FlatList automatically scrolls after adding new items

FlatList automatically scrolls after change data and adds new data in the front or middle of the data list.
It only works correctly when adds new item to the end of list
I checked scroll offset and understand that FlatList scrolls to keep the latest content Y offset
I mean when the content size changes, the latest Y offset now is not where the user was before! but FlatList scrolls to it

React Native version:
react-native: 0.59.4
System:
OS: Windows 7
CPU: (2) x64 Intel(R) Pentium(R) CPU G4400 @ 3.30GHz
Memory: 310.09 MB / 3.87 GB
Binaries:
Yarn: 1.15.2 - C:\Program Files (x86)\Yarn\bin\yarn.CMD
npm: 6.9.0 - C:\Program Files\nodejs\npm.CMD
IDEs:
Android Studio: Version 3.2.0.0 AI-181.5540.7.32.5056338

Describe what you expected to happen:

It shouldn't scroll to new position when I add new items to list, and should keep latest position where user was

Example code:

<FlatList
inverted
style={{flex: 1}}
data={this.data}
keyExtractor={(item, index) => item.id}
renderItem={this.renderItem}
ref={ref => this.flatList = ref}
/>

Code that adds new items to list:

this.data = [ ...newItems, ...this.data ];

If you only need this fixed in ios, there's an undocumented prop maintainVisibleContentPosition on ScrollView that ought to do what you want. Unfortunately it doesn't work on android. I've been trying to solve this problem for the last two days in my own code and it's a freaking nightmare.

@sgtpepper43

@sgtpepper43 Thank you for participate
I need in both android and iOS.
I find workaround by keep latest y offset with onScroll and also save content height before and after adding new items with onContentSizeChange and calculate the difference of content height, and set new y offset to the latest y offset + content height difference!

But its not a good way, because it has UX problem. Firstly it scrolls down and after that scrolls back to the latest position
And it's not working when I want to load my list item from realm database

There should be a simpler way to do this and I don't understand why there is not?!

That's the same point I'm at 😩 I was going to try and fix it, but it's taken longer to try to get the Android code building and running in our app then writing the fix itself will take... I still haven't gotten it to compile. So I'm giving up on that.

fyi, I've asked the same thing here https://stackoverflow.com/questions/56707931/prepending-data-to-a-flatlist-always-shows-the-first-child/56837491#56837491

No actual fixes so far.

Leaving that here for future reference.

having the same issue here on trying to prepend data to my datasource,
i found "maintainVisibleContentPosition" but that only works for IOS, Android is not supported
have you guys found any other solutions on this without manually scrollToIndex of course

I was afraid that there is no straightforward way to achieve this, but at the moment after a couple of days of trying to implement this feature, it looks like RN is not an appropriate tool to implement chat apps.

I can not believe that they are not support this feature at all!!!
I found RecyclerListView
It might solve this problem, But I didn't currently have the opportunity to test it
If someone has an opportunity, please test and give the result to the React Native community!

That's an issue for me as well, would be nice to have this working with SectionList.

Have same problem Guys ((
maintainVisibleContentPosition not work on Android

I created a ticket in Canny, please upvote, this has to get fixed soon https://react-native.canny.io/feature-requests/p/allow-prepending-new-items-to-flatlists-without-side-effects

@sahrens

@sahrens
Could you please triage this? This is a regression/bug, right? If so, any advice how to fix it? Thanks!

i check this same way not work

I can not believe that they are not support this future at all!!!
I found RecyclerListView
It might solve this problem, But I didn't currently have the opportunity to test it
If someone has an opportunity, please test and give the result to the React Native community!

@naqvitalha

I can not believe that they are not support this future at all!!!
I found RecyclerListView
It might solve this problem, But I didn't currently have the opportunity to test it
If someone has an opportunity, please test and give the result to the React Native community!

@naqvitalha can you change you component to mak it work as we need?

import React, { useCallback, useEffect, useRef, useState } from 'react';
import {
View,
RefreshControl,
ActivityIndicator,
TouchableOpacity,
ViewToken,
Dimensions,
Alert,
} from 'react-native';
import { createStyleSheet, useStyles } from 'react-native-unistyles';
import { MessageItemD, MessageType } from '../../../../types/conversations/message';
import MessageBox from './MessageBox';
import DateSeparator from './components/DateSeparator';
import { formatMessageDate } from './utils/dateUtils';
import { deleteMessageApi } from '../../../../network/api/conversations';
import useProjectStore from '../../../../store/projectStore';
import { useAuth } from '../../../../context/AuthContext';
import useMessagesStore from '../../../../store/messagesStore';
import Animated, {
useAnimatedStyle,
useSharedValue,
withSequence,
withSpring,
withTiming,
} from 'react-native-reanimated';
import { isToday } from 'date-fns';
import { Typography } from '../../../../components/v2';
import FeedbackItem from './components/message-types/FeedbackItem';
import { ArrowDown } from 'lucide-react-native';
import ParticipantAdded from './components/(message_types)/ParticipantAdded';
import Resolved from './components/(message_types)/Resolved';
import IntentDetected from './components/(message_types)/IntentDetected';
import SystemFunction from './components/(message_types)/SystemFunction';
import ApiCall from './components/(message_types)/ApiCall';
import AiAction from './components/(message_types)/AiAction';
import CustomCode from './components/(message_types)/CustomCode';
import KnowledgeBase from './components/(message_types)/KnowledgeBase';
import useChatStore from '../../../../store/chatStore';
import { FlashList, FlashListRef } from '@shopify/flash-list';

interface Props {
messages: MessageItemD[];
onLoadMore: () => void;
sessionUid: string;
onMessageLongPress?: (message: MessageItemD) => void;
}

export default function MessageList({
messages,
onLoadMore,
sessionUid,
onMessageLongPress,
}: Props) {
const { styles, theme } = useStyles(stylesheet);
const { token } = useAuth();
const { activeProjectUId } = useProjectStore();
const { deleteMessage, loading, unSeenMessagesCount, updateUnSeenMessagesCount } = useMessagesStore();
const { getLiveTranslation } = useChatStore();
const transltationState = getLiveTranslation(sessionUid)

const [currentDate, setCurrentDate] = useState<string | null>(null);
const dateIndicatorOpacity = useSharedValue(0);
const textOpacity = useSharedValue(1);
const flashListRef = useRef<FlashListRef>(null);
const scrollToBottomButtonOpacity = useSharedValue(0);
const [isAtBottom, setIsAtBottom] = useState(true); // Start at bottom since newest messages are at the top

// Scroll to bottom function
const scrollToBottom = useCallback(() => {
if (flashListRef.current && messages.length > 0) {
try {
// Scroll to the first item (index 0) which is the latest message in reversed array
flashListRef.current.scrollToIndex({
index: messages.length - 1,
animated: true,
viewPosition: 1 // Align to top of the list
});
// Reset unseen messages count when scrolling to bottom
updateUnSeenMessagesCount(0);
setIsAtBottom(true);
} catch (error) {
console.warn('Failed to scroll to bottom:', error);
// Fallback to scrollToEnd if scrollToIndex fails
flashListRef.current.scrollToEnd({ animated: true });
}
}
}, [messages.length, updateUnSeenMessagesCount]);

// Handle scroll events to detect when user is at bottom
const handleScroll = useCallback((event: any) => {
const { contentOffset, contentSize, layoutMeasurement } = event.nativeEvent;

// For non-inverted FlashList, we need to check if we're at the actual bottom
const isAtBottomNow = contentOffset.y + layoutMeasurement.height >= contentSize.height - 10; // 10px threshold

if (isAtBottomNow && !isAtBottom) {
  // User has reached the bottom, reset unseen messages count
  setIsAtBottom(true);
  updateUnSeenMessagesCount(0);
} else if (!isAtBottomNow && isAtBottom) {
  // User has scrolled away from bottom
  setIsAtBottom(false);
}

}, [isAtBottom, updateUnSeenMessagesCount]);

// Update button visibility based on unseen messages count and scroll position
useEffect(() => {
if (unSeenMessagesCount >= 1 && !isAtBottom) {
scrollToBottomButtonOpacity.value = withSpring(1);
} else {
scrollToBottomButtonOpacity.value = withSpring(0);
}
}, [unSeenMessagesCount, isAtBottom, scrollToBottomButtonOpacity]);

// Reset unseen messages count when user is at bottom and new messages arrive
useEffect(() => {
if (isAtBottom && unSeenMessagesCount > 0) {
updateUnSeenMessagesCount(0);
}
}, [isAtBottom, unSeenMessagesCount, updateUnSeenMessagesCount]);

const handleDeleteMessage = useCallback(
async (messageId: string) => {
console.log('messageId', messageId, activeProjectUId, sessionUid);
if (!token || !activeProjectUId || !sessionUid) return;

  try {
    await deleteMessageApi({
      token,
      project_uid: activeProjectUId,
      session_uid: sessionUid,
      message_id: messageId,
    });

    // Remove the message from the store
    deleteMessage({
      sessionUid,
      messageId: Number(messageId),
    });
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Failed to delete message:', error);
  }
},
[token, activeProjectUId, sessionUid, deleteMessage],

);

// Handle viewable items changed
const onViewableItemsChanged = useCallback(
({ viewableItems }: { viewableItems: ViewToken[] }) => {
if (viewableItems.length > 0) {
const topMessage = viewableItems[viewableItems.length - 1].item as MessageItemD;
const messageDate = new Date(topMessage.createdAt || Date.now());
const dateStr = formatMessageDate(messageDate);

    // Only show date indicator if it's not today
    if (!isToday(messageDate)) {
      if (dateStr !== currentDate) {
        // Fade out current text, update date, fade in new text
        textOpacity.value = withSequence(
          withTiming(0, { duration: 150 }),
          withTiming(1, { duration: 150 }),
        );
      }
      setCurrentDate(dateStr);
      dateIndicatorOpacity.value = withSpring(1);
    } else {
      dateIndicatorOpacity.value = withSpring(0);
      setCurrentDate(null);
    }
  } else {
    dateIndicatorOpacity.value = withSpring(0);
  }
},
[dateIndicatorOpacity, textOpacity, currentDate],

);

const viewabilityConfig = useRef({
itemVisiblePercentThreshold: 50,
minimumViewTime: 100,
}).current;

const MESSAGE_TYPE_COMPONENTS: Partial<Record<MessageType, React.ComponentType<{ message: MessageItemD }>>> = {
[MessageType.intent_detected]: IntentDetected,
[MessageType.added_participants]: ParticipantAdded,
[MessageType.mark_resolved]: Resolved,

// Tool actions
[MessageType.system_function]: SystemFunction,
[MessageType.api_call]: ApiCall,
[MessageType.ai_action]: AiAction,
[MessageType.custom_code]: CustomCode,
[MessageType.knowledgebase]: KnowledgeBase,

} as const;

// Create reversed messages array for consistent indexing
const reversedMessages = [...messages].reverse();

const renderMessage = useCallback(
({ item: message, index }: { item: MessageItemD; index: number }) => {
// Show avatar for last message in a group OR when next message has different sender
const showAvatar =
index === reversedMessages.length - 1 || (reversedMessages[index + 1]?.send_by !== message.send_by);

  // Show date for first message OR when current message date differs from previous
  const showDate =
    index === 0 ||
    formatMessageDate(new Date(message.createdAt || new Date())) !==
    formatMessageDate(
      new Date(reversedMessages[index - 1]?.createdAt || new Date()),
    );

  if (message.content_type === 'feedback') {
    return (
      <FeedbackItem message={message} />
    )
  }
  if (message.type && message.type in MESSAGE_TYPE_COMPONENTS) {
    const MessageComponent = MESSAGE_TYPE_COMPONENTS[message.type as MessageType];
    if (MessageComponent) {
      return <MessageComponent message={message} />
    }
  }

  return (
    <View style={{ flexDirection: showDate ? 'column' : 'column-reverse' }}>
      {showDate && (
        <DateSeparator
          date={formatMessageDate(
            new Date(message.createdAt || new Date()),
          )}
        />
      )}
      <TouchableOpacity
        onLongPress={() => onMessageLongPress?.(message)}
        activeOpacity={0.8}>
        <MessageBox
          message={message}
          showAvatar={showAvatar}
          deleteMessage={handleDeleteMessage}
          sessionUid={sessionUid}
        />
      </TouchableOpacity>
    </View>
  );
},
[reversedMessages, handleDeleteMessage, onMessageLongPress, sessionUid],

);

const getUniqueKey = useCallback((item: MessageItemD, index: number) => {
let baseKey = '';

// If we have a localId, use it with a prefix
if (item.localId !== undefined && item.localId !== null) {
  baseKey = `local_${item.localId}`;
}
// If we have message_id, use it
else if (item.message_id !== undefined && item.message_id !== null) {
  baseKey = `msg_${item.message_id}`;
}
// If we have id, use it
else if (item.id !== undefined && item.id !== null) {
  baseKey = `id_${item.id}`;
}
// Fallback to timestamp
else {
const timestamp = item.createdAt
  ? new Date(item.createdAt).getTime()
  : Date.now();
  baseKey = `time_${timestamp}`;
}

// Always append the index to ensure uniqueness during fast scrolling
return `${baseKey}_idx_${index}`;

}, []);

// Animated style for the floating date indicator
const dateIndicatorStyle = useAnimatedStyle(() => ({
opacity: dateIndicatorOpacity.value,
transform: [{ scale: dateIndicatorOpacity.value }],
}));

const dateTextStyle = useAnimatedStyle(() => ({
opacity: textOpacity.value,
}));

// Animated style for the scroll to bottom button
const scrollToBottomButtonStyle = useAnimatedStyle(() => ({
opacity: scrollToBottomButtonOpacity.value,
transform: [{ scale: scrollToBottomButtonOpacity.value }],
}));

return (

{!transltationState?.show && <Animated.View style={[styles.dateIndicator, dateIndicatorStyle]}>
<Animated.View style={dateTextStyle}>

{currentDate}

</Animated.View>
</Animated.View>
}

  {/* Scroll to bottom button */}
  <Animated.View style={[styles.scrollToBottomButton, scrollToBottomButtonStyle]}>
    <TouchableOpacity
      style={styles.scrollToBottomButtonContent}
      onPress={scrollToBottom}
      activeOpacity={0.8}
    >
      <View style={styles.scrollToBottomButtonInner}>
        <ArrowDown size={16} color={theme.colors.surface} />
        <View style={styles.messageCountBadge}>
          <Typography variant="captionMedium" style={styles.messageCountText}>
            {unSeenMessagesCount}
          </Typography>
        </View>
      </View>
    </TouchableOpacity>
  </Animated.View>

  <FlashList
    ref={flashListRef}
    style={styles.list}
    keyboardShouldPersistTaps="handled"
    data={reversedMessages}
    renderItem={renderMessage}
    keyExtractor={getUniqueKey}
    contentContainerStyle={styles.contentContainer}
    removeClippedSubviews={false}
    onStartReached={onLoadMore}
    onStartReachedThreshold={0.5}
    initialScrollIndex={reversedMessages.length - 1}
    initialScrollIndexParams={{
      viewOffset: 10000,
    }}
    onScroll={handleScroll}
    scrollEventThrottle={16}
    ListEmptyComponent={() => (
      <View style={styles.emptyContainer}>
        {loading ? <ActivityIndicator size="small" color={theme.colors.primary} /> : <Typography variant='body1' color='textSecondary'>No messages found</Typography>}
      </View>
    )}
    onViewableItemsChanged={onViewableItemsChanged}
    viewabilityConfig={viewabilityConfig}
    maxItemsInRecyclePool={50}
    maintainVisibleContentPosition={{
      autoscrollToTopThreshold: 0,
      autoscrollToBottomThreshold: 0,
    }}
  />
</View>

);
}

const stylesheet = createStyleSheet(theme => ({
container: {
flex: 1,
width: '100%',
},
list: {
flex: 1,
},
contentContainer: {
paddingVertical: theme.spacing.md,
flexGrow: 1,
},
loadingContainer: {
paddingVertical: theme.spacing.md,
alignItems: 'center',
},
dateIndicator: {
position: 'absolute',
top: 16,
alignSelf: 'center',
backgroundColor: theme.colors.surface,
paddingHorizontal: 12,
paddingVertical: 6,
borderRadius: 16,
zIndex: 100,
shadowColor: theme.colors.textSecondary,
shadowOffset: {
width: 0,
height: 2,
},
shadowOpacity: 0.25,
shadowRadius: 3.84,
elevation: 5,
borderWidth: 1,
borderColor: theme.colors.border,
},
dateIndicatorText: {
color: theme.colors.textPrimary,
fontSize: 13,
fontWeight: '600',
},
scrollToBottomButton: {
position: 'absolute',
bottom: 20,
right: 20,
zIndex: 100,
},
scrollToBottomButtonContent: {
// backgroundColor: theme.colors.primary,
borderRadius: theme.borderRadius.full,
shadowColor: theme.colors.textSecondary,
shadowOffset: {
width: 0,
height: 4,
},
shadowOpacity: 0.3,
shadowRadius: 5,
elevation: 8,
},
scrollToBottomButtonInner: {
flexDirection: 'row',
alignItems: 'center',
backgroundColor:theme.colors.primary,
borderRadius: theme.borderRadius.full,
paddingHorizontal: 12,
paddingVertical: 8,
// gap: 8,
},
messageCountBadge: {
position: 'absolute',
right: -4,
top: -4,
backgroundColor: theme.colors.surface,
borderRadius: theme.borderRadius.full,
minWidth: 20,
height: 20,
paddingHorizontal: 6,
justifyContent: 'center',
alignItems: 'center',
},
messageCountText: {
color: theme.colors.primary,
fontSize: 11,
fontWeight: '700',
},
emptyContainer: {
flex: 1,
justifyContent: 'center',
alignItems: 'center',
minHeight:'100%',
}
}));

Can anyone help me improve the scrolling functionality as i list is automatically scrolling to top when loadMore function executes and append in the array.
Looking for a smooth scrolling experience similar to any Chat App

This issue is stale because it has been open 180 days with no activity. Remove stale label or comment or this will be closed in 7 days.

2026 and still not solved ?

Use FlashList instead

2026 still not solved, crazy..

@vovakovalchukk

Root Cause Analysis: FlatList Auto-Scroll on Item Prepend (Issue #25239)

The Issue

FlatList automatically scrolls when new items are prepended (added to the front/middle) of the data list. The scroll position shifts because FlatList tries to maintain the current viewport Y offset, but when items are added before the visible items, that Y offset no longer corresponds to the same content.

The comment referenced (by @vovakovalchukk, May 2026): Notes this 7-year-old issue remains unfixed.

Root Cause

The root cause is a fundamental algorithmic limitation in how maintainVisibleContentPosition works, combined with FlatList's view recycling. The algorithm tracks a single view's frame position and applies a delta correction on layout changes — but this breaks down in several ways with FlatList's virtualized rendering.

`maintainVisibleContentPosition` Algorithm and Why It Fails

The algorithm (on both iOS and Android) works like this:

After scrolling, find the first visible view and store its frame (prevFirstVisibleFrame)
On layout change, compute deltaY = newFrame.top - prevFirstVisibleFrame.top
Adjust scroll position by scrollY + deltaY

This algorithm fails for prepend scenarios because:

View recycling (FlatList's windowing): FlatList only keeps ~7-15 items mounted at a time (controlled by windowSize). When you prepend more items than the visible window, the previously-stored view reference becomes stale — the view has been recycled for a different data item. The WeakReference may even point to a view that's no longer in the hierarchy. (@jjd314, Oct 2020: "if you add more than (windowSize-1)/2 items to the top of your data, it loses the scroll position (because the previously visible item will have been reclaimed)")
Single-view tracking: The algorithm only tracks ONE view. When items are prepended, the tracked view may shift off-screen, and no other visible views are monitored. The algorithm has no fallback.
Variable-height items: The delta calculation assumes items maintain consistent vertical positions. With variable-height items (common in chat feeds), the delta computed from one layout change doesn't accurately predict the shift from the next.
Timing/debounce issues: Android implementation uses a 100ms debounce on scroll changes (@maxoumime, Feb 2021). This can miss rapid layout changes or introduce visible lag. (@Strate, Sep 2020: "I would prefer @stackia's implementation, because it matches iOS implementation, and do not use debounce, which leads to possible lags in implementation")
Inertia scroll interference (Android): When OverScroller is animating (user flung the list), calling setScrollY() doesn't update the internal OverScroller state. The scroll position appears to jump back when inertia resumes. (@Strate, Sep 2020: "on android just calling setScrollY() does not affect scroll animation - if list scrolling by inertia via OverScroller class, altering scrollY on ScrollView does not affects internal values in android.widget.OverScroller - so you need to stop it and re-launch again.")
Inverted lists: The algorithm doesn't account for inverted scroll direction (where new items appear at the "bottom" visually but are prepended to the data array).

Evidence from the issue comments:

@ingeniousgenius (Nov 2019): "The maintainVisibleContentPosition prop seems to do nothing for me." (6 reactions, 5 "+1")
@fungchun1121 (Feb 2020): "There still isn't a feasible solution for both iOS and Android as of now." (30 reactions, 30 "+1")
@fungchun1121 (Mar 2020): "Sorry can you show me the solution which works on iOS?" — challenging the claim that iOS works
@jjd314 (Oct 2020): FlatList view recycling causes scroll loss when prepending more than (windowSize-1)/2 items

Why It Happens (Technical Details)

FlatList is built on ScrollView — it delegates scroll management to the native ScrollView component
When data changes, the native view re-renders and content size changes
ScrollView's default behavior is to keep the current scroll offset (Y position) visible
When items are prepended, the items that were at offset Y are now pushed down, so ScrollView scrolls to keep the new content at that same offset — which appears as an unwanted jump
The maintainVisibleContentPosition prop is designed to solve this by anchoring to a specific index/first visible item rather than a raw pixel offset — but it only works on iOS

Why Workarounds Fail

Users tried several approaches, all with problems:

Manual offset tracking (onScroll + onContentSizeChange): Causes a visible flash — scrolls down then back
maintainVisibleContentPosition: Doesn't work reliably on iOS (view recycling, single-view tracking); didn't exist on Android until PR Support for ScrollView.maintainVisibleContentPosition on Android #29466 (which had unresolved OverScroller issues)
RecyclerListView (Flipkart): Doesn't solve the problem either
Inverted FlatList + message queuing: Partial workaround for chat apps, but still breaks when prepending multiple items while scrolled up
Custom Android implementation (@KyoungHwanLee, May 2020): Implemented a basic version for Android 0.61.5, but minIndexForVisible didn't work; never submitted as a PR
Buffer render timer (@JamesMahy, May 2020): Delayed batching of prepended items — "far from ideal"
Custom Animated.Views carousel (@SudoPlz): Built a carousel from scratch using 5 Animated.Views with interpolation — never open-sourced
@stream-io/flat-list-mvcp (Dec 2020): npm package based on @stackia's native module — works but requires native module setup (not possible in Expo managed workflow)

The PR That Almost Fixed It (#29466)

A PR titled "Support for ScrollView.maintainVisibleContentPosition on Android" was opened in July 2020 by @maxoumime. It was:

Complete implementation covering ReactScrollView, ReactHorizontalScrollView, and their managers
Heavily upvoted (53 "+1" reactions)
Assigned to React Native team member (@yungsters)
Marked "Needs: React Native Team Attention"

It was never merged. The PR was closed in June 2023 without resolution.

Known issues raised during review (never addressed):

Debounce causes lags — @Strate (Sep 2020): "I would prefer @stackia's implementation, because it matches iOS implementation, and do not use debounce, which leads to possible lags in implementation"
OverScroller state desync — @Strate (Sep 2020): "on android just calling setScrollY() does not affect scroll animation - if list scrolling by inertia via OverScroller class, altering scrollY on ScrollView does not affects internal values in android.widget.OverScroller - so you need to stop it and re-launch again."
FlatList window recycling — @jjd314 (Oct 2020): "if you add more than (windowSize-1)/2 items to the top of your data, it loses the scroll position (because the previously visible item will have been reclaimed)"
Alternative implementation preferred — @stackia provided a UIManager-based implementation that avoids debounce (28 "+1" reactions), but it was never adopted

The PR author (@maxoumime, Feb 2021) acknowledged the OverScroller issue but said "I don't think this PR should aim at fixing this though." The React Native team never addressed any of these concerns and the PR was eventually closed as stale.

Community workarounds that emerged:

@stackia's native module (28 "+1" reactions) — used by many as a drop-in replacement
@vishalnarkede published @stream-io/flat-list-mvcp npm package (Dec 2020) based on @stackia's implementation
@KyoungHwanLee published a custom fork for RN 0.61.5 (May 2020)

Summary

Aspect	Detail
Root cause	`maintainVisibleContentPosition` algorithm uses single-view frame tracking that breaks with FlatList's view recycling; Android implementation (PR #29466) had unresolved OverScroller state issues
Category	Platform parity bug / missing native feature
Severity	Blocks chat app development on React Native
Status	Open since June 2019 (7+ years); PR #29466 closed unmerged in 2023
Why unfixed	Core algorithm has fundamental limitations (view recycling, single-view tracking); PR #29466 had unresolved OverScroller issues; React Native team shifted focus to New Architecture (Fabric); Expo managed workflow compatibility concerns
Workaround	None fully satisfactory. Best known: inverted FlatList with "new messages" queue + threshold-based prepending

Any update??

In my patch branch, I implemented the fix to recompute first-visible views after every layout change, which addressed the stale view problem. That seemed to fix positioning as long as prepends are smaller than windowSize. I then added a bunch of additional test coverage to verify each scenario.

At that point it was easy to reproduce the issue of adding more items than windowSize, which pushes the anchor item out of view, recycles the item, and corrupts the positioning again. I'm still trying to resolve that, and unfortunately it might require a new strategy I haven't discovered yet.

Latent bugs like divide by zero or missed clears affecting layout are slowing progress because I discover them as I add instrumentation:

if (this._measuredCellsCount > 0) { // <-- missing
  this._averageCellLength =
    this._measuredCellsLength / this._measuredCellsCount;
}
// ...
if (orientation.horizontal !== this._orientation.horizontal) {
  this._cellMetrics.clear();  // <-- missing
  this._averageCellLength = 0;
  // ...
}

Turns out that fix was more impactful than I expected. Between my first patch, some anchor frame fixes, and this one, it appears to be working now: vertical, horizontal, inverted, and prepend > windowSize. I'll clean up the patch and tests and get it submitted.

Quick update-- I expanded test coverage and I'm seeing differences between iOS and Android. There appear to be some functional edge cases still I haven't bottomed out.

Working on a few doc updates before I submit the PR, but code changes are here if anyone wants to review or test in the interim.
main...aarononeal:fork-facebook-react-native:fix/mvcp-corrections-and-tests

PR submitted. Please test to see if it fixes things for you. I added tests and docs for this area. If I didn't cover your specific scenario, send a repro or test and I'll take a look when I can.

Fix maintainVisibleContentPosition calculations and add tests + docs [f…

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FlatList automatically scrolls after adding new items #25239

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Root Cause Analysis: FlatList Auto-Scroll on Item Prepend (Issue #25239)

The Issue

Root Cause

`maintainVisibleContentPosition` Algorithm and Why It Fails

Why It Happens (Technical Details)

Why Workarounds Fail

The PR That Almost Fixed It (#29466)

Summary

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FlatList automatically scrolls after adding new items #25239

Description

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sgtpepper43 commented on Jun 20, 2019

SiSa68 commented on Jun 22, 2019

sgtpepper43 commented on Jun 22, 2019

SudoPlz commented on Jul 1, 2019

winardis commented on Jul 18, 2019

kirillpisarev commented on Jul 22, 2019

SiSa68 commented on Jul 22, 2019

jmacioszek commented on Jul 31, 2019

AVert commented on Aug 14, 2019

SudoPlz commented on Aug 14, 2019

AVert commented on Aug 26, 2019

AVert commented on Aug 28, 2019

AVert commented on Aug 28, 2019

161 remaining items

Vishal-D4 commented on Oct 1, 2025

react-native-bot commented on Mar 31, 2026

soheb-kachara commented on Mar 31, 2026

Vishal-D4 commented on Apr 6, 2026

vovakovalchukk commented on May 16, 2026

aarononeal commented on May 17, 2026

Root Cause Analysis: FlatList Auto-Scroll on Item Prepend (Issue #25239)

The Issue

Root Cause

maintainVisibleContentPosition Algorithm and Why It Fails

Why It Happens (Technical Details)

Why Workarounds Fail

The PR That Almost Fixed It (#29466)

Summary

hotairbag commented on Jun 2, 2026

aarononeal commented on Jun 2, 2026

aarononeal commented on Jun 9, 2026

aarononeal commented on Jun 13, 2026

aarononeal commented on Jun 19, 2026

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`maintainVisibleContentPosition` Algorithm and Why It Fails