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Android 16 is making Predictive Back Navigation the default, and it's one of those updates that looks tiny but feels huge. It's all about making navigation feel intuitive and fluid, instead of abrupt and janky.

👀 What's Predictive Back?

It's that smooth animation you see when you swipe back showing a preview of where you'll go before the action actually happens.

Instead of your app instantly popping to the previous screen, the system animates the destination in sync with your gesture, so users feel more in control.

🧩 Why It Matters

✅ Reduces accidental exits (no more surprise app closures)
✅ Adds continuity between screens
✅ Feels native to Android 16's motion system and design language
✅ Tiny detail, huge polish

⚙️ How To Enable It

Just one line of setup in your activity theme or manifest:

<activity
    android:name=".MainActivity"
    android:enableOnBackInvokedCallback="true" />

And in Compose:

BackHandler {
    // Handle back logic here
}

That's it — the system handles the predictive animation automatically.

If you're using Navigation Compose, it's already supported as long as you're on navigation-compose 2.8.0+.

⚡ TL;DR

Predictive Back = smoother, smarter navigation.

✅ Prevents accidental exits
✅ Improves motion continuity
✅ Enabled by default on Android 16
✅ One-line setup

A small change that makes your app feel premium.