What Is the View Transitions API in Angular 21?

The View Transitions API is a browser feature that allows web apps to animate between different UI states—such as page navigations, route changes, or component updates—without writing heavy, custom animation logic.

Angular 21 now supports this API natively, bringing smooth, modern transitions used in high-end apps like YouTube, Twitter (X), and Instagram.

🔍 Why Was the View Transitions API Added?

Before Angular 21:

Page transitions required manual animations
Route transitions were complex to coordinate
Developers relied on heavy animation libraries
UI updates often felt abrupt

The View Transitions API solves all of this by giving Angular built-in, browser-powered transitions.

⚡ What Can You Do With View Transitions in Angular 21?

1. Animate Page Navigations Effortlessly

Example:
When navigating between routes, Angular can crossfade or slide the UI automatically.

2. Animate Component State Changes

For example:

Expanding a product card
Switching layouts
Opening menus
Moving elements

All transitions become smoother and more natural.

3. Zero-JavaScript Required

Angular simply taps into the browser’s native rendering pipeline.

📘 Simple Example of Using View Transitions

import { Component } from '@angular/core';

@Component({
  selector: 'app-profile',
  standalone: true,
  template: `
    <button (click)="toggle()">Toggle View</button>
    <div [@viewTransition]="state">{{ state }}</div>
  `
})
export class ProfileComponent {
  state = 'A';

  toggle() {
    document.startViewTransition(() => {
      this.state = this.state === 'A' ? 'B' : 'A';
    });
  }
}

What happens:

Browser freezes the old view
Calculates the new view
Animates the visual difference

This results in silky-smooth UI updates.

🧠 Why Is This a Big Deal for Angular Developers?

✔ Modern, polished UX

Animations now feel native, fluid, and app-like.

✔ Less code

You don’t need complex Angular animation definitions.

✔ Browser-optimized

Transitions run at 60fps, even on weaker devices.

✔ Framework-level routing support

Angular 21 integrates the API with the router for seamless navigation transitions.

📈 Best Use Cases for View Transitions

Page-to-page animations
Product list → product detail
Gallery navigation
Layout switches (grid ↔ list)
Modal transitions
Reacting to small state changes

Any app with UI interactions will feel more modern.

⚠️ Browser Support

The View Transitions API works on:

Chrome
Edge
Android browsers
Safari (partial, improving)

Angular automatically falls back gracefully on unsupported browsers.

💡 Final Thoughts

The View Transitions API in Angular 21 brings world-class animations with minimal code.
Your app immediately feels smoother, faster, and more modern—without requiring any animation expertise.

🔗 View More Angular 21 Updates

https://savanka.com/category/news/angular-21-features

🔗 Source

http://angular.dev/