Android: have back-button close tab instead of exit/minimize app

Feature requests
1

Use case or problem

On Android, I often go back to previous notes with the back-button as it is fast and acessible.
Sometimes (e.g. opening a link in a new tab) the back-button behavior changes in Obsidian. it going back is not possible (new tab) it offers to close the app on a second press of the back-button.
Instead, I think it would be more useful to close the tab instead and go back to the previously active tab.
This would be more consistent with a back-key behavior.

Proposed solution

Make the back-key close the tab if no further back-history exists. (or make this an option)

Current workaround (optional)

I try to not work in tabs at all to keep the back-button behavior consistent.
Unfortunately, opening links in Excalidraw will always open in a new tab if no modifiers are held.

Related feature requests (optional)

bug-more-consistent-back-navigation-on-android/26296
request-change-backbutton-behavior-on-android/17513

8 Likes
5

Will be implemented in V1.9.5/6

1 Like
6

What was implemented in 1.9.5 was

Android: Pressing the ‘back’ button to exit the app now minimizes instead of quitting.

That is not what this feature request is asking for, so it shouldn’t be marked as solved.

This feature request should be marked as solved:
Make it that the two back button does not close the mobile app (android ) - Feature requests - Obsidian Forum

1 Like
7

My bad, I marked the wrong one.

8

Any update on this?

This feature alone is making want to stop using this.

I’ve been a user for a year. And the back button minimizing the app or closing the app is the most frustrating thing about it.

Muscle memory using the back button on my phone is not easy to change when it’s been a thing for many years.

I just want it to go back to the notes list. Not close the app.

1 Like
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The back button in android usually works like described in this thread. Web browsers work like this:

  1. Click on link to open new tab
  2. New tab opens
  3. Pressing back button closes the newly opened tab and returns to the previous tab
  4. If back button is pressed when only a single tab is open, the browser closes the tab and exits/minimizes the app

Virtually all browsers on Android work this way and it is indeed drilled into everyone’s muscle memory. I have used Obsidian on mobile for over a year and have still not gotten used to how this is currently handled.

A concrete use case in Obsidian for this is having a pinned “dashboard” markdown file. It contains links to my most used notes. I want to click on link, have a new tab open and once I am done with the tab press backward so that this tab closes and I come back to my pinned tab.

The new tab switcher is really nice BTW!

1 Like
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(post deleted by author)