---
type: Article
title: 'Fix: Flutter WebView Tap Gestures Stop Working After Scrolling in NestedScrollView (iOS)'
description: 'A confirmed Flutter framework bug breaks all tap gestures on WebViews inside NestedScrollView on iOS. The fix: upgrade to Flutter 3.38.6+.'
url: https://khal.it/en/blog/flutter-webview-tap-gestures-break-nestedscrollview-ios-fix
locale: en
timestamp: '2026-03-06'
tags: ['flutter']
---

# Fix: Flutter WebView Tap Gestures Stop Working After Scrolling in NestedScrollView (iOS)

**TL;DR:** A confirmed Flutter framework bug ([flutter/flutter#175099](https://github.com/flutter/flutter/issues/175099)) causes all tap gestures on WebViews embedded inside a `NestedScrollView` to stop working after the first scroll interaction on iOS. The fix is upgrading Flutter to version 3.38.6 or later. No code changes required.

_This post assumes familiarity with Flutter, WebViews, and scroll widget composition. If you're new to platform views in Flutter, start with the [official Platform Views documentation](https://docs.flutter.dev/platform-integration/platform-views)._

## What is this bug?

**Flutter WebView tap gesture failure** is a framework-level bug where tap events (links, buttons, form inputs) on a WebView widget stop registering after the user scrolls within a `NestedScrollView` container on iOS. The WebView renders correctly and scroll gestures continue to work, but all tap and click interactions become completely unresponsive.

This affects apps using either [`webview_flutter`](https://pub.dev/packages/webview_flutter) or [`flutter_inappwebview`](https://pub.dev/packages/flutter_inappwebview) when the WebView is placed inside a `NestedScrollView`, `CustomScrollView`, or any nested scrollable layout.

## The problem

Our app has a tabbed page built with a `NestedScrollView`, a pinned tab bar, and an `IndexedStack` of tab contents in the body. Multiple tabs render web content via `flutter_inappwebview` WebViews set to a fixed calculated height:

```dart
body: NestedScrollView(
  headerSliverBuilder: (context, innerBoxIsScrolled) {
    return [
      SliverPersistentHeader(pinned: true, delegate: _HeaderDelegate(...)),
      SliverPersistentHeader(pinned: true, delegate: _TabBarDelegate(...)),
    ];
  },
  body: IndexedStack(
    index: tabController.index,
    children: [
      const NativeTabContent(),
      WebViewTabA(),  // WebView
      WebViewTabB(),  // WebView
      NativeTabC(),
    ],
  ),
),
```

Each WebView tab wraps the content in a `SingleChildScrollView` with a `SizedBox` at the measured content height, while vertical scrolling on the WebView itself is disabled -- letting the `NestedScrollView` handle all scrolling:

```dart
SingleChildScrollView(
  child: SizedBox(
    height: contentHeight.value,
    child: webViewStack,
  ),
)
```

This worked fine -- until it didn't. After the initial scroll interaction on an iOS device, **every tap gesture on the WebView stopped responding**. Links, buttons, form fields -- nothing registered. The WebView rendered correctly and scrolling still worked, but all tap/click events were swallowed silently.

## Root cause analysis

The root cause is a broken interaction between Flutter's gesture system and iOS platform views inside nested scroll containers.

Here's what happens step by step:

1. Flutter renders WebViews as **platform views** -- native iOS `UIView` instances embedded in the Flutter layer tree.
2. When the user scrolls, the `NestedScrollView` claims the scroll gesture through Flutter's gesture arena.
3. Flutter previously shipped a workaround for an iOS 18.2 gesture-blocking regression ([flutter/flutter#158961](https://github.com/flutter/flutter/issues/158961)).
4. That workaround **broke the gesture-blocking system entirely** for platform views inside scrollable containers.
5. Once the `NestedScrollView` claimed the scroll gesture, the platform view's hit-test area was never properly restored for tap events.

This is ultimately an Apple-side bug in how iOS handles gesture recognizer priorities on platform views. The Flutter team reverted their original workaround and shipped a proper fix in stable 3.38.6 via [PR #180522](https://github.com/flutter/flutter/pull/180522).

## The fix

Upgrade Flutter to version 3.38.6 or later:

```bash
# If using FVM (Flutter Version Management)
fvm use 3.41.0  # or any version >= 3.38.6

# If using Flutter directly
flutter upgrade
```

No code changes required. The framework-level fix restores correct gesture dispatch to platform views after scroll interactions.

## How to know if you're affected

You likely have this bug if all of the following are true:

- You embed one or more WebViews (via `webview_flutter` or `flutter_inappwebview`) inside a `NestedScrollView`, `CustomScrollView`, or any nested scrollable
- Tap gestures on the WebView work on first render but break after scrolling
- You're running a Flutter version older than 3.38.6
- The issue only appears on **iOS** (Android is unaffected)

## Trade-offs of upgrading Flutter

Upgrading Flutter versions mid-project carries some risk -- breaking changes in other areas, plugin compatibility issues, and Xcode/Gradle version requirements. In our case the upgrade from 3.27 to 3.41 was clean, but your mileage may vary. Pin your version in `.fvmrc` and test thoroughly before shipping.

## Frequently asked questions

### Why do WebView taps stop working after scrolling in Flutter?

A Flutter framework bug causes the gesture-blocking system to fail for platform views (including WebViews) inside nested scroll containers on iOS. After the scroll view claims the scroll gesture, tap events are never re-enabled on the platform view. Upgrading to Flutter 3.38.6+ fixes this.

### Does this bug affect Android?

No. This is an iOS-only issue caused by how Apple's UIKit handles gesture recognizer priorities on platform views.

### Do I need to change my code to fix this?

No. The fix is entirely in the Flutter framework. Upgrading to Flutter 3.38.6 or later resolves the issue without any application code changes.

### Which WebView packages are affected?

Both [`webview_flutter`](https://pub.dev/packages/webview_flutter) and [`flutter_inappwebview`](https://pub.dev/packages/flutter_inappwebview) are affected, since both use iOS platform views under the hood.

## Further reading

- [flutter/flutter#175099](https://github.com/flutter/flutter/issues/175099) -- Original issue report for WebView tap interaction failure
- [flutter/flutter#158961](https://github.com/flutter/flutter/issues/158961) -- Earlier iOS 18.2 gesture regression that triggered the broken workaround
- [PR #180522](https://github.com/flutter/flutter/pull/180522) -- The framework fix shipped in Flutter 3.38.6
- [Flutter Platform Views documentation](https://docs.flutter.dev/platform-integration/platform-views) -- How Flutter handles native views on iOS and Android
- [flutter/flutter#35394](https://github.com/flutter/flutter/issues/35394) -- Related: nested scrolling with WebView
- [flutter_inappwebview gesture issues](https://github.com/pichillilorenzo/flutter_inappwebview/issues/702) -- Related gesture problems in flutter_inappwebview