What is a bottom sheet?
Used in a sentence: Instead of a full-screen popup, let's show the renewal offer as a bottom sheet when users open their plan details.
How it works
A bottom sheet anchors to the bottom edge of the screen and slides up over the current view. The top part of the screen stays visible, often slightly dimmed. Its content sits in the thumb zone, so buttons are easy to reach with one hand.
In engagement campaigns, a bottom sheet is usually triggered by an event: opening a screen, leaving a form halfway, or reaching a usage milestone. The SDK checks targeting and frequency rules before showing it. Sheets can be short, with one line and a button, or taller with images, a form or a list of options.
Example
A mutual fund app sees users open the SIP screen, look at the amount field and back out. The growth team sets a bottom sheet to slide up when a user leaves the SIP screen without starting one. It shows the amount they typed, a short line about starting small, and a single “Start SIP” button. Users who started a SIP that week are excluded.
Bottom sheet vs modal
| Bottom sheet | Modal | |
|---|---|---|
| Interruption | Partial, screen stays visible | Full, blocks the screen |
| Reach | Bottom of screen, thumb-friendly | Centre of screen |
| Best for | Offers, quick choices | Decisions that must happen first |
A bottom sheet suggests. A modal insists.
Best practices
- Keep one primary action and a clear way to swipe it away.
- Tie the trigger to the screen the user is on, so the content makes sense in context.
- Exclude users who are mid-payment or have already converted.
- Test copy and layout against a holdout group to measure real lift.
How to do this with Digia Engage
A growth team designs the bottom sheet in Digia’s no-code visual builder or imports it from Figma, then sets the trigger from CleverTap, MoEngage or WebEngage events. It goes live without an app release. Dezerv used a bottom sheet nudge on SIP screens to drive $250K+ in new digital collections; see the Dezerv case study. Layouts and templates are on the in-app bottom sheets page.
Frequently asked questions
- When should you use a bottom sheet instead of a modal?
- Use a bottom sheet when the message relates to the current screen and the user should keep their context, such as an offer on a product page or a quick choice. Use a modal when the user must stop and decide before continuing, such as confirming a payment or accepting updated terms.
- Can you change a bottom sheet's content without an app update?
- Yes, if the bottom sheet is rendered by an engagement SDK from server-side configuration. The SDK is integrated once, and after that the copy, layout, images, targeting and triggers can be changed from a dashboard. Users see the new version the next time the trigger fires, with no store review.
Related terms
Read more
Part of the In-app engagement glossary.