Greetings, traveler!

Many developers have noticed that SwiftUI screens in iOS 26 now support a full-screen pop gesture — allowing users to go back by swiping from anywhere on the screen, not just from the left edge. This small interaction makes navigation feel smoother and more natural, especially on large displays.

The good news is that UIKit supports the same behavior — and you don’t need any custom gesture recognizers or third-party libraries to enable it.

A New Property in iOS 26

Starting with iOS 26, UINavigationController includes a new API:

navigationController?.interactiveContentPopGestureRecognizer

navigationController?.interactiveContentPopGestureRecognizer

This gesture recognizer behaves similarly to interactivePopGestureRecognizer, but it can begin from any point in the content area, not just the edge.

This makes backward navigation far more intuitive and eliminates the need for custom hacks that many UIKit developers used for years.

How to Enable It

Yo can activate the new gesture manually:

class ViewController: UIViewController {
    override func viewDidLoad() {
        super.viewDidLoad()
        
        navigationController?.interactiveContentPopGestureRecognizer?.isEnabled = true
    }
}

class ViewController: UIViewController {
    override func viewDidLoad() {
        super.viewDidLoad()
        
        navigationController?.interactiveContentPopGestureRecognizer?.isEnabled = true
    }
}

Why It Matters

• The “swipe-back” gesture now works anywhere on the screen.
• It integrates seamlessly with UIKit’s transition animations and navigation hierarchy.
• It finally removes the need for custom gestures or dependency on external frameworks.

Conclusion

The back gesture no longer depends on hitting the exact edge of the screen, making the interaction both faster and more forgiving for users.

With interactiveContentPopGestureRecognizer, UIKit navigation feels just as smooth as it does in SwiftUI — and it’s available right out of the box.