What is the hype around the Windows Phone 8 back button?

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I know how to implement the back button. My question is about the desired behaviour (as I experienced there is a hype around it that the good implementation of back button is required to sell the app in the store).

There is the official source: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windowsphone/develop/ff402536(v=vs.105).aspx#BKMK_BackButton

But I have never used a WP8 for more than 5 minutes. I understood that the "Windows" button/key is the same as android home and ios home buttons. Is it true, that the WP8 back should be the same as the android back? (Briefly navigate back through pages (screens/activities), dismiss alerts or cancel confirm popups, or if it is the first/only/final page/activity, the app should exit.)

As I experienced, there is a long-press on the back button, which brings up the app switcher (~ios double home). Is it true that I should not take care about of this button? Is the default behavoiur the same for the remaining buttons (windows, power off, camera (half and full), search)? Should I override them? Can I override them (I think I can use camera, but can I use volume controls for other purposes)?

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windows-phone-7windows-phone-8

1 Answers

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The certification requirements lay out what the back button should do pretty well. In short, it sounds like how you described the Android back button - here are the relevant requirements:

(5.2.4.1) Pressing the Back button must return the app to the previous page or return to any previous page within the back stack.

(5.2.4.2) Pressing the Back button from the first screen of an app must close the app.

(5.2.4.3) If the current page displays a context menu or a dialog, the pressing of the Back button must close the menu or dialog and return the user to the screen where the context menu or dialog box was opened.

You don't have to handle triggering the long-press, nor do you need to handle navigation specifically (assuming you're using the NavigationService for page navigation.)

You can definitely override the camera button, but search, power, and volume are off limits.