diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 27f8fc7..502a7d2 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -31,6 +31,8 @@ For proxies the recommended setup is to create one game object per screen and pe
 * **Popup (boolean)** - Check this if the screen should be treated as a [popup](#popups).
 * **Popup on Popup (boolean)** - Check this if the screen is a [popup](#popups) and it can be shown on top of other popups.
 * **Timestep below Popup (number)** - Timestep to set on screen proxy when it is below a popup. This is useful when pausing animations and gameplay while a popup is open.
+* **Screen Keeps Input Focus When Below Popup (boolean)** - Check this if the screen should keep input focus when it is below a popup.
+* **Others Keep Input Focus When Below Screen (boolean)** - Check this if other screens should keep input focus when below this screen.
 * **Transition Url (url)** - Optional URL to post messages to when the screen is about to be shown/hidden. Use this to trigger a transition (see the section on [transitions](#transitions)).
 * **Focus Url (url)** - Optional URL to post messages to when the screen gains or loses focus (see the section on [screen focus](#screen-focus-gainloss)).
 * **Receiver Url (url)** - Optional URL to post messages to using `monarch.post()`.
@@ -45,6 +47,8 @@ For factories the recommended setup is to create one game object per screen and
 * **Screen Id (hash)** - A unique id that can be used to reference the screen when navigating your app.
 * **Popup (boolean)** - Check this if the screen should be treated as a [popup](#popups).
 * **Popup on Popup (boolean)** - Check this if the screen is a [popup](#popups) and it can be shown on top of other popups.
+* **Screen Keeps Input Focus When Below Popup (boolean)** - Check this if the screen should keep input focus when it is below a popup.
+* **Others Keep Input Focus When Below Screen (boolean)** - Check this if other screens should keep input focus when below this screen.
 * **Transition Id (hash)** - Optional id of the game object to send a message to when the screen is about to be shown/hidden. Use this to trigger a transition (see the section on [transitions](#transitions)).
 * **Focus Id (hash)** - Optional id of the game object to send a message to when the screen gains or loses focus (see the section on [screen focus](#screen-focus-gainloss)).
 * **Preload (boolean)** - Check this if the screen should be preloaded and kept loaded at all times. For a collection factory this means that its resources will be dynamically loaded at all times. This can also temporarily be achieved through the `monarch.preload()` function.
@@ -114,7 +118,8 @@ You navigate back in the screen hierarchy in one of two ways:
 
 
 ## Input focus
-Monarch will acquire and release input focus on the game objects containing the proxies to the screens and ensure that only the top-most screen will ever have input focus.
+Monarch will acquire and release input focus on the game objects containing the proxies to the screens and ensure that only the top-most screen will ever have input focus. The screen settings above provide a `Screen Keeps Input Focus When Below Popup` and `Others Keep Input Focus When Below Screen` setting to override this behavior so that a screen can continue to have focus. This is useful when you have for instance a tabbed popup where the tabs are in a root screen and the content of the individual tabs are separate screens. In this case you want the tabs to have input as well as the tab content.
+
 
 ## Popups
 A screen that is flagged as a popup (see [list of screen properties](#creating-screens) above) will be treated slightly differently when it comes to navigation.
diff --git a/example/example.collection b/example/example.collection
index 5877fc8..6193b2e 100644
--- a/example/example.collection
+++ b/example/example.collection
@@ -359,6 +359,11 @@ embedded_instances {
   "    type: PROPERTY_TYPE_BOOLEAN\n"
   "  }\n"
   "  properties {\n"
+  "    id: \"others_keep_input_focus_when_below_screen\"\n"
+  "    value: \"true\"\n"
+  "    type: PROPERTY_TYPE_BOOLEAN\n"
+  "  }\n"
+  "  properties {\n"
   "    id: \"transition_url\"\n"
   "    value: \"confirm:/go#confirm\"\n"
   "    type: PROPERTY_TYPE_URL\n"
diff --git a/game.project b/game.project
index 8601249..c3b70c0 100644
--- a/game.project
+++ b/game.project
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ version = 0.9
 dependencies = https://github.com/britzl/deftest/archive/2.7.0.zip
 
 [bootstrap]
-main_collection = /test/test.collectionc
+main_collection = /example/example.collectionc
 
 [input]
 game_binding = /input/game.input_bindingc
diff --git a/monarch/monarch.lua b/monarch/monarch.lua
index 096442f..8bf35ce 100644
--- a/monarch/monarch.lua
+++ b/monarch/monarch.lua
@@ -150,6 +150,8 @@ local function register(id, settings)
 		popup = settings and settings.popup,
 		popup_on_popup = settings and settings.popup_on_popup,
 		timestep_below_popup = settings and settings.timestep_below_popup or 1,
+		screen_keeps_input_focus_when_below_popup = settings and settings.screen_keeps_input_focus_when_below_popup or false,
+		others_keep_input_focus_when_below_screen = settings and settings.others_keep_input_focus_when_below_screen or false,
 		preload_listeners = {},
 	}
 	return screens[id]
@@ -166,13 +168,17 @@ end
 -- 		* popup - true the screen is a popup
 --		* popup_on_popup - true if this popup can be shown on top of
 --		  another popup or false if an underlying popup should be closed
+--		* timestep_below_popup - Timestep to set on proxy when below a popup
+--		* screen_keeps_input_focus_when_below_popup - If this screen should
+--		  keep input focus when below a popup
+--		* others_keep_input_focus_when_below_screen - If screens below this
+--		  screen should keep input focus
 -- 		* transition_url - URL to a script that is responsible for the
 --		  screen transitions
 -- 		* focus_url - URL to a script that is to be notified of focus
 --		  lost/gained events
 --		* receiver_url - URL to a script that is to receive messages sent
 --		  using monarch.send()
---		* timestep_below_popup - Timestep to set on proxy when below a popup
 --		* auto_preload - true if the screen should be automatically preloaded
 function M.register_proxy(id, proxy, settings)
 	assert(proxy, "You must provide a collection proxy URL")
@@ -200,6 +206,10 @@ M.register = M.register_proxy
 -- 		* popup - true the screen is a popup
 --		* popup_on_popup - true if this popup can be shown on top of
 --		  another popup or false if an underlying popup should be closed
+--		* screen_keeps_input_focus_when_below_popup - If this screen should
+--		  keep input focus when below a popup
+--		* others_keep_input_focus_when_below_screen - If screens below this
+--		  screen should keep input focus
 -- 		* transition_id - Id of the game object in the collection that is responsible
 --		  for the screen transitions
 -- 		* focus_id - Id of the game object in the collection that is to be notified
@@ -241,17 +251,25 @@ local function acquire_input(screen)
 	end
 end
 
-local function release_input(screen)
+local function release_input(screen, next_screen)
 	log("release_input()", screen.id)
 	if screen.input then
-		if screen.proxy then
-			msg.post(screen.script, RELEASE_INPUT_FOCUS)
-		elseif screen.factory then
-			for id,instance in pairs(screen.factory_ids) do
-				msg.post(instance, RELEASE_INPUT_FOCUS)
+		local next_is_popup = next_screen and next_screen.popup
+
+		local keep_if_next_is_popup = next_is_popup and screen.screen_keeps_input_focus_when_below_popup
+		local keep_when_below_next = next_screen and next_screen.others_keep_input_focus_when_below_screen
+
+		local release_focus = not keep_if_next_is_popup and not keep_when_below_next
+		if release_focus then
+			if screen.proxy then
+				msg.post(screen.script, RELEASE_INPUT_FOCUS)
+			elseif screen.factory then
+				for id,instance in pairs(screen.factory_ids) do
+					msg.post(instance, RELEASE_INPUT_FOCUS)
+				end
 			end
+			screen.input = false
 		end
-		screen.input = false
 	end
 end
 
@@ -414,9 +432,10 @@ end
 
 local function disable(screen, next_screen)
 	log("disable()", screen.id)
+	local next_is_popup = next_screen and next_screen.popup
 	run_coroutine(screen, nil, function()
 		change_context(screen)
-		release_input(screen)
+		release_input(screen, next_screen)
 		focus_lost(screen, next_screen)
 		if next_screen and next_screen.popup then
 			change_timestep(screen)
@@ -442,7 +461,7 @@ local function show_out(screen, next_screen, cb)
 		active_transition_count = active_transition_count + 1
 		notify_transition_listeners(M.SCREEN_TRANSITION_OUT_STARTED, { screen = screen.id, next_screen = next_screen.id })
 		change_context(screen)
-		release_input(screen)
+		release_input(screen, next_screen)
 		focus_lost(screen, next_screen)
 		reset_timestep(screen)
 		-- if the next screen is a popup we want the current screen to stay visible below the popup
@@ -512,7 +531,7 @@ local function back_out(screen, next_screen, cb)
 		notify_transition_listeners(M.SCREEN_TRANSITION_OUT_STARTED, { screen = screen.id, next_screen = next_screen and next_screen.id })
 		active_transition_count = active_transition_count + 1
 		change_context(screen)
-		release_input(screen)
+		release_input(screen, next_screen)
 		focus_lost(screen, next_screen)
 		if next_screen and screen.popup then
 			reset_timestep(next_screen)
diff --git a/monarch/screen_factory.script b/monarch/screen_factory.script
index 03d1a1c..15b515e 100644
--- a/monarch/screen_factory.script
+++ b/monarch/screen_factory.script
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@ go.property("screen_factory", msg.url("#collectionfactory"))
 go.property("screen_id", hash("UNIQUE ID HERE"))
 go.property("popup", false)
 go.property("popup_on_popup", false)
+go.property("screen_keeps_input_focus_when_below_popup", false)
+go.property("others_keep_input_focus_when_below_screen", false)
 go.property("transition_id", hash(""))
 go.property("focus_id", hash(""))
 go.property("preload", false)
@@ -17,6 +19,8 @@ function init(self)
 	local settings = {
 		popup = self.popup,
 		popup_on_popup = self.popup_on_popup,
+		screen_keeps_input_focus_when_below_popup = self.screen_keeps_input_focus_when_below_popup,
+		others_keep_input_focus_when_below_screen = self.others_keep_input_focus_when_below_screen,
 		transition_id = self.transition_id,
 		focus_id = self.focus_id,
 		auto_preload = self.preload,
diff --git a/monarch/screen_proxy.script b/monarch/screen_proxy.script
index c48651c..d6ce5ea 100644
--- a/monarch/screen_proxy.script
+++ b/monarch/screen_proxy.script
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ go.property("screen_id", hash("UNIQUE ID HERE"))
 go.property("popup", false)
 go.property("popup_on_popup", false)
 go.property("timestep_below_popup", 1)
+go.property("screen_keeps_input_focus_when_below_popup", false)
+go.property("others_keep_input_focus_when_below_screen", false)
 go.property("transition_url", msg.url())
 go.property("focus_url", msg.url())
 go.property("receiver_url", msg.url())
@@ -25,6 +27,8 @@ function init(self)
 		focus_url = self.focus_url ~= url and self.focus_url or nil,
 		receiver_url = self.receiver_url ~= url and self.receiver_url or nil,
 		timestep_below_popup = self.timestep_below_popup,
+		screen_keeps_input_focus_when_below_popup = self.screen_keeps_input_focus_when_below_popup,
+		others_keep_input_focus_when_below_screen = self.others_keep_input_focus_when_below_screen,
 		auto_preload = self.preload,
 	}