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How to close activity and go back to previous activity in android

I have a main activity, that when I click on a button, starts a new activity, i used the following code to do so:
Intent intent = new Intent(this, SettingsActivity.class);
startActivity(intent);
The above code was run from the main activity.
Now in my new activity which is called by the main activity, I have a back button.
When I click on this back button I want my new activity to close and it must go back to the original main activity.
I have tried calling super.finish() and just finish() (from the new activity) but this then closes my entire application (including my main activity).
How can I just close the activity that is currently in focus, and then return to the main activity?
EDITED
The fact that my phone's back button also closes my entire app, leads me to think that i have started up the second activity incorrectly?
OK I have been looking,
I created a Settings Activity that uses the same manifest code and the same code to Start the activity.
For the settings Activity when I push the back button, it returns to the Main activity.
With the activity mentioned above in the main question it simply exits my entire app.
So the problem doesn't seem to be with the code to finish the activity but the activity itself.

I think you are calling finish() method in MainActivity before starting SettingsActivity.
The scenario which you have described will occur in following two ways:
EITHER
You have set android:noHistory = "true" for MainActivity inside AndroidManifest.xml which causes MainActivity to finish automatically on pressing the back key.
OR
Before switching to your 'SettingsActivity', you have called finish() in your MainActivity, which kills it. When you press back button,since no other activity is preset in stack to pop, it goes back to main screen.

You can go back to the previous activity by just calling finish() in the activity you are on. Note any code after the finish() call will be run - you can just do a return after calling finish() to fix this.
If you want to return results to activity one then when starting activity two you need:
startActivityForResults(myIntent, MY_REQUEST_CODE);
Inside your called activity you can then get the Intent from the onCreate() parameter or used
getIntent();
To set return a result to activity one then in activity two do
setResult(Activity.RESULT_OK, MyIntentToReturn);
If you have no intent to return then just say
setResult(Activity.RESULT_OK);
If the the activity has bad results you can use Activity.RESULT_CANCELED (this is used by default). Then in activity one you do
onActivityResult(int requestCode, int resultCode, Intent data) {
// Handle the logic for the requestCode, resultCode and data returned...
}
To finish activity two use the same methods with finish() as described above with your results already set.

if you use fragment u should use
getActivity().onBackPressed();
if you use single activity u can use
finish();

When you click your button you can have it call:
super.onBackPressed();

Button edit = (Button) view.findViewById(R.id.yourButton);
edit.setOnClickListener(new OnClickListener() {
#Override
public void onClick(View view) {
Intent intent = new Intent(this, YourMainActivity.class);
startActivity(intent);
finish();
}
});

try this code instead of finish:
onBackPressed();

I believe your second activity is probably not linked to your main activity as a child activity. Check your AndroidManifest.xml file and see if the <activity> entry for your child activity includes a android:parentActivityName attribute. It should look something like this:
<?xml ...?>
...
<activity
android:name=".MainActivity"
...>
</activity>
<activity
android:name=".ChildActivity"
android:parentActivityName=".MainActivity"
...>
</activity>
...

This closes the entire application:
this.finish();

You are making this too hard. If I understand what you are trying to do correctly, the built-in 'back' button and Android itself will do all the work for you: http://developer.android.com/guide/components/tasks-and-back-stack.html
Also, implementing a custom "back" button violates Core App Quality Guideline UX-N1: http://developer.android.com/distribute/googleplay/quality/core.html

I don't know if this is even usefull or not but I was strugling with the same problem and I found a pretty easy way, with only a global boolean variable and onResume() action. In my case, my Activity C if clicked in a specific button it should trigger the finish() of Activity B!
Activity_A -> Activity_B -> Activity_C
Activity_A (opens normally Activity_B)
Activity_B (on some button click opens Activity_C):
// Global:
boolean its_detail = false;
// -------
SharedPreferences prefs = getApplicationContext().getSharedPreferences("sharedpreferences", 0);
boolean v = prefs.getBoolean("select_client", false);
its_detail = v;
startActivity(C);
#Override
public void onResume(){
super.onResume();
if(its_detail == true){
finish();
}
}
So, whenever I click the button on Activity C it would do the "onResume()" function of Activity B and go back to Activity A.

#Override
public boolean onOptionsItemSelected(MenuItem item) {
int id = item.getItemId();
if ( id == android.R.id.home ) {
finish();
return true;
}
return super.onOptionsItemSelected(item);
}
Try this it works both on toolbar back button as hardware back button.

Finish closes the whole application, this is is something i hate in Android development not finish that is fine but that they do not keep up wit ok syntax they have
startActivity(intent)
Why not
closeActivity(intent)
?

We encountered a very similar situation.
Activity 1 (Opening) -> Activity 2 (Preview) -> Activity 3 (Detail)
Incorrect "on back press" Response
Device back press on Activity 3 will also close Activity 2.
I have checked all answers posted above and none of them worked. Java syntax for transition between Activity 2 and Activity 3 was reviewed to be correct.
Fresh from coding on calling out a 3rd party app. by an Activity. We decided to investigate the configuration angle - eventually enabling us to identify the root cause of the problem.
Scope: Configuration of Activity 2 (caller).
Root Cause:
android:launchMode="singleInstance"
Solution:
android:launchMode="singleTask"
Apparently on this "on back press" issue singleInstance considers invoked Activities in one instance with the calling Activity, whereas singleTask will allow for invoked Activities having their own identity enough for the intended on back press to function to work as it should to.

on onCreate method of your activity
write the following code.
getSupportActionBar().setDisplayHomeAsUpEnabled(true);
getSupportActionBar().setDisplayShowHomeEnabled(true);
Then override the onOptionsItem selected method of your activity as follows
#Override
public boolean onOptionsItemSelected(MenuItem item) {
switch (item.getItemId()){
case android.R.id.home:
finish();
}
return super.onOptionsItemSelected(item);
}
And you are good to go.

Just don't call finish() on your MainActivity then this eliminates the need to Override your onBackPressed() in your SecondActivity unless you are doing other things in that function. If you feel the "need" for this back button then you can simply call finish() on the SecondActivity and that will take you to your MainActivity as long as you haven't called finish() on it

it may be possible you are calling finish(); in the click button event so the main activity is closed just after you clicking the button and when you are coming back from next activity the application is exit because main activity is already closed and there is no active activity.

You have to use this in your MainActivity
Intent intent = new Intent(context , yourActivity);
intent.setFlags(Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_NEW_TASK |Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_MULTIPLE_TASK);
context.startActivity(intent);
The flag will start multiple tasks that will keep your MainActivity, when you call finish it will kill the other activity and get you back to the MainActivity

In case none of the above answers helped, I think this might help someone.
I was also having the same problem while pressing the built-in back button or my custom back button, the app closes without returning to the previous activity.
I was calling the second activity from the first activity's toolbar.
But in the starter activity I was calling this:
case android.R.id.home:
if (isActionMode) {
clearSelectingToolbar();
adapter.notifyDataSetChanged();
} else {
onBackPressed(); // This was making the activity to finish
}
break;
And this code to start the activity
case R.id.settings:
context.startActivity(new Intent(ShowAllDirectoriesActivity.this, SettingsActivity.class));
After removing 'case android.R.id.home' part, my activity was able to perform in a normal flow i.e getting back to the previous activity.
So check it if you are also using the same thing!

{ getApplicationContext.finish(); }
Try this method..

Android: Activity A -> C, but C -> B -> A via back button, how to do that?

I have three activities: A, B, C.
Activity A can start B or C.
When A starts C i can return to A just have pressed back button. But i want "return" to B and then to A (with second press of back button).
I tried to use TaskBackStack in this way:
final TaskStackBuilder builder = TaskStackBuilder.create(this)
.addParentStack(this)
.addNextIntent(new Intent(this, B.class))
.addNextIntent(new Intent(this, C.class));
builder.startActivities();
But its not working... Can anyone help me?
Sorry for my English and thanks in advance

Override onBackPressed method in your activity C.
#Override
public void onBackPressed() {
super.onBackPressed();
//finish();
Intent intent = new Intent(ActivityC.this,ActivityB.class);
startActivity(intent);
}
If you write finish you can go to Activity A because you came from Activity A. That's why use intents. Like that in Activity B also.
#Override
public void onBackPressed() {
super.onBackPressed();
//finish();
Intent intent = new Intent(ActivityB.this,ActivityA.class);
startActivity(intent);
}
Let me know the status?

Override your onKeyDown method
#Override
public boolean onKeyDown(int keyCode, KeyEvent event) {
if (keyCode == KeyEvent.KEYCODE_BACK) {
//Do stuff, like launching a new activity
return true;
}
return super.onKeyDown(keyCode, event);
}

Before try to answer you question I have some comments about your approach to navigate between your activitys. In general, this approach is not a good idea, because doing that, you are not following the Android Navigation Pattern, and this can make your application not user friendly, since most Android Application use the Navigation Pattern.
The Android Navigation Pattern says:
Temporal navigation, or navigation between historical screens, is deeply rooted in the Android system. All Android users expect the Back button to take them to the previous screen, regardless of other state. The set of historical screens is always rooted at the user's Launcher application (the phone's "home" screen). That is, pressing Back enough times should land you back at the Launcher, after which the Back button will do nothing.
However, there is another possiblite to Navigate in your application using The Android Pattern, but I believe that is not a solution for your problem. You can take a look at Up Navigation
To finalize, I have a relevant comment about solution that uses override the OnBackPressed() to Start a new Activity. You should really avoid that, because using it, you will can make crazy your chronologic navigation. Because when you create an activity inside the OnBackPressed, you are always putting a new activity on Android Stack, so there are two problems here:
The stack can grow quickly depending of the user behavior
Can be hard get out of your applcaiton (Can be very hard to make your stack become empty)

go to this start basic with Activity Lifecycle. you ll have better knowledge of doing this. Go to this Calling one Activity from another in Android. you ll find many examples on google. try it.. one of the example.

How to press back button in android programmatically?

In my app I have a logout functionality. If user clicks logout it goes to home screen. Now I am exiting my app by pressing back button. But what I want is I need to exit automatically(i.e Programmatically) as same like as back button functionality. I know by calling finish() will do the functionality. But the thing is it goes to the previous activity.

onBackPressed() is supported since: API Level 5
#Override
public boolean onKeyDown(int keyCode, KeyEvent event) {
if ((keyCode == KeyEvent.KEYCODE_BACK)) {
onBackPressed();
}
}
#Override
public void onBackPressed() {
//this is only needed if you have specific things
//that you want to do when the user presses the back button.
/* your specific things...*/
super.onBackPressed();
}

You don't need to override onBackPressed() - it's already defined as the action that your activity will do by default when the user pressed the back button. So just call onBackPressed() whenever you want to "programatically press" the back button.
That would only result to finish() being called, though ;)
I think you're confused with what the back button does. By default, it's just a call to finish(), so it just exits the current activity. If you have something behind that activity, that screen will show.
What you can do is when launching your activity from the Login, add a CLEAR_TOP flag so the login activity won't be there when you exit yours.

Sometimes is useful to override method onBackPressed() because in case you work with fragments and you're changing between them if you push backbutton they return to the previous fragment.

Call onBackPressed after overriding it in your activity.

you can simply use onBackPressed();
or if you are using fragment you can use getActivity().onBackPressed()

Simply add finish(); in your first class' (login activity) onPause(); method. that's all

For Kotlin users and working with fragments:
use finish() if you are navigating through activities, but for fragments you can remove the fragment by its fragment tag.
When navigating to the fragment use:
myFragment = myFragment(this)
parentFragmentManager.beginTransaction()
.setCustomAnimations(android.R.animator.fade_in, android.R.animator.fade_out)
.add(R.id.baseFragmentContainer, myFragment, "MYFRAGMENT")
.addToBackStack("myFragmentNameInStack")
.commit()
then, when tapping your particular button and simulate a "back button" pressing, do the following:
binding.someButton.setOnClickListener {
activity?.supportFragmentManager?.
popBackStack("myFragmentNameInStack", FragmentManager.POP_BACK_STACK_INCLUSIVE)
}
This will remove the fragment added by tag "myFragmentNameInStack", showing on screen the previous one.

public void onBackPressed() {
Intent intent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_MAIN);
intent.addCategory(Intent.CATEGORY_HOME);
intent.setFlags(Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_NEW_TASK);
startActivity(intent);
}
// make sure use in outside of onCreate Method

Back functionality in android

I am developing an application which starts from LoginPage. When user Login then he moves to Main Screen where grid view for different departments are present.
Every page of application except login page has a Footer which have different Icons like Home, logout, etc.
I want to add conditional back functionality using mobile back button. Some conditions are as follow:
1) LoginPage ---> Main Screen ---> On back user should log out and go to Login Page
2) Main Screen --> any department ---> Any Sub deprtment --> If user press Back button then go to back in same order
3) User is any where in application ---> If press home button from Footer ---> Comes to Main Screen --> No back functioality to go on previous page, It should follow condition 1.
4) If User on Login Page then he will exit from application on pressing Back Button
5) If User on main Screen then user should logout and go to Login Page on preseeing Back Button
I have tried with "noHistory=true" in Manifest and with Intent flags in Activity file.
Can any body suggest me best way to solved out it.

shouldn't be a problem, all you have to do is override the onBack function and add the logout process.
not a problem, the normal behavior of back buttons is exactly that.
DO NOT DO THIS!!! BAD BEHAVIOR.
normal behavior of back button.
that was step one.

this is used for exit from application on back press.
#Override
public boolean onKeyDown(int keyCode, KeyEvent event) {
// TODO Auto-generated method stub
if (keyCode == KeyEvent.KEYCODE_BACK) {
finish();
System.exit(0);
}
return super.onKeyDown(keyCode, event);
}
if u want only back then remove System.exit(0) from above code .
By using this you can manage your all condition which one you want.

Use a stack globally to save screens order. Stack must be available in application level. And get the screen order when you click on back button. Write switch case for screen order and start that activity. that's it.
for example.
crate a class class MyStack{
//here declare a static stack
//create setter,getter method for assinging values to stack
}
when starting new activity assing screen value in stack with setter method
if you are starting a activity from main screen assign 1 into stack, you are starting sub screen assign 2 into stack.
when click on back get that value
switch(value){
case 1: //start mainscreen break;
case 2: //start sub screen break;
}

With what I understand, you cannot override the functionality of home button. By default, it minimizes your app with its current state, by calling onPause(). When you open the app again, onResume() is called and starts the app from where it was paused. As far as your back button functionality is concerned, most of the above answers are fine.
Try,
#Override
public void onBackPressed()
{
finish(); //finishes the current activity and doesnt save in stock
Intent i = new Intent(CurrentActivity.this, Login.class);
i.addflags(Intent.flag_activity_no_history);
startActivity(i);
}

Try this to trap events on the back button
public boolean onKeyDown(int keyCode, KeyEvent event){
if(keyCode == KeyEvent.KEYCODE_BACK) {
Intent Act2Intent = new Intent(thisActivity, Activity2.class);
startActivity(Act2Intent);
finish();
return true;
}
return false;
}

on each activity implement
OnBackPress().
Override it and add the functionality you want like logging out, clearing history stack and start new(previous) activity.

I think simplest approach may be to override back button in your "Main Screen" activity so that when back button is pressed you can do :
1. Executing log out logic:
2. Explicitly call your Login Page
This may give the behavior you are looking for.
On how to override back button, you can refer to this link:
http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2009/12/back-and-other-hard-keys-three-stories.html
Hope this helps!

How to kill all my application's activities?

How can I kill all the Activities of my application?
I tried using this.finish() but it just kills one Activity.
In fact, I would like when the user touches the back button (in only one of the activities), the application to do the same as if he pressed the Home button.

You can set android:noHistory="true" for all your activities at AndroidManifest.xml. Hence they will not place themselves onto history stack and back button will bring you to the home screen.

This has been discussed many times before. Essentially there's no easy way, and there's not supposed to be. Users press Home to quit your app (as you have pointed out).

Override the onBackPressed method, and do what happens when they press the home button. It's not really closing all the activities but what you're asking is that the back press in a certain activity emulates the home button.
#Override
public void onBackPressed() {
Intent i = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_MAIN);
i.addCategory(Intent.CATEGORY_HOME);
startActivity(i);
}
Placing that in an activity will go home when you press back. Note that the original implementation of the onBackPressed method includes a call to super, it's removed on purpose. I know this question is super old, but he's explicitly asking something else

To kill all the activities, use these code on onBackPressed.
#Override
public void onBackPressed() {
if (getFragmentManager().getBackStackEntryCount()>0) {
getFragmentManager().popBackStackImmediate();
} else {
finishAffinity();
System.exit(0);
}
}