Back Button on Android is Finally Fixed!

[mackid1993 1,236]

They finally fixed the back button on Android in 10.64. Thank you @Federico Simionato for listening to your customers and implementing changes based on feedback. That is most appreciated!

[Dave-in-Decatur 4,006]

Actually, I was getting used to having a choice of actions between the system and app (top left) back buttons. Sigh. Fixed, broke, depends on your point of view.

[Kayla Gao 17]

thank god
I will consider subscribing back

[mackid1993 1,236]

1 hour ago, Dave-in-Decatur said:

Actually, I was getting used to having a choice of actions between the system and app (top left) back buttons. Sigh. Fixed, broke, depends on your point of view.

Technically now it works like every other android app which is great for muscle memory especially if you use gesture navigation.

[Paul A. 675]

3 hours ago, mackid1993 said:

Technically now it works like every other android app which is great for muscle memory especially if you use gesture navigation.

Agreed, this is how all Android apps are supposed to work and I'm glad they made it match Android design guidelines. Sadly, the back gesture still doesn't exit an (unedited) note in edit mode, unless I gesture 2-3 times in a row quickly. Also, Android app still has the following issues:

1. Gboard capitalization
2. No support for app shortcuts from launcher
3. "Copy internal link" on Android actually creates a web link
4. More text deleted than should be [This bug has popped up and been fixed many times over the years. Specific reproducible steps tend to vary, but I'm definitely seeing some variant of this bug in the latest version.]

[mackid1993 1,236]

The issue with the keyboard popping up over and over again when hitting back in edit mode is annoying for sure.

[Dave-in-Decatur 4,006]

2 hours ago, Paul A. said:

Sadly, the back gesture still doesn't exit an (unedited) note in edit mode, unless I gesture 2-3 times in a row quickly.

Actually, I just tested this and it seems rational: back once to exit the keyboard (the Android back button is a "down" button when the keyboard is active), a second time to exit Edit mode, and a third time to exit the note. Guaranteed that if a single tap on back exited the note when in Edit mode, people (including me) would be in here objecting.

[Dave-in-Decatur 4,006]

2 hours ago, Paul A. said:

1. Gboard capitalization
2. No support for app shortcuts from launcher
3. "Copy internal link" on Android actually creates a web link
4. More text deleted than should be [This bug has popped up and been fixed many times over the years. Specific reproducible steps tend to vary, but I'm definitely seeing some variant of this bug in the latest version.]

I think #4 is also a Gboard issue, or at least is keyboard specific; I don't see it using Smart Keyboard Pro.

#2 is no longer an issue (the last post in that thread is over a year, and 20 app versions, old). The widget shown below has links to open Evernote, create a text, photo, recording, or reminder note, and to search, and each does just what it should. This is Evernote Android 10.64 on Android 14, but the widget has been there for a long time.

#3 is another case where different methods yield different results: "Copy internal link" does indeed create and copy a Web-type link (so the terminology is wrong); the blue + button has a Note Link option, which inserts an Evernote:///view link, which can be a link to the current note, and can be copied to clipboard if desired. OK, OK, that's a kludge; but at least it is possible to generate both a Web link and an "internal"/app link, as the desktop and Web clients can do. Agreed, though, it would be good if the options were as clear as in desktop and Web.

[mackid1993 1,236]

I'm just happy when I use my back gesture Evernote doesn't quit. It made the Android app nearly useless for my workflow.

[Paul A. 675]

2 hours ago, Dave-in-Decatur said:

Actually, I just tested this and it seems rational: back once to exit the keyboard (the Android back button is a "down" button when the keyboard is active), a second time to exit Edit mode, and a third time to exit the note. Guaranteed that if a single tap on back exited the note when in Edit mode, people (including me) would be in here objecting.

Interesting; it doesn't work this way for me. When I do a single swipe back from a note in edit mode the keyboard briefly folds down out of sight then the keyboard quickly reappears, and the note remains in edit mode. It also causes the phone to create a single "tap" of haptic feedback.

[Paul A. 675]

6 hours ago, Dave-in-Decatur said:

I think #4 is also a Gboard issue, or at least is keyboard specific; I don't see it using Smart Keyboard Pro.

If so, they need to get some Android devices with Gboard and start testing them thoroughly. Because the Gboard-related issues are legion, more than three years into the "v10" era of Evernote.

6 hours ago, Dave-in-Decatur said:

#2 is no longer an issue

It's absolutely still an issue. At some point people give up raising the issue when there's zero movement at all, but it doesn't mean the issue has gone away. Almost every single app on my home screen allows me to long press on the launcher icon and gain access to useful shortcuts without having a large widget permanently taking up space on the screen. Evernote on Android pre-v10 used to support this, and it was very useful to quickly launch into a new note to take down some information, or to immediately take a photo to insert into Evernote or record a voice note.

For anyone who hasn't clicked the link, here's how it looked pre-Evernote-v10:

 

And the frustrating thing is this shouldn't be some big coding project that has to be prioritized and resources allocated. It's basic Android functionality and should be trivially easy to implement.

6 hours ago, Dave-in-Decatur said:

the blue + button has a Note Link option, which inserts an Evernote:///view link, which can be a link to the current note, and can be copied to clipboard if desired. OK, OK, that's a kludge

Yes a kludge but good to know it's available. Still, this is something so small and simple. The other items are many times more important to me, I mention this because it's lingered for so long and just seems symptomatic of the lack of care and attention to the Android mobile app for years.

[Dave-in-Decatur 4,006]

On 1/9/2024 at 9:01 PM, Paul A. said:

Almost every single app on my home screen allows me to long press on the launcher icon and gain access to useful shortcuts without having a large widget permanently taking up space on the screen. Evernote on Android pre-v10 used to support this, and it was very useful to quickly launch into a new note to take down some information, or to immediately take a photo to insert into Evernote or record a voice note.

For anyone who hasn't clicked the link, here's how it looked pre-Evernote-v10:

My bad, I misunderstood (and didn't look carefully enough at the screenshot). In all honesty, I use multiple Android Home pages and don't mind a few widgets. I actually don't have a simple Evernote launcher icon on a Home page, since I'm in it so often it's always in the recently-opened list! -- EDIT: I should qualify that by saying my phone is a Samsung Galaxy S22, which has the "edge" feature that allows placement of launcher icons there, but of course no long-pressing for options, so I guess (given that I've used Edge phones for quite awhile) I didn't know what I was missing.

I agree that the Gboard issue(s) should be fixed--assuming it's something Evernote can fix, and they're not waiting to hear back from Google.

[Paul A. 675]

28 minutes ago, Dave-in-Decatur said:

I agree that the Gboard issue(s) should be fixed--assuming it's something Evernote can fix, and they're not waiting to hear back from Google.

It's been over three years since I first reported the issue to Evernote. I'm guessing that should be enough time.