Casey Liss considers that maybe the new-to-iOS 7 swipe-left-to-right-to-go back gesture is a hint at a forthcoming bigger iPhone.
Maybe.
But a bigger iPhone certainly isn’t needed to appreciate the new gesture. If you’ve used an app like Riposte that already implements that gesture, you know it’s more than just an easier way to go back without having to strrreeeetch your thumb up to the Back Button.
Swiping to go back feels natural. After using Riposte for a while, the gesture had become one of those I found myself using in many other apps — similar to how I was always trying pull to refresh in apps that didn’t even support it, I’ve begun swiping right to go back in apps that don’t support it.
And now, on my iOS 7 test device, I’m using the gesture all over the place. Aside from Control Center, it may be my favorite new feature in iOS 7.