iPhone Needs a Back Button
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Apple invented “right click” for the smartphones, but they seem to be struggling with the “go back” feature.
Does iPhone really need a back button?
This is my first post, so my words are not going to appeal to anyone. BUT, above is Apple introducing a new back button in iOS 9.
So yes, iPhone needed one, and now it sort of has one. It’s not perfect, and when Apple decides to introduce something that is not perfect, it means they really need it.
So what’s wrong with this back button in the status bar?
- It breaks everything you taught your users: It’s on the status bar.
- It’s too small: According to Apple itself, interactive elements should not be smaller than 44 x 44 points.
- It’s on the top left corner: The worst area in a screen to place an interactive element.
- It’s not consistent: See below.
Just within one app (Mail, in this case), you need to go back differently base on what kind of “go back” it is.
Swipe to go back? It doesn’t always work. And, if you have a case on (even the official Apple case), it’s even harder to use.
Solution
Here is my solution: Double tap home button to go back.
Using a real button is the ultimate way to keep the go back experience consistent, just like how you always press the home button to go home. While a button can be creatively used (imaging swiping or long-pressing it), double tap seems to be the second intuitive way to use a button.
Currently, double tap is used for pulling the screen down for reachability. I don’t have data to show how popular this feature is, but to me, going back easily is more important than not being able to reach the upper part of a screen.
Double Tap to Go Back for the new iPhone?
I don’t know, I don’t work for Apple. The iPhone 7 could have no button, ten buttons, a built-in private jet, you never know. To me, this new status bar back button that they have right now seems like a temporary solution for Apple, so they might be working on something better. We will see.
