https://www.tomsguide.com/how-to/how-to-use-back-button-history-on-iphone [click thru for illustrations]

This hidden iPhone navigation feature is simple but genius — here’s how to use it

By Richard Priday, published October 7, 2022

Your iPhone’s back button hides this intuitive feature

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Diving into your iPhone’s settings or into the various options in your apps can mean you’re a long way away from where you started. And that means a lot of back taps to get you back there, right?

That doesn’t have to be the case when you have the familiar back button in the top left corner of your iPhone. Since at least iOS 14, you can get a list of the previous menus you’ve been through with a long tap, making it much simpler to move through stacked layers of an app like Settings or Files.

You can likely try this out right away from just that description, but if you want some more guidance, read on below to see exactly how it works.

How to use back button history on iOS 

1. When in an app like Settings, tap and hold the back button in the top left corner.

2. You’ll then get a list of all the menus you navigated through to get to that point. Slide your finger to the place you want to go, and you’ll then go there once you release.

Here’s a GIF showing what the process looks like in real time

3. Want to check the menu options before committing? Slide your finger off the menu to the left or right, or to the bottom of the list, then release it when none of the options are highlighted. This will let you then scan the different options without choosing one. When you’re ready, tap the one you want to zip straight there.

And that’s all you need to know, go have fun zipping around some iPhone menus!