[Android] Fix SearchBar FlowDirection property not working on Android

src/Controls/samples/Controls.Sample.Sandbox/MainPage.xaml

@@ -2,4 +2,27 @@
              xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2009/xaml"
              x:Class="Maui.Controls.Sample.MainPage"
              xmlns:local="clr-namespace:Maui.Controls.Sample">
+    <ScrollView>
+        <StackLayout Padding="20">
+            <Label Text="SearchBar FlowDirection Test" FontSize="20" Margin="0,0,0,20"/>
+
+            <!-- Default FlowDirection -->
+            <Label Text="Default FlowDirection (MatchParent):" FontAttributes="Bold"/>
+            <SearchBar x:Name="SearchBar1" Placeholder="Search here..." Text="Hello World"/>
+
+            <!-- Left to Right -->
+            <Label Text="FlowDirection.LeftToRight:" FontAttributes="Bold" Margin="0,20,0,0"/>
+            <SearchBar x:Name="SearchBar2" FlowDirection="LeftToRight" Placeholder="Search here..." Text="Hello World"/>
+
+            <!-- Right to Left -->
+            <Label Text="FlowDirection.RightToLeft:" FontAttributes="Bold" Margin="0,20,0,0"/>
+            <SearchBar x:Name="SearchBar3" FlowDirection="RightToLeft" Placeholder="Search here..." Text="مرحبا بالعالم"/>
+
+            <!-- Toggle Button -->
+            <Button x:Name="ToggleButton" Text="Toggle All to RTL" Clicked="OnToggleClicked" Margin="0,20,0,0"/>
+
+            <!-- Status -->
+            <Label x:Name="StatusLabel" Text="Current state: Default" Margin="0,20,0,0"/>
+        </StackLayout>
+    </ScrollView>
 </ContentPage>

src/Controls/samples/Controls.Sample.Sandbox/MainPage.xaml.cs

@@ -2,8 +2,24 @@
 
 public partial class MainPage : ContentPage
 {
+	private bool _isRtl = false;
+
 	public MainPage()
 	{
 		InitializeComponent();
 	}
+
+	private void OnToggleClicked(object sender, EventArgs e)
+	{
+		_isRtl = !_isRtl;
+
+		var newFlowDirection = _isRtl ? FlowDirection.RightToLeft : FlowDirection.LeftToRight;
+
+		SearchBar1.FlowDirection = newFlowDirection;
+		SearchBar2.FlowDirection = newFlowDirection;
+		SearchBar3.FlowDirection = newFlowDirection;
+
+		ToggleButton.Text = _isRtl ? "Toggle All to LTR" : "Toggle All to RTL";
+		StatusLabel.Text = $"Current state: {(_isRtl ? "Right to Left" : "Left to Right")}";
+	}
 }

src/Core/src/Handlers/SearchBar/SearchBarHandler.Android.cs

@@ -132,6 +132,17 @@ public static void MapFocus(ISearchBarHandler handler, ISearchBar searchBar, obj
 				handler.QueryEditor?.Focus(request);
 		}
 
+		internal static void MapFlowDirection(ISearchBarHandler handler, ISearchBar searchBar)
+		{
+			// Ensure we have a platform view
+			if (handler.PlatformView == null)
+				return;
+
+			// Update flow direction for both SearchView and its internal EditText
+			// This will handle both direct assignments and inherited values from parent
+			handler.PlatformView.UpdateFlowDirection(searchBar, handler.QueryEditor);
+		}
+
 		void OnQueryTextSubmit(object? sender, QueryTextSubmitEventArgs e)
 		{
 			VirtualView.SearchButtonPressed();

src/Core/src/Handlers/SearchBar/SearchBarHandler.cs

@@ -19,6 +19,9 @@ public partial class SearchBarHandler : ISearchBarHandler
 		{
 #if __IOS__
 			[nameof(ISearchBar.IsEnabled)] = MapIsEnabled,
+#endif
+#if ANDROID
+			[nameof(IView.FlowDirection)] = MapFlowDirection,
 #endif
 			[nameof(ISearchBar.Background)] = MapBackground,
 			[nameof(ISearchBar.CharacterSpacing)] = MapCharacterSpacing,

src/Core/src/Platform/Android/SearchViewExtensions.cs

@@ -1,7 +1,10 @@
-using Android.Content.Res;
+using System;
+using Android.Content.Res;
 using Android.Text;
+using Android.Views;
 using Android.Widget;
 using SearchView = AndroidX.AppCompat.Widget.SearchView;
+using ATextDirection = Android.Views.TextDirection;
 
 namespace Microsoft.Maui.Platform
 {
@@ -171,5 +174,83 @@ internal static void SetInputType(this SearchView searchView, ISearchBar searchB
 
 			editText.SetInputType(searchBar);
 		}
+
+		internal static void UpdateFlowDirection(this SearchView searchView, ISearchBar searchBar, EditText? editText = null)
+		{
+			// Get the internal EditText first
+			editText ??= searchView.GetFirstChildOfType<EditText>();
+
+			// Resolve the effective FlowDirection for the SearchBar
+			// This handles both direct assignments and inherited values from parent elements
+			var effectiveFlowDirection = GetEffectiveFlowDirection(searchBar);
+
+			void UpdateFlowDirectionForViews(EditText et)
+			{
+				// Apply the resolved FlowDirection to both SearchView and EditText
+				// We can't rely on inheritance for SearchBar because we're applying FlowDirection 
+				// to the inner EditText, so we need to handle MatchParent scenarios manually
+				switch (effectiveFlowDirection)
+				{
+					case FlowDirection.RightToLeft:
+						searchView.LayoutDirection = Android.Views.LayoutDirection.Rtl;
+						et.LayoutDirection = Android.Views.LayoutDirection.Rtl;
+#pragma warning disable CA1416 // Introduced in API 23
+						et.TextDirection = ATextDirection.FirstStrongRtl;
+#pragma warning restore CA1416
+						break;
+					case FlowDirection.LeftToRight:
+						searchView.LayoutDirection = Android.Views.LayoutDirection.Ltr;
+						et.LayoutDirection = Android.Views.LayoutDirection.Ltr;
+#pragma warning disable CA1416 // Introduced in API 23
+						et.TextDirection = ATextDirection.FirstStrongLtr;
+#pragma warning restore CA1416
+						break;
+					default: // MatchParent or unspecified - use system default (LTR)
+						searchView.LayoutDirection = Android.Views.LayoutDirection.Ltr;
+						et.LayoutDirection = Android.Views.LayoutDirection.Ltr;
+#pragma warning disable CA1416 // Introduced in API 23
+						et.TextDirection = ATextDirection.FirstStrongLtr;
+#pragma warning restore CA1416
+						break;
+				}
+			}
+
+			if (editText != null)
+			{
+				UpdateFlowDirectionForViews(editText);
+			}
+			else
+			{
+				// If EditText isn't available yet, post a delayed update
+				// This can happen during initialization when the SearchView hierarchy isn't fully built
+				searchView.Post(() =>
+				{
+					var delayedEditText = searchView.GetFirstChildOfType<EditText>();
+					if (delayedEditText != null)
+					{
+						UpdateFlowDirectionForViews(delayedEditText);
+					}
+				});
+			}
+		}
+
+		private static FlowDirection GetEffectiveFlowDirection(ISearchBar searchBar)
+		{
+			// If SearchBar has an explicit FlowDirection, use it
+			if (searchBar.FlowDirection != FlowDirection.MatchParent)
+				return searchBar.FlowDirection;
+
+			// For MatchParent, traverse up the parent chain to find the effective FlowDirection
+			var currentView = searchBar.Parent;
+			while (currentView != null)
+			{
+				if (currentView is IView view && view.FlowDirection != FlowDirection.MatchParent)
+					return view.FlowDirection;
+				currentView = currentView.Parent;
+			}
+
+			// Default to LeftToRight if no explicit FlowDirection is found in the hierarchy
+			return FlowDirection.LeftToRight;
+		}
 	}
 }

src/Core/tests/DeviceTests/Handlers/SearchBar/SearchBarHandlerTests.Android.cs

@@ -358,5 +358,149 @@ bool GetNativeIsSpellCheckEnabled(SearchBarHandler searchBarHandler)
 
 			return !inputTypes.HasFlag(InputTypes.TextFlagNoSuggestions);
 		}
+
+		Android.Views.LayoutDirection GetNativeFlowDirection(SearchBarHandler searchBarHandler)
+		{
+			var searchView = GetNativeSearchBar(searchBarHandler);
+			return searchView.LayoutDirection;
+		}
+
+		Android.Views.LayoutDirection GetNativeEditTextFlowDirection(SearchBarHandler searchBarHandler)
+		{
+			var searchView = GetNativeSearchBar(searchBarHandler);
+			var editText = searchView.GetChildrenOfType<EditText>().FirstOrDefault();
+			return editText?.LayoutDirection ?? Android.Views.LayoutDirection.Inherit;
+		}
+
+		Android.Views.TextDirection GetNativeEditTextTextDirection(SearchBarHandler searchBarHandler)
+		{
+			var searchView = GetNativeSearchBar(searchBarHandler);
+			var editText = searchView.GetChildrenOfType<EditText>().FirstOrDefault();
+#pragma warning disable CA1416 // Introduced in API 23
+			return editText?.TextDirection ?? Android.Views.TextDirection.Inherit;
+#pragma warning restore CA1416
+		}
+
+		[Fact(DisplayName = "FlowDirection Initializes Correctly")]
+		public async Task FlowDirectionInitializesCorrectly()
+		{
+			var searchBarStub = new SearchBarStub()
+			{
+				Text = "Test",
+				FlowDirection = FlowDirection.RightToLeft
+			};
+
+			var values = await GetValueAsync(searchBarStub, (handler) =>
+			{
+				return new
+				{
+					ViewValue = searchBarStub.FlowDirection,
+					PlatformViewValue = GetNativeFlowDirection(handler),
+					EditTextFlowDirection = GetNativeEditTextFlowDirection(handler)
+				};
+			});
+
+			Assert.Equal(FlowDirection.RightToLeft, values.ViewValue);
+			Assert.Equal(Android.Views.LayoutDirection.Rtl, values.PlatformViewValue);
+			// EditText should have the resolved FlowDirection applied directly (not inherit)
+			Assert.Equal(Android.Views.LayoutDirection.Rtl, values.EditTextFlowDirection);
+		}
+
+		[Fact(DisplayName = "FlowDirection Updates Correctly")]
+		public async Task FlowDirectionUpdatesCorrectly()
+		{
+			var searchBarStub = new SearchBarStub()
+			{
+				Text = "Test",
+				FlowDirection = FlowDirection.LeftToRight
+			};
+
+			await ValidatePropertyUpdatesValue(
+				searchBarStub,
+				nameof(IView.FlowDirection),
+				GetNativeFlowDirection,
+				FlowDirection.RightToLeft,
+				Android.Views.LayoutDirection.Rtl);
+
+			// Also verify EditText flow direction updates
+			var handler = CreateHandler(searchBarStub);
+			await InvokeOnMainThreadAsync(() =>
+			{
+				searchBarStub.FlowDirection = FlowDirection.RightToLeft;
+				var editTextDirection = GetNativeEditTextFlowDirection(handler);
+				// EditText should have the resolved FlowDirection applied directly (not inherit)
+				Assert.Equal(Android.Views.LayoutDirection.Rtl, editTextDirection);
+			});
+		}
+
+		[Fact(DisplayName = "FlowDirection Inherits From Parent Correctly")]
+		public async Task FlowDirectionInheritsFromParentCorrectly()
+		{
+			await InvokeOnMainThreadAsync(() =>
+			{
+				// Create a SearchBar with default FlowDirection (MatchParent)
+				var searchBarStub = new SearchBarStub()
+				{
+					Text = "Test",
+					FlowDirection = FlowDirection.MatchParent
+				};
+
+				// Create a parent layout with RTL FlowDirection
+				var layoutStub = new LayoutStub()
+				{
+					FlowDirection = FlowDirection.RightToLeft
+				};
+				layoutStub.Add(searchBarStub);
+
+				// Create handlers and set up the hierarchy
+				var layoutHandler = CreateHandler(layoutStub);
+				var searchBarHandler = CreateHandler(searchBarStub);
+
+				// Simulate the parent-child relationship in the platform view hierarchy
+				if (layoutHandler.PlatformView is Android.Views.ViewGroup parentView)
+				{
+					parentView.LayoutDirection = Android.Views.LayoutDirection.Rtl;
+					parentView.AddView(searchBarHandler.PlatformView);
+				}
+
+				// Verify that SearchBar resolves and applies the RTL direction from parent
+				var searchView = GetNativeSearchBar(searchBarHandler);
+				var editText = searchView.GetChildrenOfType<EditText>().FirstOrDefault();
+
+				// Both SearchView and EditText should have RTL resolved from parent chain
+				Assert.Equal(Android.Views.LayoutDirection.Rtl, searchView.LayoutDirection);
+				Assert.Equal(Android.Views.LayoutDirection.Rtl, editText?.LayoutDirection);
+			});
+		}
+
+		[Fact(DisplayName = "FlowDirection Text Direction Set Correctly")]
+		public async Task FlowDirectionTextDirectionSetCorrectly()
+		{
+			var searchBarStub = new SearchBarStub()
+			{
+				Text = "Test",
+				FlowDirection = FlowDirection.RightToLeft
+			};
+
+			var values = await GetValueAsync(searchBarStub, (handler) =>
+			{
+				return new
+				{
+					ViewValue = searchBarStub.FlowDirection,
+					PlatformViewValue = GetNativeFlowDirection(handler),
+					EditTextFlowDirection = GetNativeEditTextFlowDirection(handler),
+					EditTextTextDirection = GetNativeEditTextTextDirection(handler)
+				};
+			});
+
+			Assert.Equal(FlowDirection.RightToLeft, values.ViewValue);
+			Assert.Equal(Android.Views.LayoutDirection.Rtl, values.PlatformViewValue);
+			Assert.Equal(Android.Views.LayoutDirection.Rtl, values.EditTextFlowDirection);
+#pragma warning disable CA1416 // Introduced in API 23
+			Assert.Equal(Android.Views.TextDirection.FirstStrongRtl, values.EditTextTextDirection);
+#pragma warning restore CA1416
+		}
+
+
 	}
 }