# TIP: Don't Use ComboBox

DevFeed: [TIP: Don't Use ComboBox](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/tip-don-t-use-combobox-19574.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://www.codenameone.com/blog/tip-dont-use-combobox/>)

Author: Shai Almog

Published: 2016-10-16T00:00:00Z

Content type: tutorial

Language: en

Sources: [CodeName One](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/codename-one.md>)

Topics: [ui](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ui.md>), [Mobile](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/mobile.md>), [iOS](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ios.md>)

Tags: [alternatives](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/alternatives.md>), [android](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/android.md>), [demo](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/demo.md>), [ios](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ios.md>), [mobile](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/mobile.md>), [native](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/native.md>), [ui](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ui.md>)

## AI overview

The article explains why ComboBox can be problematic in mobile user interfaces, including inconsistent behavior across operating systems and the lack of native ComboBox support on iOS. It recommends Picker, AutoCompleteTextField, and a button with a popup as alternatives for different selection use cases.

## Source excerpt

We previously discussed the problems with List and somewhat neglected ComboBox which is a subclass of List. ComboBox has the dubious "honor" of deriving most of the problems List has and adding a slew of its own problems such as two separate renderers, different behaviors between OS's etc. In addition mobile OS's don't really have a ComboBox in their native UI arsenal. E.g. iOS has no native ComboBox support. When web code has a select entry that needs to show a ComboBox Safari shows a UI specific to it and launches a spinner for interaction.