Android system back button problem

App users on Android that hit the system “back” button lose whatever they’re working on in a form without warning. Is there a fix for this? I’m dealing with very not-tech-savvy users, and there’s no way to stop them from doing it.

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  • UX
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Steve
Participant V

Not without entirely changing how your users enter data; the behavior you’re describing is how forms work. To get around it, you would have to collect input using QuickEdit columns in a detail view, which would save each column’s value as the user moves between input columns. To use this approach, though, the row would have to exist prior to any user input. You would also lose features of forms, like multiple pages and on-save actions.

I really need to get an Android phone to test on. Between what a user said today, and this post, I’m clueless about the differences in true functionality between the two phones. I didn’t know Android users have a separate back button.

Kind of what I was afraid of. This may not be the appropriate venue, but I would suggest considering “trapping” the system back button and have it behave like the in-app back button, so that the app would at least generate a warning dialog before losing data.

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