When the format bar is at the top of the message it is always visible - but harder to reach while typing. Not ideal.
When the bar is located at the bottom of the message - and is therefore easier to reach right above the keyboard - it is only visible for the first few lines of text. As your message advances beyond those first few lines - and the message box expands in size - the format bar disappears, as if hidden under the keyboard. You have to swipe up on the message box a bit to make it reappear, only to have it disappear again as the typing advances to another line.
Very annoying if you use the formatting features a lot. Can't the formatting bar be made persistent at the bottom like it is at the top?
And I'm not sure what the "floating format bar" setting is supposed to do. On my phone there doesn't seem to be any difference whether that box is checked or not. The format bar doesn't float, and it still gets hidden.
I'm on a Samsung Galaxy S10+, Android 12, Google Keyboard (GBoard), with the number row always visible in the keyboard - which makes it a little taller (if that makes a difference)
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