Improve iPad tab bar behavior: prevent page content from shifting when tab bar appears/disappears

[ryujitsukazaki]

On the Firefox app for iPad, the tab bar disappears when scrolling down and reappears when scrolling up — which is expected for maximizing screen space. However, the issue is that when this happens, the page content shifts up or down to accommodate the changing viewport size. This can be disorienting, especially during focused reading or when cross-referencing text, as the line of sight jumps around unexpectedly.

By contrast, Safari on iPad handles this more gracefully: the tab bar fades in and out without causing layout shifts, keeping the content visually stable even as the UI changes.

I’d like to suggest two possible improvements:

1. Add a setting to lock the tab bar so it never hides while scrolling. This would give users the option to prioritize visual stability over screen real estate.
2. Even better, adjust the tab bar behavior to overlay/fade in and out without resizing the page content, similar to Safari’s approach.

This small UI refinement would make a big difference for anyone using Firefox to read, research, or work with reference-heavy material on iPad.

Thanks for your work on Firefox!

[Jon]

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