Not on iOS, which I believe OP is referring to. On Android you can swipe back. But I just tried this on my iPad and it does not work. For the longest time I never even _noticed_ that "<back" link in the upper-left corner!
As an iOS app dev, swipe to go back definitely works on native iOS apps. If you find an app it doesn’t work in it’s probably an app built in whatever cross platform UI framework which doesn’t implement the gesture.
Additionally, one can always swipe the bottom bar to switch between apps.
Even native iOS apps have some terribly inconsistent back behaviour, particularly when handling overriding swipe functions.
Eg Photos seems to change Back on almost every view. Swiping back navigates around albums and locations and such. Until you open a photo, then it flicks between individual photos.
If you are looking at a photo and want to return to album view you need to click the Back arrow at the top left.
If you swiped up to view photo details and want to go back to the photo, you need to swipe down.
If you are Adjusting photo details, you need to click Cancel at the top left.
If you are editing a photo and want to go back to the photo, you need to click Cancel, which is at the bottom left this time.
The only place I don't notice a back button in Photos is the top right. But that's exactly where Books puts it.
On Android, every single one of navigations would be performed by the dedicated back button/swipe. Which might explain why the iOS Google Photos app seems to just stick with a top-left back button on almost all views.
You definitely can swipe back on iOS, I do it all the time and AFAIK it's the primary recommended way to go back. You have to swipe from the edge though.
Yes it does on iOS, it might just be that you misunderstand how the mechanic works. Swiping back will never exit you out of an application. But for example if you go Settings → General → About and then swipe back two times you'll end up back on the Settings screen.
iOS happily kills backswipes with inconsistent alternatives.
eg View details in Photos, and swiping back doesn't work. But there are also no back buttons or visual cues. But there are 3 ways to get out of that screen AFAIK, which some might label intuitive.
But if you go one step deeper and Adjust the photo details, the only exit is a Cancel button.
