diff --git a/ring-android/app/src/main/res/drawable/msg_input_bg.xml b/ring-android/app/src/main/res/drawable/msg_input_bg.xml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..8bdc5bed0620b0e45be8a8398aa92d78723a967b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ring-android/app/src/main/res/drawable/msg_input_bg.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
+<selector xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
+    <item>
+        <shape>
+            <gradient
+                android:angle="90"
+                android:startColor="@color/background"
+                android:centerColor="@color/background"
+                android:endColor="#00000000"
+                android:type="linear" />
+        </shape>
+    </item>
+</selector>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/ring-android/app/src/main/res/layout/frag_conversation.xml b/ring-android/app/src/main/res/layout/frag_conversation.xml
index 67de715845b08794cb90fe106b811669262a15ba..e467652f502fdb5fa27535b625f37962b8fe127d 100644
--- a/ring-android/app/src/main/res/layout/frag_conversation.xml
+++ b/ring-android/app/src/main/res/layout/frag_conversation.xml
@@ -183,101 +183,111 @@
                 </LinearLayout>
             </androidx.cardview.widget.CardView>
 
-            <androidx.cardview.widget.CardView
-                android:id="@+id/cvMessageInput"
+            <LinearLayout
                 android:layout_width="match_parent"
                 android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                 android:layout_alignParentBottom="true"
-                android:layout_marginLeft="8dp"
-                android:layout_marginRight="8dp"
-                android:layout_marginBottom="8dp"
-                android:visibility="gone"
-                app:cardCornerRadius="@dimen/conversation_message_input_radius"
-                app:cardElevation="4dp"
+                android:background="@drawable/msg_input_bg"
+                android:orientation="vertical"
+                android:visibility="visible"
                 tools:visibility="visible">
 
-                <LinearLayout
+                <androidx.cardview.widget.CardView
+                    android:id="@+id/cvMessageInput"
                     android:layout_width="match_parent"
-                    android:layout_height="match_parent"
-                    android:gravity="center"
-                    android:orientation="horizontal"
-                    android:paddingStart="8dp">
+                    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
+                    android:layout_marginTop="2dp"
+                    android:layout_marginRight="12dp"
+                    android:layout_marginBottom="12dp"
+                    android:layout_marginLeft="12dp"
+                    android:visibility="gone"
+                    app:cardCornerRadius="@dimen/conversation_message_input_radius"
+                    app:cardElevation="4dp"
+                    tools:visibility="visible">
 
-                    <ImageButton
-                        android:id="@+id/btn_menu"
-                        android:layout_width="28dp"
-                        android:layout_height="match_parent"
-                        android:background="?selectableItemBackgroundBorderless"
-                        android:contentDescription="@string/share_label"
-                        android:onClick="@{v -> presenter.expandMenu(v)}"
-                        android:padding="8dp"
-                        android:tint="@android:color/darker_gray"
-                        app:srcCompat="@drawable/baseline_expand_less_24" />
-
-                    <ImageButton
-                        android:id="@+id/btn_take_picture"
-                        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
-                        android:layout_height="match_parent"
-                        android:layout_marginEnd="5dp"
-                        android:background="?selectableItemBackgroundBorderless"
-                        android:contentDescription="@string/take_a_photo"
-                        android:onClick="@{() -> presenter.takePicture()}"
-                        android:padding="8dp"
-                        android:tint="@android:color/darker_gray"
-                        app:srcCompat="@drawable/baseline_photo_camera_24" />
-
-                    <ProgressBar
-                        android:id="@+id/pb_data_transfer"
-                        android:layout_width="30dp"
-                        android:layout_height="30dp"
-                        android:indeterminate="true"
-                        android:visibility="gone" />
-
-                    <Spinner
-                        android:id="@+id/number_selector"
-                        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
+                    <LinearLayout
+                        android:layout_width="match_parent"
                         android:layout_height="match_parent"
-                        android:visibility="gone"
-                        tools:listitem="@layout/item_number_selected" />
+                        android:gravity="center"
+                        android:orientation="horizontal"
+                        android:paddingStart="8dp">
 
-                    <cx.ring.views.MessageEditText
-                        android:id="@+id/msg_input_txt"
-                        android:layout_width="0dp"
-                        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
-                        android:layout_weight="1"
-                        android:background="@null"
-                        android:hint="@string/write_a_message"
-                        android:imeOptions="actionSend|flagNoExtractUi"
-                        android:importantForAutofill="no"
-                        android:inputType="textShortMessage|textImeMultiLine|text|textMultiLine|textCapSentences"
-                        android:maxLines="5"
-                        android:padding="8dp" />
-
-                    <TextView
-                        android:id="@+id/emoji_send"
-                        style="?attr/borderlessButtonStyle"
-                        android:layout_width="50dp"
-                        android:layout_height="match_parent"
-                        android:background="?selectableItemBackgroundBorderless"
-                        android:onClick="@{() -> presenter.sendEmoji()}"
-                        android:padding="0dp"
-                        android:text="@string/conversation_default_emoji"
-                        android:textSize="18sp" />
-
-                    <ImageButton
-                        android:id="@+id/msg_send"
-                        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
-                        android:layout_height="match_parent"
-                        android:background="?selectableItemBackgroundBorderless"
-                        android:contentDescription="@string/send_message"
-                        android:onClick="@{() -> presenter.sendMessageText()}"
-                        android:padding="8dp"
-                        android:tint="@android:color/darker_gray"
-                        android:visibility="gone"
-                        app:srcCompat="@drawable/baseline_send_24" />
+                        <ImageButton
+                            android:id="@+id/btn_menu"
+                            android:layout_width="28dp"
+                            android:layout_height="match_parent"
+                            android:background="?selectableItemBackgroundBorderless"
+                            android:contentDescription="@string/share_label"
+                            android:onClick="@{v -> presenter.expandMenu(v)}"
+                            android:padding="8dp"
+                            android:tint="@android:color/darker_gray"
+                            app:srcCompat="@drawable/baseline_expand_less_24" />
 
-                </LinearLayout>
-            </androidx.cardview.widget.CardView>
+                        <ImageButton
+                            android:id="@+id/btn_take_picture"
+                            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
+                            android:layout_height="match_parent"
+                            android:layout_marginEnd="5dp"
+                            android:background="?selectableItemBackgroundBorderless"
+                            android:contentDescription="@string/take_a_photo"
+                            android:onClick="@{() -> presenter.takePicture()}"
+                            android:padding="8dp"
+                            android:tint="@android:color/darker_gray"
+                            app:srcCompat="@drawable/baseline_photo_camera_24" />
+
+                        <ProgressBar
+                            android:id="@+id/pb_data_transfer"
+                            android:layout_width="30dp"
+                            android:layout_height="30dp"
+                            android:indeterminate="true"
+                            android:visibility="gone" />
+
+                        <Spinner
+                            android:id="@+id/number_selector"
+                            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
+                            android:layout_height="match_parent"
+                            android:visibility="gone"
+                            tools:listitem="@layout/item_number_selected" />
+
+                        <cx.ring.views.MessageEditText
+                            android:id="@+id/msg_input_txt"
+                            android:layout_width="0dp"
+                            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
+                            android:layout_weight="1"
+                            android:background="@null"
+                            android:hint="@string/write_a_message"
+                            android:imeOptions="actionSend|flagNoExtractUi"
+                            android:importantForAutofill="no"
+                            android:inputType="textShortMessage|textImeMultiLine|text|textMultiLine|textCapSentences"
+                            android:maxLines="5"
+                            android:padding="8dp" />
+
+                        <TextView
+                            android:id="@+id/emoji_send"
+                            style="?attr/borderlessButtonStyle"
+                            android:layout_width="50dp"
+                            android:layout_height="match_parent"
+                            android:background="?selectableItemBackgroundBorderless"
+                            android:onClick="@{() -> presenter.sendEmoji()}"
+                            android:padding="0dp"
+                            android:text="@string/conversation_default_emoji"
+                            android:textSize="18sp" />
+
+                        <ImageButton
+                            android:id="@+id/msg_send"
+                            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
+                            android:layout_height="match_parent"
+                            android:background="?selectableItemBackgroundBorderless"
+                            android:contentDescription="@string/send_message"
+                            android:onClick="@{() -> presenter.sendMessageText()}"
+                            android:padding="8dp"
+                            android:tint="@android:color/darker_gray"
+                            android:visibility="gone"
+                            app:srcCompat="@drawable/baseline_send_24" />
+
+                    </LinearLayout>
+                </androidx.cardview.widget.CardView>
+            </LinearLayout>
         </RelativeLayout>
 
     </FrameLayout>
diff --git a/ring-android/app/src/main/res/values-v27/styles.xml b/ring-android/app/src/main/res/values-v27/styles.xml
index 71e56cefb2993674e45d8051aa4ac62ff90b1333..9d5e9cbf111b366ceb8d4338e48bdc536055f704 100644
--- a/ring-android/app/src/main/res/values-v27/styles.xml
+++ b/ring-android/app/src/main/res/values-v27/styles.xml
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 
     <style name="AppThemeBase.Fullscreen" parent="AppThemeBase">
         <item name="android:windowDrawsSystemBarBackgrounds">true</item>
-        <item name="android:navigationBarColor">@color/transparent</item>
+        <item name="android:navigationBarColor">@color/background</item>
     </style>
 
     <style name="AppThemeBase.DarkToolbar" parent="AppThemeBase">
diff --git a/ring-android/app/src/main/res/values/styles.xml b/ring-android/app/src/main/res/values/styles.xml
index 0c3451654c3b6d3ff9fafcb692dc358db174bb64..43837262b5a35ad2a577f6011c864c8e9562fea1 100644
--- a/ring-android/app/src/main/res/values/styles.xml
+++ b/ring-android/app/src/main/res/values/styles.xml
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@
 
     <!-- Conversation theme for older APIs -->
     <style name="AppThemeBase.Fullscreen" parent="AppThemeBase">
-        <item name="android:navigationBarColor">@color/transparent</item>
+        <item name="android:navigationBarColor">@color/background</item>
         <item name="android:windowTranslucentStatus">true</item>
         <item name="android:windowTranslucentNavigation">true</item>
     </style>