you better control for hiding and removing tabs from the tab bar.

Use React components instead of props

NativeTabs has a React-first API that opts to use components for defining UI in favor of props objects.

Use Stacks inside tabs

The JavaScript <Tabs /> have a mock stack header which is not present in the native tabs. Instead, you should nest a native <Stack /> layout inside the native tabs to support both headers and pushing screens.

Common problems

import { NativeTabs } from 'expo-router/unstable-native-tabs';

function TabLayout() {
  return (
    <NativeTabs>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="index" disableTransparentOnScrollEdge>
        <NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>Home</NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
    </NativeTabs>
  );
}

import { ScrollView, View } from 'react-native';

export default function HomeScreen() {
  return (
    <View collapsable={false} style={{ flex: 1 }}>
      <ScrollView>{/* Screen content */}</ScrollView>
    </View>
  );
}

import { ThemeProvider, DarkTheme, DefaultTheme } from '@react-navigation/native';
import { NativeTabs } from 'expo-router/unstable-native-tabs';
import { useColorScheme } from 'react-native';

export default function TabLayout() {
  const colorScheme = useColorScheme();

  return (
    <ThemeProvider value={colorScheme === 'dark' ? DarkTheme : DefaultTheme}>
      <NativeTabs>
        <NativeTabs.Trigger name="index">
          <NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>Home</NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>
        </NativeTabs.Trigger>
        <NativeTabs.Trigger name="settings">
          <NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>Settings</NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>
        </NativeTabs.Trigger>
      </NativeTabs>
    </ThemeProvider>
  );
}

import { ThemeProvider, DarkTheme } from '@react-navigation/native';
import { NativeTabs } from 'expo-router/unstable-native-tabs';

export default function TabLayout() {
  return (
    <ThemeProvider value={DarkTheme}>
      <NativeTabs>{/* tabs */}</NativeTabs>
    </ThemeProvider>
  );
}

<NativeTabs.Trigger name="index" contentStyle={{ backgroundColor: '#1a1a2e' }}>

import { ScrollView, View } from 'react-native';

export default function HomeScreen() {
  return (
    <View collapsable={false} style={{ flex: 1 }}>
      <ScrollView>{/* Screen content */}</ScrollView>
    </View>
  );
}

import { ThemeProvider, DarkTheme, DefaultTheme } from '@react-navigation/native';
import { NativeTabs } from 'expo-router/unstable-native-tabs';
import { useColorScheme } from 'react-native';

export default function TabLayout() {
  const colorScheme = useColorScheme();

  return (
    <ThemeProvider value={colorScheme === 'dark' ? DarkTheme : DefaultTheme}>
      <NativeTabs>
        <NativeTabs.Trigger name="index">
          <NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>Home</NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>
        </NativeTabs.Trigger>
        <NativeTabs.Trigger name="settings">
          <NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>Settings</NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>
        </NativeTabs.Trigger>
      </NativeTabs>
    </ThemeProvider>
  );
}

import { ThemeProvider, DarkTheme } from '@react-navigation/native';
import { NativeTabs } from 'expo-router/unstable-native-tabs';

export default function TabLayout() {
  return (
    <ThemeProvider value={DarkTheme}>
      <NativeTabs>{/* tabs */}</NativeTabs>
    </ThemeProvider>
  );
}

Known limitations

import { NativeTabs } from 'expo-router/unstable-native-tabs';

export default function TabLayout() {
  return (
    <NativeTabs disableTransparentOnScrollEdge>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="index">
        <NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>Home</NativeTabs.Trigger.Label>
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
    </NativeTabs>
  );
}

import { NativeTabs, Label } from 'expo-router/unstable-native-tabs';

export default function TabLayout() {
  return (
    <NativeTabs disableTransparentOnScrollEdge>
      <NativeTabs.Trigger name="index">
        <Label>Home</Label>
      </NativeTabs.Trigger>
    </NativeTabs>
  );
}