I am developing a React Native app using Expo (with expo-router for navigation), and I need to handle the back navigation for:

1. Android - Hardware back button press

2. iOS - Back gesture (swipe from left)

3. Web - Browser back button

I want to achieve a unified way to handle back navigation for all platforms, ensuring a smooth user experience.

• For Android: Used BackHandler from react-native

  import { useEffect } from "react";
  import { BackHandler } from "react-native";
  import { useRouter } from "expo-router";
  
  const useBackHandler = () => {
    const router = useRouter();
  
    useEffect(() => {
      const onBackPress = () => {
        router.back();
        return true; // Prevent default behavior
      };
  
      BackHandler.addEventListener("hardwareBackPress", onBackPress);
  
      return () => BackHandler.removeEventListener("hardwareBackPress", onBackPress);
    }, []);
  
    return null;
  };
  
  export default useBackHandler;
  
  

  1. However, this only works for Android.

  2. For Web: Tried using useEffect to listen for the popstate event, but it doesn't integrate well with expo-router.

  3. For iOS: The back gesture works automatically, but I need to detect and possibly control it programmatically.

     Questions:

     1. What is the best way to handle all three cases (Android, iOS, Web) in a unified way while using expo-router?

     2. Is there an Expo-specific solution that integrates well with the navigation system?

     3. How can I listen to the iOS back gesture and Web back button properly while ensuring navigation works as expected?

     Any guidance or best practices would be highly appreciated!