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One navigation paradigm I miss on iOS that is very consistent on Android (and all desktop browsers including some desktop apps like Spotify) is the back button.

One navigation paradigm I miss on iOS that is very consistent on Android (and all desktop browsers including some desktop apps like Spotify) is the back button. The strong touch - a completely new and unoccupied mode of interaction could have been consistently used to "go back", regardless of context.

nothrabannosir 7y ago
Swiping the whole screen left to right is a pretty consistent back action on iOS. Coming from Android, it seemed a decent transition.
yoz-y 7y ago
I feel that the back button is only consistent in its position but its functionality remains a mystery to me. Sometimes it goes to a previous page, sometimes to another app, sometimes to the home screen... I like that on iOS this is separated between the "go back to previous app/swiping on home indicator" and app specific buttons. Fortunately Android 10 has introduced gestures so trying to reach the back button is no longer painful.
- basch 7y ago
  theres one pattern, opening google photos, pressing share, choosing facebook messenger, sending a photo to a group that ALWAYS causes messenger to get stuck at the share screen. pressing back minimizes fbm but doesnt back out of share, so when you reopen the app, you are buried back at that deep share page. (one may ask why you would ever do it this way, with android 10 many apps couldnt access the device photos directly. even though its fixed, this still serves as an repeatable example of 'back' being confusing and broken.) the inconsistency of the back button ranks very high on my "ios to android" learning curve list.
jorvi 7y ago
> that is very consistent on Android I'm pretty confused by this statement since a near universal complaint about the Android back button is that it's more like a 'shuffle' button that chooses between going a screen back, going back to the previous app, undoing an action or exiting an app. And there is zero clarity on which of those it will do.

nothrabannosir 7y ago

Swiping the whole screen left to right is a pretty consistent back action on iOS. Coming from Android, it seemed a decent transition.

yoz-y 7y ago

I feel that the back button is only consistent in its position but its functionality remains a mystery to me. Sometimes it goes to a previous page, sometimes to another app, sometimes to the home screen... I like that on iOS this is separated between the "go back to previous app/swiping on home indicator" and app specific buttons. Fortunately Android 10 has introduced gestures so trying to reach the back button is no longer painful.

basch 7y ago
theres one pattern, opening google photos, pressing share, choosing facebook messenger, sending a photo to a group that ALWAYS causes messenger to get stuck at the share screen. pressing back minimizes fbm but doesnt back out of share, so when you reopen the app, you are buried back at that deep share page. (one may ask why you would ever do it this way, with android 10 many apps couldnt access the device photos directly. even though its fixed, this still serves as an repeatable example of 'back' being confusing and broken.) the inconsistency of the back button ranks very high on my "ios to android" learning curve list.

jorvi 7y ago

> that is very consistent on Android I'm pretty confused by this statement since a near universal complaint about the Android back button is that it's more like a 'shuffle' button that chooses between going a screen back, going back to the previous app, undoing an action or exiting an app. And there is zero clarity on which of those it will do.