iOS 26 Tweaks Back Gesture to Make Navigation Easier on Bigger iPhones

[MacRumors]

In iOS 26 beta 1, Apple has seemingly tweaked the swipe-to-go-back gesture to make it easier to navigate screens on bigger iPhones.

In iOS 18, many apps allow you to navigate back to the previous screen by swiping with your thumb from the left edge of the display. This is generally easier than tapping a back button in the top-left corner, especially if you're navigating with one hand.

However, to trigger the gesture, you need to start swiping from the very edge of the screen, which is harder if you have small hands or you're using a larger device like an iPhone 16 Pro Max.

To make things easier in iOS 26, you no longer have to start the rightward swipe at the very edge of the screen. Now you can start the gesture from anywhere, like the middle of the display. Providing you're not thumbing an interactive UI element, the swipe-to-go-back gesture will still be triggered.

Currently the gesture works in many system apps including Settings, Contacts, Music, and the App Store. It also seems to work in some third-party apps, although support is likely to expand once developers update their apps in time for the release of iOS 26 in the fall.


Article Link: iOS 26 Tweaks Back Gesture to Make Navigation Easier on Bigger iPhones

 

[t0rqx]

This will shut the iPhone-mini supporters 😂

 

[Aoligei]

RIP, mini iPhone.

 

[mystery hill]

This will make it easier to swipe back if you have a foldable iPhone.

 

[arobert3434]

I sure hope this isn't as easy to trigger accidentally when trying to scroll and just wiggling a bit as on some apps that already implement this themselves.

 

[iZac]

Implementing the current swipe back API should be a specific requirement for all apps with a back button in the top left corner. Not sure if this new one will be easy to accidentally trigger though.

 

[klasma]

This will make it easier to swipe back if you have a foldable iPhone.

Or a bezelless glass phone.

 

[klasma]

Does it also work for swipe-forward?

 

[Populus]

This raises some concerns on me…

There are instances where you just need to swipe right, or left (no, I’m not thinking about dating apps specifically) on the interface, even without buttons, and this could trigger a “back” action. Like, say you’re in a webpage wider than your screen, for whatever reason, it’s not fully progressive, your zoom is wrong, you’re using the desktop view, whatever. And you swipe to move laterally. Would then you go back?

 

[iToph]

Not in safari though

 

[mystery hill]

Like, say you’re in a webpage wider than your screen

Safari still requires the gesture from the edge of the display on iOS 26.

 

[Karnicopia]

Why is the back button on the top of the screen anyway? Seems like this is a solution to a problem that Apple created. Just move navigation buttons to the bottom of the screen so everything is easy to reach with your thumb.

 

[Shifts]

It is kind of funny (the joke is on me, I know) that I didn't know of the swipe from left until this fix came. 🙈

 

[turbineseaplane]

Or, you could make, you know .... a "smaller phone" too.

 

[toodeep]

I and likely many others prioritise single-handing a phone, i.e. drive with a thumb. Apple can make phones small enough but until iOS offers a practical back gesture I'll stick with alternatives. Apple: just implement the Android gesture, from either side of the screen to support lefties & righties, and depreciate apps that don't support it.

 

[Octothorpe]

So now when I swipe right, instead of going onto my next girlfriend, I go back to my ex.

 

[Ctrlos]

Trust Apple to take a very simple thing from Android and overcomplicate it on iOS

 

[victorvictoria]

This WWDC was the lamest, most boring one I've ever seen. And I've been watching since Jobs returned to run Apple. All I saw were tweaks to existing apps. Tweaking Back gesture? This is what's going to get people to buy a new phone? I might, but unless there's some real innovation, it might not be an Apple phone.

Apple used to lead. Now all they do is play catch up with Android.

 

[iambence17]

This is a nightmare in Mail…

 

[glsillygili]

I hope this isn't as sensitive Twitter where I constantly go back accidentally

 

[toodeep]

This WWDC was the lamest, most boring one I've ever seen. And I've been watching since Jobs returned to run Apple. All I saw were tweaks to existing apps. Tweaking Back gesture? This is what's going to get people to buy a new phone? I might, but unless there's some real innovation, it might not be an Apple phone.

Apple used to lead. Now all they do is play catch up with Android.

Done right it could get me to buy an iPhone given that I'm otherwise so invested in the Apple ecosystem, but Android is currently simply so much more usable for me.

 

[bluecoast]

Are there still controls at the top of the screen anywhere does anyone know ? I thought this was going to be the version that finally did away with them.

 

[svish]

Nice. Though I am not facing any issues to swipe back on my 15 Pro Max, it should be helpful nonetheless.

 

[ATmahe]

This will break the functionality of some apps, which open the menu if you swipe like this.

 

[ifxf]

Just let me disable it, 100% of the time it happens when I don’t want it.