[Bug]: Android 13 – Focus lost after rotation when navigating with Tab key

[hieunguyen2211]

Capacitor Version

Latest Dependencies:

@capacitor/cli: 7.4.4
@capacitor/core: 7.4.4
@capacitor/android: 7.4.4
@capacitor/ios: 7.4.4

Installed Dependencies:

@capacitor/cli: 7.4.3
@capacitor/android: 7.4.3
@capacitor/core: 7.4.3
@capacitor/ios: 7.4.3

Other API Details

npm: 10.9.0
node: v22.12.0

Platforms Affected

• iOS
• Android
• Web

Current Behavior

On Android 13, the focused element (document.activeElement) is not preserved after rotating the screen when using the "Tab" key on an external keyboard to navigate between elements. As a result, the focus incorrectly resets to the element after rotation.
This issue does not happen if using touch or if the focused element is an input or a text area.
This issue does not happen on Android 14 and 15.

Expected Behavior

On Android 13, the focused element (document.activeElement) should remain the same before and after screen rotation when using the "Tab" key on an external keyboard to navigate between elements.

Project Reproduction

https://github.com/ionic-team/capacitor-testapp

Additional Information

Testing devices

• Galaxy Tab S6 Lite - Android 13
• Galaxy Tab A9+ - Android 15

How to reproduce

• Start the test app on Android 13
• Connect to an external keyboard
• In the Home page, use the "Tab" key to navigate and focus any buttons
• Rotate the screen
• Observe the result