diff --git a/app/src/main/java/io/heckel/ntfy/ui/DetailActivity.kt b/app/src/main/java/io/heckel/ntfy/ui/DetailActivity.kt
index 64ff127..1514cd2 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/io/heckel/ntfy/ui/DetailActivity.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/io/heckel/ntfy/ui/DetailActivity.kt
@@ -189,9 +189,20 @@ class DetailActivity : AppCompatActivity(), ActionMode.Callback, NotificationFra
         // Message bar
         val messageText: TextInputEditText = findViewById(R.id.detail_message_box)
         val messageSendButton: Button = findViewById(R.id.detail_message_send_button)
+
         messageSendButton.setOnClickListener {
             lifecycleScope.launch(Dispatchers.IO) {
-                api.publish(subscriptionBaseUrl, subscriptionTopic, message = messageText.text.toString())
+                val message = messageText.text.toString()
+                if (message.isNotEmpty()) {
+                    api.publish(subscriptionBaseUrl, subscriptionTopic, message = message)
+                    messageText.text?.clear()
+                } else {
+                    runOnUiThread {
+                        Toast
+                            .makeText(this@DetailActivity, getString(R.string.detail_message_bar_empty_message), Toast.LENGTH_LONG)
+                            .show()
+                    }
+                }
             }
         }
 
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/io/heckel/ntfy/ui/ShareActivity.kt b/app/src/main/java/io/heckel/ntfy/ui/ShareActivity.kt
index 1db1c33..108995b 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/io/heckel/ntfy/ui/ShareActivity.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/io/heckel/ntfy/ui/ShareActivity.kt
@@ -88,16 +88,8 @@ class ShareActivity : AppCompatActivity() {
         errorImage = findViewById(R.id.share_error_image)
         errorImage.visibility = View.GONE
 
-        val textWatcher = object : TextWatcher {
-            override fun afterTextChanged(s: Editable?) {
-                validateInput()
-            }
-            override fun onTextChanged(s: CharSequence?, start: Int, before: Int, count: Int) {
-                // Nothing
-            }
-            override fun beforeTextChanged(s: CharSequence?, start: Int, count: Int, after: Int) {
-                // Nothing
-            }
+        val textWatcher = AfterChangedTextWatcher {
+            validateInput()
         }
         contentText.addTextChangedListener(textWatcher)
         topicText.addTextChangedListener(textWatcher)
diff --git a/app/src/main/res/layout/activity_detail.xml b/app/src/main/res/layout/activity_detail.xml
index 79a045c..b82a54c 100644
--- a/app/src/main/res/layout/activity_detail.xml
+++ b/app/src/main/res/layout/activity_detail.xml
@@ -11,8 +11,7 @@
             style="@style/CardViewBackground"
             android:id="@+id/detail_notification_list_container"
             android:layout_width="match_parent"
-            android:layout_height="0dp"
-            android:visibility="visible" app:layout_constraintBottom_toTopOf="@id/detail_message_box" app:layout_constraintTop_toTopOf="parent" app:layout_constraintStart_toStartOf="parent" app:layout_constraintEnd_toEndOf="parent">
+            android:visibility="visible" app:layout_constraintBottom_toTopOf="@id/detail_message_bar" app:layout_constraintTop_toTopOf="parent" app:layout_constraintStart_toStartOf="parent" app:layout_constraintEnd_toEndOf="parent" android:layout_height="0dp">
         <androidx.recyclerview.widget.RecyclerView
                 android:id="@+id/detail_notification_list"
                 android:layout_width="match_parent"
@@ -72,22 +71,49 @@
                 android:linksClickable="true"
                 android:autoLink="web"/>
     </LinearLayout>
-    <LinearLayout
+    <androidx.constraintlayout.widget.ConstraintLayout
             style="@style/CardViewBackground"
-            android:orientation="horizontal"
-            android:layout_width="match_parent"
             android:layout_height="wrap_content"
+            android:layout_width="match_parent"
             android:id="@+id/detail_message_bar"
             app:layout_constraintStart_toStartOf="parent"
             app:layout_constraintEnd_toEndOf="parent"
             app:layout_constraintBottom_toBottomOf="parent"
-            android:layout_marginStart="3dp" android:layout_marginBottom="3dp" android:layout_marginEnd="3dp">
-        <com.google.android.material.textfield.TextInputEditText
-                android:id="@+id/detail_message_box"
+            app:layout_constraintTop_toBottomOf="@+id/detail_notification_list_container">
+        <com.google.android.material.textfield.TextInputLayout
+                style="@style/MessageInputBox"
+                android:id="@+id/detail_message_box_layout"
                 android:layout_width="0dp"
-                android:layout_height="48dp" android:hint="Type a message here"
-                android:inputType="text|textNoSuggestions"
-                android:gravity="start|top" android:layout_weight="1"/>
+                android:layout_height="wrap_content"
+                app:boxCornerRadiusBottomEnd="24dp"
+                app:boxCornerRadiusTopEnd="24dp"
+                app:boxCornerRadiusBottomStart="24dp"
+                app:boxCornerRadiusTopStart="24dp"
+                app:boxStrokeWidthFocused="0dp"
+                app:boxStrokeWidth="0dp"
+                app:boxBackgroundMode="filled"
+                app:hintEnabled="false"
+                app:layout_constraintStart_toStartOf="parent"
+                app:layout_constraintTop_toTopOf="parent"
+                app:layout_constraintBottom_toBottomOf="parent"
+                app:layout_constraintEnd_toStartOf="@id/detail_message_send_button"
+                app:startIconDrawable="@drawable/ic_add_black_24dp"
+                android:layout_marginStart="7dp"
+                android:layout_marginBottom="1dp"
+                android:layout_marginEnd="5dp">
+
+            <com.google.android.material.textfield.TextInputEditText
+                    android:id="@+id/detail_message_box"
+                    android:layout_width="match_parent"
+                    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
+                    android:inputType="text"
+                    android:textColor="#000000"
+                    android:padding="3dp"
+                    android:textColorLink="#FFFFFF"
+                    android:hint="@string/detail_message_bar_hint"
+            />
+
+        </com.google.android.material.textfield.TextInputLayout>
         <com.google.android.material.button.MaterialButton
                 style="@style/Widget.MaterialComponents.Button.Icon"
                 android:id="@+id/detail_message_send_button"
@@ -98,8 +124,14 @@
                 android:insetBottom="0dp"
                 android:insetLeft="0dp"
                 android:insetRight="0dp"
-                app:icon="@drawable/ic_send_white_24dp"/>
-    </LinearLayout>
+                app:icon="@drawable/ic_send_white_24dp"
+                app:layout_constraintEnd_toEndOf="parent"
+                app:layout_constraintTop_toTopOf="parent"
+                app:layout_constraintStart_toEndOf="@id/detail_message_box_layout"
+                app:layout_constraintBottom_toBottomOf="parent"
+                android:layout_marginEnd="7dp"
+                android:layout_marginBottom="2dp" android:layout_marginTop="3dp"/>
+    </androidx.constraintlayout.widget.ConstraintLayout>
 
 
 </androidx.constraintlayout.widget.ConstraintLayout>
diff --git a/app/src/main/res/values/strings.xml b/app/src/main/res/values/strings.xml
index 466cd40..ea2883d 100644
--- a/app/src/main/res/values/strings.xml
+++ b/app/src/main/res/values/strings.xml
@@ -166,6 +166,10 @@
     <string name="detail_item_download_info_download_failed_expired">download failed, link expired</string>
     <string name="detail_item_download_info_download_failed_expires_x">download failed, link expires %1$s</string>
 
+    <!-- Detail activity: Message bar -->
+    <string name="detail_message_bar_hint">Type a message here</string>
+    <string name="detail_message_bar_empty_message">Type a message first</string>
+
     <!-- Detail activity: Action bar -->
     <string name="detail_menu_notifications_enabled">Notifications on</string>
     <string name="detail_menu_notifications_disabled_forever">Notifications muted</string>
diff --git a/app/src/main/res/values/styles.xml b/app/src/main/res/values/styles.xml
index 4f0902d..65047ca 100644
--- a/app/src/main/res/values/styles.xml
+++ b/app/src/main/res/values/styles.xml
@@ -30,4 +30,9 @@
         <item name="cornerFamily">rounded</item>
         <item name="cornerSize">5dp</item>
     </style>
+
+    <style name="MessageInputBox" parent="Widget.MaterialComponents.TextInputLayout.OutlinedBox.Dense">
+        <item name="boxBackgroundColor">@color/white</item>
+        <item name="boxStrokeColor">@color/white</item>
+    </style>
 </resources>