fix: start typing in the message body when the empty space under it is tapped

src/components/RichTextEditor.tsx

@@ -66,6 +66,8 @@ export interface RichTextEditorHandle {
    */
   getHtml(timeoutMs?: number): Promise<string>;
   focus(): void;
+  /** Focus with the caret where new text goes (before signature / quote). */
+  focusEnd(): void;
   /** Drop the caret, which closes the keyboard. */
   blur(): void;
 }
@@ -186,6 +188,9 @@ const RichTextEditor = React.forwardRef<RichTextEditorHandle, Props>(function Ri
         pendingSnapshots.current.set(id, { resolve, reject, timer });
         call(`window.__rne && window.__rne.getHtml(${id})`);
       }),
+    focusEnd: () => {
+      call(`window.__rne && window.__rne.focusEnd()`);
+    },
     focus: () => {
       call(`window.__rne && window.__rne.focus()`);
     },

src/lib/__tests__/editor-focus-end.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
+import { buildEditorHtml, FOCUS_END_SOURCE } from '../editor-html';
+import { LIGHT_COLORS } from '../../theme/tokens';
+
+// On the iPad most of the composer's body area is empty space under the
+// editor; a tap there did nothing and the keyboard kept typing into Subject.
+// That space now calls the page's focusEnd(), which must put the caret where
+// the user's own text goes: in front of the signature or the quoted message.
+
+interface FakeNode { name: string; previousElementSibling?: FakeNode | null }
+
+function run(stop: FakeNode | null) {
+  const calls: string[] = [];
+  const editor = {
+    name: 'editor',
+    focus: () => calls.push('focus'),
+    querySelector: () => stop,
+  };
+  const range = {
+    selectNodeContents: (n: FakeNode) => calls.push(`select ${n.name}`),
+    setStartBefore: (n: FakeNode) => calls.push(`before ${n.name}`),
+    collapse: (toStart: boolean) => calls.push(toStart ? 'collapse start' : 'collapse end'),
+  };
+  const selection = {
+    removeAllRanges: () => calls.push('clear'),
+    addRange: (r: unknown) => calls.push(r === range ? 'add range' : 'add other'),
+  };
+  const fakeDocument = { createRange: () => range };
+  const fakeWindow = { getSelection: () => selection };
+  const focusEnd = new Function('document', 'window', `${FOCUS_END_SOURCE}; return focusEnd;`)(fakeDocument, fakeWindow);
+  focusEnd(editor);
+  return calls;
+}
+
+describe('focusEnd', () => {
+  it('puts the caret at the end of the paragraph in front of the signature', () => {
+    const mine = { name: 'mine' };
+    expect(run({ name: 'signature', previousElementSibling: mine })).toEqual([
+      'focus', 'select mine', 'collapse end', 'clear', 'add range',
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it('puts the caret in front of a signature or quote that comes first', () => {
+    expect(run({ name: 'quote', previousElementSibling: null })).toEqual([
+      'focus', 'before quote', 'collapse start', 'clear', 'add range',
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it('puts the caret at the end without signature or quote', () => {
+    expect(run(null)).toEqual(['focus', 'select editor', 'collapse end', 'clear', 'add range']);
+  });
+
+  it('is part of the page script and of its bridge', () => {
+    const html = buildEditorHtml({ initialHtml: '<p><br></p>', placeholder: 'Write…', c: LIGHT_COLORS });
+    expect(html).toContain('function focusEnd(editor)');
+    expect(html).toContain('focusEnd: function () { focusEnd(editor); }');
+  });
+});

src/lib/editor-html.ts

@@ -64,6 +64,33 @@ export function shouldBlockEditorRemoteImages(opts: {
   return !senderTrusted;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Page-script function for a tap on the empty space under the editor: focus
+ * it with the caret where the user's own text goes, in front of the
+ * signature or the quoted message, else at the end. A string, embedded in
+ * the page script and run by the unit test against stand-in DOM objects.
+ */
+export const FOCUS_END_SOURCE = `function focusEnd(editor) {
+    editor.focus();
+    var sel = window.getSelection();
+    if (!sel) return;
+    var stop = editor.querySelector('[data-signature-block="start"], [data-signature-block="separator"], [data-quoted-html]');
+    var range = document.createRange();
+    var prev = stop ? stop.previousElementSibling : null;
+    if (prev) {
+      range.selectNodeContents(prev);
+      range.collapse(false);
+    } else if (stop) {
+      range.setStartBefore(stop);
+      range.collapse(true);
+    } else {
+      range.selectNodeContents(editor);
+      range.collapse(false);
+    }
+    sel.removeAllRanges();
+    sel.addRange(range);
+  }`;
+
 export function buildEditorHtml(opts: {
   initialHtml: string;
   placeholder: string;
@@ -261,6 +288,8 @@ export function buildEditorHtml(opts: {
   });
 
   // ── Bridge: receive commands from RN ───────────────────────────────
+  ${FOCUS_END_SOURCE}
+
   window.__rne = {
     exec: function (command, value) {
       editor.focus();
@@ -363,6 +392,7 @@ export function buildEditorHtml(opts: {
       post('htmlSnapshot', { id: id, html: editor.innerHTML });
     },
     focus: function () { editor.focus(); },
+    focusEnd: function () { focusEnd(editor); },
   };
 
   reportHeight();

src/screens/ComposeScreen.tsx

@@ -2495,6 +2495,16 @@ export default function ComposeScreen({ route, navigation }: Props) {
               onViewportShift={onEditorViewportShift}
             />
           )}
+          {/* The empty space under the body looks like part of it (on a
+              tablet, most of the panel): a tap there starts typing in it. */}
+          <Pressable
+            style={styles.bodyFiller}
+            accessible={false}
+            onPress={() => {
+              if (plainTextMode) plainBodyRef.current?.focus();
+              else editorRef.current?.focusEnd();
+            }}
+          />
         </ScrollView>
 
         {/* A phone in landscape with the keyboard up has room for a few lines
@@ -2991,6 +3001,7 @@ function makeStyles(c: ThemePalette) {
     backgroundColor: c.background,
   },
   scrollContent: { flexGrow: 1 },
+  bodyFiller: { flexGrow: 1, minHeight: 48 },
 
   header: {
     flexDirection: 'row',