.NET MAUI Android Development: Request for Native UI Controls and Experience

Question

.NET MAUI Android Development: Request for Native UI Controls and Experience

fatih uyanık 245

Hello,

I am currently developing an application within a .NET MAUI project, primarily targeting the Android platform.

I have observed that the standard .NET MAUI UI controls do not fully reflect the native user experience of the target platform.

For instance, the standard DatePicker control displays the selected date directly on the control itself, occupying space. However, in the natural Android interface (such as the alarm setting screen in the Clock App), pressing a button opens a modal or pop-up date selection window. My goal is to achieve a look and functionality that aligns with this native Android UI/UX model.

I request your recommendations on which approaches I can use to provide these and similar native interface controls, with the following priorities:

Free and Reliable Third-Party Packages: Are there popular, stable, and free .NET MAUI or Xamarin Community Toolkit-like UI libraries available that can meet this requirement?
Solution with Standard .NET MAUI Functionality: Is it feasible to develop a solution using .NET MAUI's built-in capabilities (such as Custom Handlers or Platform-Specific coding) to directly invoke the Android Native UI components to achieve this appearance?

The primary criteria are maintaining a native Android look in UI controls and finding a free solution.

Thank you in advance for your valuable suggestions on this matter.

Harry Vo (WICLOUD CORPORATION) 3,910 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-11-26T10:54:24.42+00:00

Hi @fatih uyanık , do you have any update?

2 answers

Your answer

Harry Vo (WICLOUD CORPORATION) 3,910 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-11-26T10:54:24.42+00:00

Hi @fatih uyanık , do you have any update?

Answer 1

Hi @fatih uyanık ,

Thanks for reaching out.

What you are seeing is expected: .NET MAUI uses cross-platform controls, so their default appearance is not always identical to the fully native UI/UX of each platform. This includes DatePicker, which shows the selected value inline instead of behaving like the Android Alarm app’s dialog UI.

Below are the recommended approaches to achieve a truly native Android-style experience while staying within free and supported options.

1. Free and Reliable Packages (Community Toolkit, etc.)

At the moment, there is no free third-party MAUI library that fully replaces MAUI controls with true native Android UI counterparts (like the Clock App’s date/time dialogs).
However, the .NET MAUI Community Toolkit provides additional controls, behaviors, and features that extend MAUI UI: https://learn.microsoft.com/dotnet/communitytoolkit/maui/
While it does not include Android-native replacements for DatePicker or TimePicker, it gives you more flexibility to style or wrap controls - but it still uses MAUI’s cross-platform architecture.
If your requirement is pixel-perfect native Android dialogs, then a package alone won’t be enough; you will need platform-specific customization (see below).

2. Using .NET MAUI Built-in Capabilities (Recommended)

MAUI also supports Native embedding: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/maui/platform-integration/native-embedding?view=net-maui-9.0&pivots=devices-android

Or to achieve true native UI and not just styled MAUI controls, the recommended approach is to use:

Custom Handlers

You can override the default control handler and replace the MAUI UI with native Android views, such as DatePickerDialog, TimePickerDialog, or any Android widget.
Microsoft docs: Customizing controls with handlers → https://learn.microsoft.com/dotnet/maui/user-interface/handlers/customize

Platform-Specific Code / Partial Classes

You can implement Android-only behavior by injecting Android UI through platform files in:

Platforms/Android/

Docs: Platform integration → https://learn.microsoft.com/dotnet/maui/platform-integration/
Using this approach, you can replace the MAUI DatePicker with an Android DatePickerDialog that opens as a modal dialog - exactly like the native Alarm app UI.

So the best solution is to keep MAUI as your framework and implement Android-native dialogs via custom handlers or platform-specific code. This avoids paid packages and stays within Microsoft-supported patterns.

Hope this helps! If my answer was helpful - kindly follow the instructions here so others with the same problem can benefit as well.

fatih uyanık 245 Reputation points

2025-11-21T06:31:09.5+00:00

Hello,

Thank you for your suggested solutions. In line with the method you recommended, I implemented a Custom Handler to display the native Android time picker (TimePickerDialog) from the Android clock application, instead of the default .NET MAUI TimePicker control.

📌 Current Implementation and Issue

Handler Structure: I inherited the TimePickerHandler class to create an Android platform-specific handler.

Logic: Inside the ConnectHandler method, I intervened in the click event of the native MAUI component and called the Android platform's TimePickerDialog within that event.

Result: However, instead of the native Android dialog opening as expected, the .NET MAUI's own cross-platform component still appears on the screen.

💡 The Root of the Problem and Expected Solution

It seems that merely changing the click event is insufficient. Because the default MAUI component remains on the screen, the native appearance is not achieved.

The solution I am looking for is to completely disable the Default Platform View that the MAUI TimePicker creates inside the Handler, and replace it with a simple Android View (like a Button) that will trigger the TimePickerDialog upon clicking.

How can I achieve this?

Thank you.
Jack Dang (WICLOUD CORPORATION) 6,540 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-11-24T10:28:35.0333333+00:00

Hi @fatih uyanık ,

Logic: Inside the ConnectHandler method, I intervened in the click event of the native MAUI component and called the Android platform's TimePickerDialog within that event.

Changing the click event isn’t enough, because MAUI still creates and shows its default platform view.

To fully replace it, you must override CreatePlatformView() in your custom handler and return your own Android control (like a Button). Only then can you attach your TimePickerDialog logic and stop the MAUI picker from appearing.
Jack Dang (WICLOUD CORPORATION) 6,540 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-11-26T04:36:37.9866667+00:00

I hope everything is going well on your side! Just checking in to see if my answer was useful. Feel free to reach out if there's anything else I can assist with.

Answer 2

To achieve a native Android look and functionality in your .NET MAUI application, you can consider the following approaches:

Free and Reliable Third-Party Packages: While the context does not specify particular third-party libraries that meet your requirements, you can explore the .NET MAUI Community Toolkit, which is a collection of reusable elements for application development with .NET MAUI. This toolkit may provide additional controls or functionalities that align more closely with native Android UI experiences. You can check for any community-contributed libraries that offer native-like controls.
Using Standard .NET MAUI Functionality: It is indeed feasible to develop a solution using .NET MAUI's built-in capabilities. You can utilize Custom Handlers to create custom controls that invoke native Android UI components. This allows you to create a DatePicker that opens a modal or pop-up window similar to the native Android interface. Additionally, you can implement Platform-Specific coding to access and utilize Android's native APIs directly, ensuring that your application adheres to the expected user experience on Android devices.

By combining these approaches, you can create a UI that not only looks native but also behaves in a way that users expect on the Android platform.

References:

Share via

.NET MAUI Android Development: Request for Native UI Controls and Experience

2 answers

Your answer