Native Navigation Capacitor plugin

Using @capgo/capacitor-native-navigation

@capgo/capacitor-native-navigation renders native top navigation, bottom tab chrome, and route transition shells over a single full-screen Capacitor WebView. Your web framework still owns routes and content, while native owns the app frame.

Install and sync

npm install @capgo/capacitor-native-navigation
npx cap sync

Configure the native frame

import { NativeNavigation } from '@capgo/capacitor-native-navigation';

await NativeNavigation.configure({
  contentInsetMode: 'css',
  animationDuration: 360,
  colors: {
    tint: '#0f172a',
    inactiveTint: '#64748b',
  },
});

Render a native navbar

await NativeNavigation.setNavbar({
  title: 'Inbox',
  subtitle: 'Native chrome',
  transparent: true,
  backButton: { visible: false },
  rightItems: [
    {
      id: 'compose',
      title: 'Compose',
      icon: {
        svg: '<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"><path d="M12 20h9"/><path d="M16.5 3.5a2.12 2.12 0 0 1 3 3L7 19l-4 1 1-4Z"/></svg>',
      },
    },
  ],
});

Add multi-level segment rows under the navbar

Pass segments to setNavbar to stack rows of native segments under the bar, for example a scope switcher on top and section tabs below it. Rows draw top to bottom and each one adds 44pt (iOS) or 48dp (Android) to the navbar and to the reported insets. iOS uses UISegmentedControl and glass pills; Android uses Material segmented buttons and filter chips.

iOS	Android

const sections = {
  account: ['General', 'Notifications', 'Password', 'Two-factor'],
  organization: ['General', 'Members', 'Plans', 'Usage', 'Credits', 'Billing', 'Security', 'Webhooks'],
};
const selection = { scope: 'account', section: 'general' };

const renderNavbar = () =>
  NativeNavigation.setNavbar({
    title: 'Settings',
    segments: [
      {
        id: 'scope',
        selectedId: selection.scope,
        items: [
          { id: 'account', title: 'Account' },
          { id: 'organization', title: 'Organization' },
        ],
      },
      {
        id: 'section',
        style: 'scroll', // scrolling chips; `auto` uses `segmented` for up to 4 items
        selectedId: selection.section,
        items: sections[selection.scope].map((title) => ({ id: title.toLowerCase(), title })),
      },
    ],
  });

await NativeNavigation.addListener('navbarSegmentSelect', async ({ groupId, id }) => {
  if (groupId === 'scope') {
    selection.scope = id;
    selection.section = 'general'; // the second level depends on the first one
  } else {
    selection.section = id;
  }
  await renderNavbar();
});

await renderNavbar();

Selection moves natively when the user taps, but every setNavbar call applies selectedId again. Keep the selected ids in your state and pass them on every later setNavbar call; to reject a selection, send the previous selectedId. Items also accept icon, accessibilityLabel, and enabled. Pass segments: [] to remove the rows. Available since 8.13.0.

Render a native tabbar

await NativeNavigation.setTabbar({
  selectedId: 'inbox',
  labelVisibilityMode: 'selected',
  icons: true,
  colors: {
    dynamic: true,
    tint: '#0f172a',
    inactiveTint: '#64748b',
  },
  tabs: [
    {
      id: 'inbox',
      title: 'Inbox',
      icon: {
        svg: '<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"><path d="M4 4h16v16H4z"/><path d="m4 13 4 4h8l4-4"/></svg>',
      },
    },
    {
      id: 'search',
      title: 'Search',
      icon: {
        svg: '<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"><circle cx="11" cy="11" r="7"/><path d="m20 20-3-3"/></svg>',
      },
    },
  ],
});

Connect native events to your router

Native bars emit intent. Your router still performs the route change:

await NativeNavigation.addListener('navbarBack', () => {
  router.back();
});

await NativeNavigation.addListener('navbarItemTap', ({ id }) => {
  if (id === 'compose') router.push('/compose');
});

await NativeNavigation.addListener('tabSelect', ({ id }) => {
  router.push(`/${id}`);
});

Animate route changes

Use a transition transaction around your normal web route update:

const transition = await NativeNavigation.beginTransition({
  direction: 'forward',
});

router.push('/message/42');
await router.ready?.();

await NativeNavigation.setNavbar({
  title: 'Message',
  backButton: { visible: true, title: 'Inbox' },
});

await NativeNavigation.finishTransition({
  id: transition.id,
  direction: 'forward',
});

Add a zoom transition

Use the zoom helpers for routes that open from a card, grid item, or media preview.

import { beginZoomTransition, finishZoomTransition } from '@capgo/capacitor-native-navigation';

const card = document.querySelector('[data-message-card]');
if (card) {
  const transition = await beginZoomTransition(card, { cornerRadius: 18 });

  router.push('/message/42');
  await router.ready?.();

  await NativeNavigation.setNavbar({
    title: 'Message',
    backButton: { visible: true, title: 'Inbox' },
  });

  await finishZoomTransition(undefined, {
    id: transition.id,
    cornerRadius: 18,
  });
}

Pad content with native insets

When contentInsetMode is css, the plugin writes CSS variables for the native bars:

.page {
  padding-top: var(--cap-native-navigation-top);
  padding-bottom: var(--cap-native-navigation-bottom);
}

Icon choices

Icons are native descriptors, not React or Vue nodes. Use SVG when you do not want to bundle native assets:

const icon = {
  svg: '<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M3 10.5 12 3l9 7.5"/></svg>',
  template: true,
  ios: { sfSymbol: 'house.fill' },
  android: { resource: 'ic_menu_view' },
};

Inline SVG supports path, line, polyline, polygon, circle, and rect, which covers common icon sets such as Lucide and Feather.

Combine with @capgo/capacitor-transitions

Use Native Navigation for the native navbar, tabbar, safe-area insets, and native intent events. Use @capgo/capacitor-transitions for the WebView page stack underneath that native chrome.

npm install @capgo/capacitor-native-navigation @capgo/capacitor-transitions
npx cap sync

Initialize both packages once:

import { NativeNavigation } from '@capgo/capacitor-native-navigation';
import '@capgo/capacitor-transitions';
import { initTransitions, setupRouterOutlet, setDirection } from '@capgo/capacitor-transitions/react';

initTransitions({ platform: 'auto' });

const outlet = document.querySelector('cap-router-outlet');
if (outlet) {
  setupRouterOutlet(outlet, { platform: 'auto', swipeGesture: 'auto' });
}

await NativeNavigation.configure({
  contentInsetMode: 'css',
});

Keep the transition outlet focused on pages, not duplicate web bars:

<cap-router-outlet platform="auto" swipe-gesture="auto">
  <cap-page>
    <cap-content slot="content" fullscreen>
      <main class="page">Inbox content</main>
    </cap-content>
  </cap-page>
</cap-router-outlet>

Drive both packages from the same router actions:

async function openMessage(id: string) {
  setDirection('forward');
  await router.push(`/messages/${id}`);
  await NativeNavigation.setNavbar({
    title: 'Message',
    backButton: { visible: true, title: 'Inbox' },
  });
}

await NativeNavigation.addListener('navbarBack', () => {
  setDirection('back');
  router.back();
});

await NativeNavigation.addListener('tabSelect', ({ id }) => {
  setDirection('root');
  router.push(`/${id}`);
});

Pick one animation layer per route change. Let @capgo/capacitor-transitions animate normal page pushes, and use Native Navigation's zoom helpers only for shared-element or zoom routes.

Full Reference

• GitHub: https://github.com/Cap-go/capacitor-native-navigation/
• Docs: /docs/plugins/native-navigation/

Keep going from Using @capgo/capacitor-native-navigation

If you are using Using @capgo/capacitor-native-navigation to plan native media and interface behavior, connect it with @capgo/capacitor-native-navigation for the implementation detail in @capgo/capacitor-native-navigation, Getting Started for the implementation detail in Getting Started, Using @capgo/capacitor-live-activities for the native capability in Using @capgo/capacitor-live-activities, @capgo/capacitor-live-activities for the implementation detail in @capgo/capacitor-live-activities, and Using @capgo/capacitor-video-player for the native capability in Using @capgo/capacitor-video-player.