iPad Select input on iPad not working in third-party browsers in Split View or Slide Over

[christian.hemker]

Since the new multitasking features arrived with iOS 9 for the iPad, the times were exciting.
Many new use cases for iPad arrived while running two apps side-by-side.
But an error inside webview seems to find no attention, because it does not occur with Safari.

1. You run an app, Slide Over from right and choose a third-party browser like Chrome or Mercury.

2. Navigate to an website in chrome that uses a HTML select input field. Touch that html select box.

3. The items you can select appear inside a dialog with full screen size for chrome inside Slide Over.

4. If you select an item in the list, a blank screen is shown and you are stuck inside.

The only option is to hide the Slide Over and run the chrome app from app switcher.
Then you can see the problematic select dialog in his empty state.

This error occurs since the release iOS 9 in september 2015
and is not fixed with the current version 9.2.1 of iOS. It still exists with iOS 9.3 beta 2.

Every third-party browser or app that uses UIWebView, WKWebView or SFViewController runs into that problem with HTML <select> input fields.
This happens inside Split View 1/3 width and Slide Over.
I have opened a bug report in december 2015 like many others before.
The problem is discussed in Apple Developer Forum.
Finally I hope apple can fix it soon. Anyone else experienced this bug with a third-party browser on an website?

https://medium.com/@chemm/select-in...ver-or-split-view-1-3-952b796d70ad#.fkb36ijby

 

[beernut]

in your last image on the site, it shows the blank dropdown as well even though the browser is running full screen. I think that's more an issue with the browser / app

 

[christian.hemker]

The last (5th) image on the site, is the result of the error, that happens before.
You can reproduce it with every third-party browser in the same way with iPad Air (Slide Over),
iPad Air 2 (Slide Over, Split View 1/3), iPad Pro (Slide Over, Split View 1/3).
Screenshot number 3 and 4 shows the real error, because you can not close the select box window,
that is renderer native from iOS and is not based on html/css.

 

[christian.hemker]

Problem is not fixed with iOS 9.3 beta 4
I have posted a youtube video to show the problem,
that exists from first version of iOS 9

 

[Capt T]

But it all works if you are using safari?

 

[christian.hemker]

Yes, only in Safari the <select> box is working.
Every third party Webbrowser that uses UIWebView, WKWebView or the new Safari View Controller,
has the same problem.
Like the Dolphin Web Browser or Firefox

 

[Capt T]

Think there is a line (or more) of code they changed in safari for the update? Wonder if the dev teams from the 3rd party could get someone from the Safari team to clue them in on what code to change....

 

[christian.hemker]

The problem must be inside the iOS SDK, because no workaround possible at the moment.
Details discussed in Apple Developer Forum and answer from Apple Developer Relations.

Why aren't select inputs in a UIWebView working in split screen mode?

Bug first reported here inside other bug report from chromium team
https://bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=520525

 

[christian.hemker]

Another blog post from macgreg that describes the problem.
Bad Bug #1: HTML Popup Menus Fail in Slide Over

Problem still exists with iOS 9.3 beta 7.
Same with using Split View 50% on iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 4