diff --git a/src/components/mentions.tsx b/src/components/mentions.tsx
index 47a5c71..15e911d 100644
--- a/src/components/mentions.tsx
+++ b/src/components/mentions.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import React, { FC, useMemo, useRef, useState } from 'react';
+import React, { FC, MutableRefObject, useMemo, useRef, useState } from 'react';
 import {
   NativeSyntheticEvent,
   Text,
@@ -267,7 +267,14 @@ const Mentions: FC<MentionsProps> = (
 
   const handleTextInputRef = (ref: TextInput) => {
     textInput.current = ref as TextInput;
-    if (propInputRef) propInputRef.current = ref as TextInput;
+
+    if (propInputRef) {
+      if (typeof propInputRef === 'function') {
+        propInputRef(ref);
+      } else {
+        (propInputRef as MutableRefObject<TextInput>).current = ref as TextInput;
+      }
+    }
   };
 
   return (
diff --git a/src/types/types.ts b/src/types/types.ts
index f0fa0d6..1a86a26 100644
--- a/src/types/types.ts
+++ b/src/types/types.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
+import { ReactNode, Ref } from 'react';
 import { StyleProp, TextInput, TextInputProps, TextStyle, ViewStyle } from 'react-native';
-import { MutableRefObject, ReactNode } from 'react';
 
 type Suggestion = {
   id: string;
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ type MentionsProps = Omit<TextInputProps, 'onChange'> & {
   // Should we add a space after selected mentions if the mention is at the end of row
   isInsertSpaceAfterMention?: boolean;
 
-  inputRef?: MutableRefObject<TextInput | null>;
+  inputRef?: Ref<TextInput>;
 
   mentionTextStyle?: StyleProp<TextStyle>;